Why is the trans suicide rate so high?

The personal accounts in the context point to several overlapping reasons that have little to do with being “trans” itself and much more to do with pre-existing mental-health burdens and the limits of medical transition as a fix.

1. Heavy pre-existing mental-health load
Several contributors note that trans-identifying people often arrive with multiple diagnoses. One commenter recalls reading that “the average trans person has 3 mental health diagnoses” and sees this as “a major factor in suicide attempts, not being trans itself” (BigGayThrow-Away). These underlying conditions—depression, anxiety, trauma—remain even if someone socially or medically transitions.

2. Transition does not reliably lower suicide risk
The largest long-term Swedish study is cited repeatedly. It found that “mortality from suicide was strikingly high among sex-reassigned persons, also after adjustment for prior psychiatric morbidity” (CoolEmployment5080). In plain terms, even after full medical transition and after accounting for earlier mental illness, suicide rates stayed elevated. UCLA data are also mentioned: suicide attempts remain “remarkably high for trans people, even when they report being fully accepted as trans and always having strong family and friend support” (badsalad). The numbers hover around 40–42 % and do not drop after transition (Hot_Ad_2492).

3. Male-pattern suicide rates among FtM individuals
Because men in the general population already die by suicide at 3–4 times the rate of women, people who transition to live as men may inherit that same heightened risk. One detrans man observes that “men ‘check out’ more … and transition does not decrease suicidality” (CoolEmployment5080). Another suggests that shame and stigma around male mental-health struggles may keep many MtF detransitioners from coming forward—or even surviving to tell their stories (MythicalDawn).

4. Post-transition realities can add new stressors
Some contributors describe how surgery complications, damaged genitals, dating difficulties, and social rejection can worsen distress rather than relieve it (JoselineMontgomery). In short, the hoped-for “cure” can create fresh sources of pain.

Taken together, the stories argue that the high suicide rate is driven less by “being trans” than by deep-seated mental-health challenges that medical transition has not been shown to resolve. The path forward, they suggest, lies in addressing those underlying issues—through therapy, community support, and honest appraisal of what transition can and cannot do—rather than assuming medical steps alone will bring lasting relief.