Study shows more transgender and non-binary people get autism diagnosis

A study by researchers at Cambridge University divided over five lakh participants into five datasets. During the course of the research, all individuals had to complete a measure of autistic traits and provide information about their gender identity. They also received a complete checkup for autism and other psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and depression.

All five datasets reflected the same result: transpersons and other members of the queer community are three to six times more likely to be diagnosed with autism.

The study provides robust proof of the co-occurrence of being gender-diverse and being autistic. However, the researchers did not explore if one causes the other.

The stigma around gender diversity has been there for generations; both society’s unwillingness to come to terms with non-conformity (of any sort, sexual or otherwise) and rigidity in religious beliefs are factors that have further contributed to a whole set of traumas that queer people have to face, regardless of where they come from.

Transgender and gender-diverse individuals are more likely to indicate that they had received diagnoses of mental health conditions, particularly depression—they are more than twice as likely as to have experienced depression than their cisgender counterparts.

We, as a collective, have to ensure that the conversation around mental health grows to include the transgender community.

The study was led by Dr Varun Warrier, who said, “We now need to understand the significance of this co-occurrence, and identify and address the factors that contribute to the well-being of this group of people."

Healthcare can be more effective when it is inclusive.