RelentlessTsunami said:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23398495
"The rates of depressive symptoms (51.4% for transgender women; 48.3% for transgender men) and anxiety (40.4% for transgender women; . . .
As I said in my first post. Is it an out right disqualifier? Of course not. Should it be examined in depth? Definitely.
Since you quoted statistics from only one of two referenced articles, I'll focus on that and quote the whole abstract and highlight what I think are more prevalent statements.
Anxiety and depression in transgender individuals: the roles of transition status, loss, social support, and coping.
Budge SL1, Adelson JL, Howard KA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of the current study was to examine facilitative and avoidant coping as mediators between distress and transition status, social support, and loss.
METHOD:
A total of 351 transgender individuals (n = 226 transgender women and n = 125 transgender men) participated in this study. Participants completed measures on transgender identity, family history of mental health concerns, perceptions of loss, coping, depression, and anxiety.
RESULTS:
The rates of depressive symptoms (51.4% for transgender women; 48.3% for transgender men) and anxiety (40.4% for transgender women; 47.5% for transgender men) within the current study far surpass the rates of those for the general population. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data-2 separate models were hypothesized, based on reports of anxiety or depression. The SEM results suggest that the processes for transgender women and transgender men are primarily similar for depression and anxiety; avoidant coping served as a mediator between transition status and both distress variables. Social support was directly related to distress variables, as well as indirectly related through avoidant coping.
CONCLUSION:
Results suggest the need for practitioners to focus on interventions that reduce avoidant coping strategies, while simultaneously increasing social support, in order to improve mental health for transgender individuals. Individuals who are in the beginning stages of their transition will use different coping strategies than those who are in later stages; interventions should be adjusted on the basis of the transition status of transgender clients.
While one could conclude that this was a very lightweight study based on the size of the group and possibly sparse credentials of the
principal researcher (my apologies to her for so saying as a way to make a point), the message I get from a quick perusal of the abstract was that transgender persons have a difficult time accessing the support that would make their lives (and health) better.
I know that you were trying to make the point that the common perception is transgender individuals are likely to present with multiple mental health issues that should be closely examined before judging them fit for military service. I agree with you, however, that already happens for everyone who goes through a recruiting medical. How often do we (on these means) see posts from youngsters bemoaning the fact that they have been refused because they had a history of a wide variety of physical and mental (minor in their eyes) symptoms and diagnoses? The system generally works. That is the Canadian system, however since the OP is reporting about a "proposed" change to enlistment into the United States military, I can't say. Only time will tell. The US military has a very different approach than us.
“(The Supreme Court of the United States) has long recognized that the military is, by necessity, a specialized society separate from civilian society…(t)he rights of men in the armed forces must perforce be conditioned to meet certain overriding demands of discipline and duty.” Parker v. Levy, 1974
Whereas we, as individuals, (okay, you, since I am now retired from the CF) are considered to be subject to the same rules and have access to the same rights and in the same manner as those in civil society.
As for hordes of transgender individuals storming US recruiting stations seeking enlistment so that they get a paid sex change, unlikely to happen. Provision of medical services to US military is also handled differently than us.
The Canadian Forces also has a well documented history in dealing with transgendered individuals (okay, one individual) who are going through the enrolment medical process. It's been discussed on this forum before, back in 2009 (yes, 6 years ago), when the over-decade long issue was resolved. Part of my comment then was:
http://army.ca/forums/threads/89007/post-873435.html#msg873435
The tribunal decision is very long and detailed. I’ll be interested in reviewing it again when it is translated. But for those interested, it provides an excellent example of the process that medical authorities go through when assigning a medical category to a potential recruit with a significant (or unusual) medical history.
It should be acknowledged the tribunal officer did note the professionalism of the CF medical personnel involved (and called as witnesses) - from the PAs who performed the original (and following) recruit medicals, to the various RMOs who reviewed them, to the specialist (a military psychiatrist of longtime acquaintance), and to the DMEDPOL staff who also reviewed the case before the final medical category was assigned.
As the links in that post no longer work, those interested in the full story can find that CHRT decision (as well as the numerous others related to MONTREUIL and the CF et al) by going to
that body's search page - it should be the top one, from 2009. Some of those decisions have been quoted as precedent in other cases dealing with similar issues.
