New Study Showing Comorbidity

[HouseMouseQueen]

Heyo. Mancheeze here. It's been a while since I logged in to MN and have heard about what's been happening here lately with concerns about data breaches by TA's.

Anywho, here's a new study supporting psychological comorbidity in the trans population. This is an important study because it has such a large control group. Also, it confirms earlier research showing that the trans population suffers from major psychological disorders other than gender dysphoria.

pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2018/04/12/peds.2017-3845.full#xref-ref-19-1

So let's not give them hormones or puberty blockers or surgery.

It's a very interesting study.
These are th concluding remarks:

"Overall, these data reveal that children and adolescents presenting as TGNC to health care providers may require not only thorough and immediate evaluation of mental health needs but also urgent implementation of social and educational measures of gender identity support."

So the authors conclude that the best way to help these children is to support them in their new gender identity. I would support this, with the caveats that nobody should be lying to children about being able to change their sex and consequences for others (thinking specifically of their female peers) of supporting the children must also be taken into account.

If there is any correlation between

Sorry I clicked too soon.

Comorbidity is supposed to be an additional disorder or disease co-occurring with a primary disorder or disease.

TGNC Transgender or gender non conforming
Since when is being gender non-conforming a disorder?

I have more to say on this issue but not right this minute.

None of that study surprises me having been a trans child myself. Depression is very common and this really highlights the need for long term care and study of children and support without making irrevocable instant decisions.

It also illustrates why altering the GRA by lowering age to 16 and by removing all psychiatric and medical assessment is not just bad news for women but for transgender people too.

This kind of support is necessary to ensure people do not transition without adequate back up, or assessment or treatment for any coexisting psychological traumas they have because they are trans.

Just waving people through without any of this is an idiotic idea.

@jayceedove
What's your feeling on the cause of co-existing conditions? I mean, do you think they result from the way trans kids are treated by their families/peers/society in general, or is it part of the unhappiness with their bodies, or is it too difficult to disentangle/something else altogether?

@flowersonthepiano - I’ve also had experience of having a child who identified as trans (for 4 years between the age of 12-16).

You’ve framed your questions incorrectly from our experience. The existing mental health contusions caused/exacerbated the gender dysphoria, not the other way around.

My child has OCD, ASD & Dyspraxia. Once these conditions were treated, especially the OCD, they gradually stopped identifying as transgender.

We accepted their gender identity and truly accepted that’s how they felt, though we never fully affirmed the different identity.

I think I’ve got the gist of the study, that they’ve randomly chosen 1 TGNC patient to 10 random similar patients who they assume are ‘cisgender’ - the trouble I see with this is that they’re coming at it from the point of view that being TGNC causes the comorbid mental health issues. It’d be like comparing the mental health issues of children in the CAHMS system with those that aren't and coming to the conclusion that those in the system have a higher prevelence of mental health issues.

Just stunned to see that children as young as three have been diagnosed as trans.

I've only scanned it quickly but as the text says that gender is assigned at birth (it's sex that's assigned at birth) and as the authors appear to accept that between 10% and 30% of children and young people are trans, I don't think this is going to be a definitive study.

@NonHypotheticalLurkingParent
Thank you, that's a really interesting perspective. There are lots of potential responses going through my head, but i don't want to say anything insensitive or unhelpful so will just ponder on that for now

@Merchfach I think they mean that 10-30% of children presenting as gender non-conforming go on to transition to the opposite gender

Maybe compassion is needed. This life is not easy.

Ophelia

Being gender nonconforming is not considered a disorder. The disorder arises from the dysphoria - persistent mental distress experienced by the person because they feel like they do not belong to their identified gender. This requires a notable symptom such as strong dislike of one’s genitals.

According to the DSM most children diagnosed with gender dysphoric disorder do not persist as such into adulthood. The majority identify as homosexual when adult.

Thank you, Flowers. The dangers of reading something very quickly and then commenting, eh? Glad it's not saying what I thought it was, anyway!

It is sad to hear of people suffering from mental health problems, especially young people with their lives ahead of them. I hope this study helps to drive more access to psychological therapies for more young people who are having such issues.