I think we do have to row back on the recent escalation of numbers of children treated with blockers. I’m not convinced how useful blockers are as puberty is both the cure (in the majority of cases) and the diagnosis (in the few who persist). Halting natal puberty delays the inevitable. (Although there maybe very occasional exceptions in complex cases).
Absolutely agree - as close to zero as possible given the long term effects for such little benefit (if any) and the experimental nature of this route.
It continues to astound me that with all the money being thrown at this that there haven't been proper studies and data on patients properly gathered and analysed.
All that 'awareness raising', instead of highlighting the actual issues, that there is a lack of mental health care and a lack of research into the best way of treating dysphoria - just becomes a marketing exercise, selling the body dissatisfaction in the same way that the fashion mags have been doing for years.
I also think that the more a young child socially transitions the more painful natal puberty is going to be regardless of the eventual outcome. But then we are at... Oliver wants to wear a dress and call himself Jane... do we let him? How far does that go and at what point does Oliver have to accept he is a boy and how do you know he really has? Or do you stop that behaviour and risk further problems and self hatred in adulthood?
Yes, I think kindly and gently support Oliver to be his best self (maybe even change his name to a more neutral one but I don't think a feminine one, that creates a false impression for others) - he can wear what he likes and play with the toys he likes but kindness is to be honest with him and ensure he understands he is a boy and that won't change.
It makes me think a little of when people have to come to terms with big things in their lives - like if someone has a terminal diagnosis, it is not kind to hide that from them. It is better to tell them the truth so they can make their own informed decisions and live out their days in the way they choose.
The adults involved with these children don't seem to have the concept of 'coming to terms' with reality. There are many unpleasant truths in life that we have to deal with and suggesting to an impressionable child that their immutable sex is a reality they don't have to accept is not kind.
The age of 25 has been mentioned because that is when the frontal lobes are supposed to mature and people are more able to make life decisions on an adult basis. I'm not sure it would be practical or desirable to restrict drastic cosmetic surgery to people over the age of 25 but considering that doctors are well aware of age and possible regret when they are restricting sterilisation treatment in women to 30+ I think there is an argument for urging extreme caution.
It is well known that teenagers' brains are developing at the rate of a toddler's and their sense of risk taking is limited and impulsive behaviour is more likely. Knowing what I and my peer group were like in our teens I think they should be strongly discouraged from making any irreversible decisions and the 80% desistance in dysphoric children bears that out.
It would be really helpful to have some more data about the 20% that don't desist from these thoughts - I feel like we know very little about them. We are hearing from some on here but they haven't had drastic surgery and, while they say they would have preferred to have surgery at a young age, that is no guarantee that they would be happier in their current lives.
As some have found, once they have had the surgery, their lives actually get worse and having a chronically unhealthy body makes them understandably less happy.