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Depression and Gender Dysphoria

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Affirmative Mental Health Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth

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Abstract

Transgender youth, as a whole, are resilient and healthy young people, though a substantial minority will be at risk of depression and suicide. This chapter reviews three cases of transgender youth, describing their and their families’ journeys to come to terms with their gender identities, including periods of depression and self-injury. Existing literature is also reviewed to elaborate the nature, extent, and causes of depression among transgender individuals. The therapeutic approach to transgender youth presenting with depression or self-injury is discussed, along with the importance of family support and intervention. The process of determining whether to immediately refer depressed transgender youth for affirming medical interventions is also discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Eric N. Boyum MD & Peter Daniolos MD

Authors
  1. Eric N. Boyum MD
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  2. Peter Daniolos MD
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Correspondence to Eric N. Boyum MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, USA

    Aron Janssen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Scott Leibowitz

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Boyum, E.N., Daniolos, P. (2018). Depression and Gender Dysphoria. In: Janssen, A., Leibowitz, S. (eds) Affirmative Mental Health Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78307-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78307-9_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-78306-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78307-9

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