This study found that gender-affirming medical interventions were associated with lower odds of depression and suicidal tendencies over 12 months. Data suggests that the effects of denying attention are worse than those of any other side effect that occurs when puberty is delayed with the sex assigned at birth. And medical society guidelines conclude that the benefits of gender-affirming care outweigh the risks. Without gender-affirming hormone therapy, cisgender hormones prevail and cause body changes that may be permanent and annoying.
Research shows that gender-affirming care, medical and psychosocial care designed to affirm people's gender identity, greatly improves the mental health and general well-being of gender-diverse, transgender and non-binary children and adolescents. The gender-affirming model of care affirms diversity in gender identity and helps people define, explore and update their gender identity, allowing it to be explored without judgment or assumptions. This doesn't mean that all young people should undergo a medical transition; in fact, this is often not the case. Gender-based care is highly individualized and focuses on the needs of each individual, including psychoeducation on gender and sexuality (appropriate to age and level of development), parental and family support, social interventions, and medical interventions that affirm the genre.
Social interventions, which are considered to be reversible (meaning that if gender identity changes in the future, these decisions can be adapted), are often attempted in a phased manner. For example, children may start using a new name or pronouns at home and, if this seems positive to them, they may start to do so in other settings, such as school. Social transition may also involve wearing different clothes or participating in new activities, such as moving to a new camp or sports league, that are more consistent with the child's gender. Social interventions have been found to reduce rates of depression and anxiety in children with disorders of the maternal and child pregnancy.
The suppression of puberty, which is also considered fully reversible, allows for a “pause” in puberty and a greater development of gender identity. Delaying puberty to promote physical development that is consistent with a child's gender identity is associated with better mental health outcomes, better functioning and satisfaction with life. Gender-affirming hormone therapy, which involves the use of feminizing or masculinizing hormones to allow the body to develop physical changes that fit a person's gender identity, also significantly reduces gender dysphoria.
The health program for transgender people entitled “Regret and Request for Reversion” published a new study focusing on regret rates for gender-affirming surgery.
They found that 99.7% of trans people were satisfied with their surgery. Transsexuality is considered to be the extreme end of the spectrum of gender identity disorders characterized, among other things, by the practice of sex reassignment surgery (SRS).The origins of transsexuality are still largely unclear. A first sign of brain anatomical differences between transsexuals and non-transsexuals has been found. In addition, certain parenting factors (parenting) appear to be associated with transsexuality. Some conflicting findings regarding the etiology, psychopathology, and success of SRS seem to be related to the fact that certain subtypes of transsexuals follow different developmental paths. Observations that psychotherapy does not help alter a crystallized transgender identity and that some transsexuals do not have serious psychopathology have led doctors to adopt sex reassignment as a treatment option.
In many countries, transsexuals are currently treated in accordance with the standards of care of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, a professional organization in the field of transsexuality. Research on the postoperative functioning of transsexuals does not allow unambiguous conclusions to be drawn, but there is little doubt that sex reassignment substantially alleviates the suffering of transsexuals. Psychotherapy may be needed to help transsexuals adapt to the new situation or to treat problems that could not be addressed before treatment. Intersex hormone therapy represents a major aspect of medical care for gender dysphoria.
However, it is still being debated if this intervention translates into better mental well-being for the individual and what mechanisms may be behind this association. While sex reassignment surgery has been the subject of extensive research, few studies have focused specifically on hormone treatment in recent years. In this article, we systematically review all studies examining the effect of intersex hormone treatment on mental health and well-being in patients with gender dysphoria. Research tends to support evidence that hormone therapy reduces symptoms of anxiety and dissociation, reduces social and perceived distress, and improves quality of life and self-esteem in both men and women and men.
On the contrary, compared to women, people treated with hormones seem to benefit more from reducing bodily discomfort and psychopathology related to personality, as well as from improving their emotional functioning. The less consistent findings support an association between hormone treatment and other dimensions related to mental health. In particular, depression, global psychopathology and psychosocial functioning difficulties seem to be reduced only in some studies, while others do not suggest any improvement in these areas. Longitudinal study results more consistently support the association between hormone treatment and improved mental health.
Conversely, several cross-sectional studies do not support this evidence. This review provides a possible biological explanation versus a psychological explanation (direct versus indirect effect) for the better mental well-being induced by hormonal treatment. In conclusion, this review indicates that mental disorder related to gender dysphoria could benefit from hormonal treatment intervention, suggesting a transient reaction to dissatisfaction related to incongruent body image, rather than stable psychiatric comorbidity. From this perspective, timely hormone treatment intervention represents a crucial aspect in the mental health outcomes of people with gender dysphoria.
In 1990, Green and Fleming concluded that sex reassignment surgery (SRS) is an effective treatment for transsexuality because it dramatically reduces gender dysphoria. Since 1990, many new studies have been published on the results, raising the question of whether Green and Fleming's conclusion is still valid. After describing terminological and conceptual advances related to the treatment of gender identity disorder (GID), follow-up studies, both in adults and adolescents, on the results of SRS are reviewed. Special attention is paid to the effects of SRS on gender dysphoria, sexuality and regret.
Despite the methodological deficiencies of many of the studies, we concluded that SRS is an effective treatment for transsexuality and the only treatment that has been evaluated empirically with a large series of clinical cases. Access to gender-affirming hormones and possible access to gender-affirming surgery are available at age 16 and, in the case of transmasculine youth, only mastectomy, also known as upper surgery, is performed. When parents and families support their children through actions such as respecting their opinions, showing interest in their activities and interests, and providing them with a home filled with love, affirmation and trust, this can go a long way in ensuring that they become happy and healthy teenagers and adults. Inclusive and gender-affirming care requires inclusive and gender-neutral options on admission forms and registration.
Breast reduction surgery was chosen as a point of comparison, since it is the only gender-affirming surgery that is usually covered by insurance for minors and adults. The study also found that cisgender minors and adults used substantially more similar gender-affirming surgeries than their GDD counterparts. We evaluated the results of gender-affirming surgery (GAS or sex reassignment surgery) between 4 and 6 years after the first clinical contact, as well as the associations between postoperative period (DES), satisfaction and quality of life (CV). However, across the country, extremist politicians, desperate to seize power, attack the LGBTQ+ community, in particular transgender and non-binary youth, and use critical issues as weapons to build support for legislation against LGBTQ+ people.
Not only do transgender patients experience higher rates of preventable diseases, communicable diseases, and discrimination and discomfort in public health and healthcare, but it's also well-documented that LGBTQ+ patients experience radically higher rates of substance use disorders, tobacco use, major depression, suicidal tendencies, and other psychiatric illnesses. Even when the procedures are technically and aesthetically successful, and even in cultures that are relatively “trans-friendly”, people in transition still perform poorly. Gender-affirming surgery generally describes urological, gynecological, or plastic surgery aimed at changing a person's anatomy to better suit their gender identity and improving patients' quality of life or reducing symptoms of gender dysphoria. When considering the use of gender-affirming breast reductions among cisgender men and people with GDD, the study found that cisgender men accounted for the vast majority of breast reductions: 80% of adult surgeries were performed on cisgender men and 97% of surgeries among minors performed on cisgender male adolescents. Transgender and non-binary people generally don't undergo gender-affirming surgery before age 18. It is recommended that adolescents and their parents participate in psychological care to help them better understand the benefits, risks and permanent effects of gender-affirming interventions. All major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association, support the provision of age-appropriate, gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary people.
