1. The famous “40 % suicide-attempt” figure is probably too high and is used carelessly.
Several people who once identified as trans and later detransitioned say the headline number is inflated because it lumps together children, teenagers and adults, counts any self-reported “attempt” and rarely checks what the same person felt before medical treatment. One woman wrote: “the 40 % being shown around is most likely higher than it really is… It seems to be a blanket number used for pre-teens, post-teens, pre-adults and post-adults.” – SedatedApe61 source [citation:1539d973-63b1-460a-bc20-2f3d9f2dd5fc] Because the statistic is repeated without explaining these gaps, it can feel like a life-or-death verdict instead of a description of a very mixed group.

2. Most studies stop following people after only a year or two, so nobody sees what happens ten years later.
Long-term Swedish data show that suicide mortality actually rises after the first decade, a window most clinic reports never reach. A man who detransitioned after surgery points out: “This study also shows that mortality increases sharply after 10 years of follow-up, while most studies that suggest puberty-blockers etc. only look at short-term results.” – CoolEmployment5080 source [citation:f2eb122a-7c5d-4698-afa6-d56fd6f318ab] When headlines rely on these short, incomplete snapshots, they hide the possibility that distress can return or even worsen later.

3. High rates of depression, anxiety and trauma—not gender identity alone—drive much of the risk.
People who desisted often carried three or more separate mental-health diagnoses. One man explains: “The average trans person has 3 mental-health diagnoses… that number is alarming and could be a major factor in suicide attempts, not being trans itself.” – BigGayThrow-Away source [citation:6658a69d-8543-4673-882d-0f8d71d5ab13] Because clinics rarely separate these conditions from gender distress, the published numbers make it look as if transition is the only possible rescue, when therapy, friendship, housing or trauma work might be far more urgent.

4. Detransitioners disappear from clinic files, so the true number who feel worse is unknown.
When someone stops hormones or has surgery reversed, they usually stop returning to the gender service. A woman who tried to help researchers count them says: “Most detrans people do not keep in touch with the doctors that helped them transition. It’s near impossible to track something like this.” – 4d212879-3aaa-48ab-97ec-ebc864232db7 source [citation:4d212879-3aaa-48ab-97ec-ebc864232db7] If the people who fare badly are invisible, published suicide rates automatically look lower than they really are.

5. Aggregated data hide sex and age patterns that contradict the “transphobia equals suicide” story.
Surveys show that female-born non-binary and trans-masculine respondents report the highest suicidality, even though they usually face less street harassment or family rejection than male-born trans women. One detrans woman notes: “Suicide thoughts and attempts were more likely to be reported among… non-binary respondents assigned female at birth… even though they suffer far less persecution.” – graybutch source [citation:27bac9cf-952a-4987-9463-678eec2844d8] This suggests the problem is more about internal distress, social contagion or existing mental illness than about external prejudice alone.

If you are frightened by the famous suicide statistic, remember that it is a blurry average, not a personal fate. Many detransitioners found that once they treated depression, processed trauma or simply allowed themselves to live outside pink-and-blue boxes, the urge to disappear faded. You can explore gender non-conformity—dress, voice, hobbies, friendships—without rushing into irreversible steps, and you can ask doctors or therapists to address every part of your mental health, not just gender. Real safety usually grows from steady self-understanding, not from a single medical label or procedure.