Tavistock puberty blocker study published

Jesus.

Yes, this link on their website

www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/private-practice/winter-2017/gender-mosaic/

leads to another below...

genderidentity.co.uk/about/

Thanks PlantMam, I hadn't really put that together. Yes, they must have been advertising for custom at the same time as the referrals were increasing.
I saw in the minutes that the videos/radio programmes etc were discussed under "Marketing".

Most counsellors working within CAMHS are BACP accredited. BACP pushes a gender affirmative model.

Incidentally, where I live, there is no MH support for children with autism, even if they are assessed as being at Tier 3. Literally none. If your child is suicidal, they tell you to go to A&E.

So I can imagine getting a child off the CAMHS list and onto the GIDS one is very attractive to a lot of Trusts.

the increase in demand seems to have been actively encouraged via print and TV media

quelle surprise.

And they didn't query that??

It's "interesting" that they started off, as per their study protocol, doing "'Early pubertal suppression in a carefully selected group of adolescents with gender identity disorders'"
What happened to that careful selection under pressure from external groups as the referrals rocketed, and presentations grew more complex? That's the study that I think would be informative.

I'd like to know how their plans for research changed once they realised there was a massive increase in referrals, and that the client group was changing.

From the bits I have extracted from the board minutes so far the increase in demand seems to have been actively encouraged via print and TV media engagement and the additional cash from NHS England to pay for it all was seen as very positive.
So far (I’ve gotten up to the end of 2017) there is no mention of curiosity around changing clinical presentations, only commentary on how great the expansion is going.

Prof Moore et al's book is on kindle now £10 btw. "Inventing transgender children and young people"

Inventing indeed.

They couldn't really escape the pressure could they?

And I can see how it happened. Such pressure from external groups, people who bring up concerns aren't supported, and just leave, hence the massive staff turnover (was it something like 30 psychologists in two years?)

And did they really go ahead with offering a treatment that effectively sterilised these children and young people despite seeing these changes in referrals?

I'd also like to know - did they keep data on sexual orientation? (at presentation and in adulthood)? That would be interesting to see.

This study was small numbers as this was the number of children they expected to present at the time, before the massive rise in numbers.

In 2015, they note a change in presentations: "With the increase in referrals, the number of complex cases has increased; for example young people presenting with significant associated difficulties, features of ASD and challenging social circumstances" (board meeting 2015)

I'd like to know how their plans for research changed once they realised there was a massive increase in referrals, and that the client group was changing. What studies are they doing since numbers increased from the tens to the hundreds/thousands?

The child who started blockers, then came off for 9 months to try to produce sperm to store for future use, wasn't "successful", then went back on blockers - I'm just gutted for them that they won't be able to father their own children.
Shouldn't this be recorded as some sort of adverse event?
Doesn't it suggest that children can't be sure as to their decisions about having children themselves in the future?

Agree with all @sultanasofa's points. This is an abysmally designed study, abysmally written up.

A couple of things not already mentioned that leapt out to me:

They were comparing bone density to baseline, i.e. each individual's bone density pre- and post-treatment. That is bizarre when you are studying adolescent children. Their bone density should be increasing, so the fact that it didn't decrease during treatment isn't reassuring at all - quite the opposite. Where are the comparisons with a non-treated group? Even without a formal control group, they could easily have compared the treated children's bone density to average for their age group. The fact that they didn't suggests they are trying to gloss over the very worrying finding that PBs inhibit normal skeletal development.

One of the authors is Russell Viner. Guess what his job is now? President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

This one refers to mermaids

camhsdorset.org/about-camhs/what-can-we-help-with/gender-identity

grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/childline-the-nspcc-and-the-gender

This CAMHS refers to childline.

camhs.elft.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gender-Identity

Thanks Plantmam

However if one is exploring the impact of PBs on suicidal thoughts, I'd suggest the outliers are the most important group of all to look at.

I'd have preferred a bar chart showing the spread of responses for each of the 4 timepoints.

GIDs is just London and Leeds (Leeds joins the London staff meetings via video, so it’s a true satellite) and they also provide clinicians to Dublin (Dublin is commissioned using the treatment abroad scheme).

Welsh kids go to London and NI have a thing called KOI (as far as I can tell, their staff are trained by and mentored by GIDs) www.familysupportni.gov.uk/Service/5033/lgbt/gender-identity-clinic--camhs-belfast

All Scots kids go to Sandyford in Glasgow.

————-
There are 7 adult GICS for England and Wales: www.gires.org.uk/nhs-gender-identity-clinics/

Plus two new 3 year pilots (Manchester- Indigo Gender and London - Trans Plus) run by third sector type orgs and funded by the NHS.

www.gmcvo.org.uk/news/indigo-gender-service-–-new-nhs-adult-gender-dysphoria-service-greater-manchester

wearetransplus.co.uk/our-service/

And a new welsh service (all welsh patients used to be sent to London, now they only go to London for surgery):

gender.wales/

Scotland has 4 adult clinics and unlike England, everyone goes to their nearest: www.ngicns.scot.nhs.uk/gender-identity-clinics/

I don't know for sure; would CAMHS offer counselling? Seems almost impossible to get that.

Also, that leaflet seems to be, "you come to us and we put you on blockers."

Thank you for clarifying that Neurowarrior

There's a unit in Leeds. flipbooks.leedsth.nhs.uk/LN004504.pdf

I think the support via CAMHS is mostly local charities. Some run youth groups etc. That's what the mother on Woman's hour described on Thursday.

That's adult though I think.

There are some regional clinics:

www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Services/Service/DefaultView.aspx?id=292299