New Research Old News

A lot of times we heard show us the research, and it is not real unless you have data backing you up.

I think the trans community knew that by suppressing a child’s gender dysphoria it will create health problems and increase the likelihood of suicide, well I just came across this peer reviewed study…

San Diego clinic finds high need for treatment of transgender youth
THE ENDOCRINE SOCIETY
7-MAR-2015

San Diego, CA-- A new study has confirmed that transgender youth often have mental health problems and that their depression and anxiety improve greatly with recognition and treatment of gender dysphoria. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.

"Youth with gender incongruence or dysphoria need a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to care," said principal investigator Maja Marinkovic, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist and Medical Director of the Gender Management Clinic at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, an affiliate of the University of California, San Diego. "They are in great need of experienced endocrinologists, therapists, psychiatrists, primary care providers and surgeons."
[…]
Forty-two patients participated in the study at the Rady Children's Hospital clinic. Twenty-six (62 percent) reported that they had depression, anxiety or both and/or cut themselves, with seven patients having a self-cutting history, Marinkovic said. Eleven patients had additional psychiatric or behavioral problems, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, Asperger's syndrome/autism spectrum disorder and bipolar disorder.
[…]
Of the 42 study participants, 28 were making a female-to-male transition, 13 were male-to-female and one natal girl was gender fluid. That patient reportedly later chose male hormone treatment.
[…]
Treatment consisted of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa), which Marinkovic described as "puberty blockers," in seven patients and cross-gender hormones in 32 patients, with only two patients taking both types of hormones. The average age of starting puberty suppression was 12.5 years, and treatment with cross-gender hormones began at an average age of 16.5 years. Two female-to-male patients had breasts surgically removed at ages 16 and 18 years, she reported. Several other patients wished to get this type of surgery, but their insurance plans did not cover it or they could not find an experienced surgeon locally.

And what they found was…

"To date, none of the patients expressed regret or stopped therapy," Marinkovic stated.

Mental health follow-up data were available for 22 out of 26 patients. With treatment, depression, anxiety and/or self-cutting improved in all but two of these patients.

The study’s conclusion says,

Conclusion: Pediatric transgender care, though provided in more US centers, is still sporadic. Research and systematic monitoring as done at our and other centers, may help standardize transgender care of youth. Our fast growing GeM Clinic is providing endocrine care to large number of children and adolescents with GD. These patients are in need of experienced therapists, psychiatrists and surgeons. It is essential to increase awareness and accessibility to care for this minority group.