Public NHS consultation on puberty blockers open

[WarriorN]

www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/puberty-suppressing-hormones/

NHS England commissions gender incongruence and dysphoria services and the purpose of this consultation is to seek views on a proposed interim clinical policy on puberty suppressing hormones (sometimes referred to as ‘puberty blockers’ or ‘hormone blockers’) for children and adolescents who have gender incongruence or dysphoria.

The policy proposition is that puberty suppressing hormones are not recommended to be available as a routine commissioning option for the treatment of children and adolescents who have gender incongruence or dysphoria.

This public consultation will run for 90 days from 3 August to 1 November 2023.

I’m not saying gender distress is exactly the same as a body dysmorphia but it very much does seem like dysmorphia is a component of it. In that example, the treatment given is therapy and potentially psychiatric medication as needed. Patients are not offered body modification treatments.

Their doctors have the utmost awareness of how dangerous in terms of self harm and possible suicide ideation those dysmorphias can be, including the crossover with disordered eating. Even knowing those risks, doctors don’t start offering patients body surgeries or give them validation for disordered eating. Because it wouldn’t be safe for the patient, or therapeutic for them for their doctors to do that.

I can’t see why because gender identity is invoked, that means that disturbing or preventing natural puberty and removing the possibility of adult sexual and reproductive function from a child could ever be OK.

I still don’t understand how it can even be legally consented to by a child or parent. I can’t see how it could ever be framed as good for the child, or necessary for the child. Children have rights and especially when they are distressed and vulnerable that’s when adults around them need to safeguard their rights. Adult validation and adult politics should never be allowed to compromise children’s health care. I just can’t get my head around how this is OK.

Eating disorders aren’t the closest crossover in terms of mental health disorders, though it is an easier one to demonstrate the harm of ‘affirmation’. Body dysmorphia, and gender dysphoria, are obsessive compulsive disorders. The ‘transition or die’ narrative feeds into the obsessions and transitioning feeds the compulsion. Anyone with experience of OCD (and I mean the distressing condition that is OCD, not being ‘a bit OCD’ because you like things tidy) will know that feeding obsessions and compulsions makes them much worse. Doing so offers temporary relief but validates the obsessions (if I don’t do this something terrible will happen) making them worse. The ‘gold standard’ treatment for OCD is ERP (exposure and response prevention). Bit by bit exposing yourself to the thing you obsess about without the compulsion (eg touching a door handle without immediately washing your hand) so your anxiety is reduced to the point where, in this case, touch the door handle is no longer an issue. Then moving on to something you find a bit harder.

I've just submitted my response - I used the Transgender Trend advice page.
Last day for a response is tomorrow - although they don't give an actual time of day that the consultation is closing, on the 1st November.
https://www.transgendertrend.com/nhs-interim-clinical-policy-public-consultation-submission-guide/