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HD's avatar

I could have written this. Every word. Tears are streaming down my face as I type. My beautiful daughter, who will turn 18 in two weeks and is off with a big scholarship to a good college is about to start the medicalization. What is supposed to be a celebration is now containing sorrow. If I really thought the identity authentic, we would honestly support it, but for the same reasons (my child has also experience with many of the issues you list - depression, anxiety, dysmorphia, possible ASD, restricted eating, significant bullying and incidents of molestation) I believe it's a maladaptive coping mechanism. That all of our institutions support this is, frankly, Orwellian. You are right. They have no skin in the game, except, of course the medical and pharmaceutical industries who are drooling at having so many new, potentially lifelong patients.

My heart goes out to you. I see you, and feel your pain intimately. I see your love for your own beautiful daughter and hope that you can find something that will be a balm for you, something that can help you focus on something else that can bring you joy as all this plays out. We all feel so alone - we are not. You are not. Your writing this beautiful, hurt-filled piece is a reminder of this for me. Thank you.

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Harlow's avatar

Thank you for writing this, as you so poignantly describe how all of us are feeling. I hope you consider sending this to the the Washington Post and New York Times to see if they will publish it as an opinion piece.

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