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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Gender and children and young people's emotional and mental health

10 replies

Rumbledore · 20/09/2018 12:36

Report just released by the National Children's Bureau. I haven't read it yet but there's a short section on trans children on Page 14.
www.ncb.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/attachment/NCB%20-%20Just%20getting%20on%20-%20YP%27s%20views%20on%20gender%20%2B%20mental%20health%20-%20Aug%202017_0.pdf

OP posts:
thefirstmrsdewinter · 20/09/2018 13:38

Thanks for posting. Clear as mud.

'In sharing these findings, NCB aims to help further thinking and practice in this area.' Hmm. I mean, I don't have to read a lot of documents like this anymore but this seems exceptionally wet to me - the stated aims, the way the 'data' is organised (eg ‘things some people do to deal with stress/difficulties’), the exceptionally small number of responses from some of the groups surveyed etc, none of it seems to have revealed anything of much use.

IHateHouseworkWithAPassion · 20/09/2018 15:44

Just noticed that the report is dated August 2017. But still interesting.

I have only skim read it so far but this popped out for me:

"A gender-fluid respondent described a need for therapists 'to be aware that someone being transgender doesn't necessarily mean they can only be treated [for mental health problems] by a gender specialist'. This young adult explained, 'I recently had my referral to mental health services delayed because my IAPT3 worker over-emphasised my gender dysphoria in their referral letter (I was mainly looking for treatment for social anxiety […] The therapist I was referred to tried to refer me to a gender identity clinic instead (even though I don't currently want to transition medically on the NHS)’. They wrote that ‘getting myself re-referred to the primary care psychologist’ took months and the service closed before they were offered an appointment."

I think this a very important point. Often a child presenting as transgender will have other issues that should be dealt with first. Gender identity may not be their most pressing concern but seems to be the one that grabs the most attention. Practitioners are often scared off thinking they need to be specialised in gender issues, whereas they just need to look at the child as a whole and treat the whole person.

Alex Bertie has vlogged recently about suffering from depression and how this was pushed aside with the desire to transition taking centre stage. Transition is offered as the magic transformation, the holy grail that will make you feel happier. Sometimes (many times?) this isn't the case.

CrackpotsArePots · 21/09/2018 05:40

IHate

That's a very good point. There's some sort of power in the mention of transgenderism that makes rational thought and (it seems) professional judgment go out of the window

deepwatersolo · 21/09/2018 07:00

Ihatehousework that paragraph is shocking. It is bad enough when the professionals defer to patients that believe, transition is the solution to all problems.
But in this case, a patient is pushed into a transition, against the wishes of a patient, who thinks gender dysphoria is not their most urgent problem...

Starkstaring · 21/09/2018 07:09

That's because a myth has been established that transition is essential for psychological well being for someone who has been born in the wrong body. And after that it is only society's attitude which causes mental distress.

But it is not possible to be born in the wrong body. And gender dysphoria is a symptom not a cause.

CrackpotsArePots · 21/09/2018 07:12

Yup

And that's all very worrying because whilst we're believing in delusions, we're not looking at other things underlying it - like sexual abuse

Starkstaring · 21/09/2018 07:20

Or undiagnosed Autism

TallulahWaitingInTheRain · 21/09/2018 07:21

I imagine that therapists are also terrified of being accused of delivering conversion therapy, which would be potentially career-ending.

IHateHouseworkWithAPassion · 21/09/2018 08:48

I wonder what NCB intend to do with this survey. I wonder if they will be consulted by Penny Mordaunt's inquiry into why so many kids are identifying as trans. I think all your comments above would be very useful to the inquiry.

Starkstaring · 21/09/2018 09:10

Tallulah - the conversion therapy threat is a real problem. There is a whole world of difference between "you must conform to gender stereotypes, anything else is no acceptable" and "hang on, shall we see if there are other ways of tackling your distress which do not lead to a lifetime of hormones, and surgery"

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