Perhaps I should have been more explicit: my serious misgivings about this specific "solution" are in no way an endorsement of the use of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria. (I also, for example, don't approve of the use of Viagra for children without certain heart conditions for which it's life saving, but I'm not going…
Perhaps I should have been more explicit: my serious misgivings about this specific "solution" are in no way an endorsement of the use of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria. (I also, for example, don't approve of the use of Viagra for children without certain heart conditions for which it's life saving, but I'm not going to petition the President to regulate that because it's not his role).
Yes, there are always going to be providers and parents who outright reject any research supporting an alternative to meds. But there are also some in both groups who are currently very vocal about the need for alternatives and would welcome such research, no matter where it came from, so long as it was a well-designed study. My impression from reading on the subject (including from numerous posts here) is that there is also a large middle group, that would be willing to entertain alternatives, at least for some patients or as the first option. Professionals who currently feel afraid to speak up or to or provide other treatments might be more willing to do so, at least in some cases, if there was a researched and effective psychotherapy technique to use for this population. And I still say, it can't be any less well-regarded or less credible than no studies at all, which is darn close to what we currently have.
Yes, the gender trend is new in the past 10-ish years. Anorexia, bulimia, and cutting were far less common before the 90s. But they haven't gone anywhere and are actually increasing despite having never been encouraged by professionals, though there have always been large online communities dedicated to encouraging the behaviors by peers. Tics, DID and sometimes autism have become "popular" for some social circles more recently, around the same time frame as gender stuff. The kids who are susceptible to these trends often share certain traits, regardless of the specific disorder-trend they fall into. If gender dysphoria fades to the background for any reason, it's not going to go quickly and the kids already affected will likely remain so for some time. And, something else is going to fill the vacuum unless we find a way to help this "type" of could better navigate the social minefields of junior high, high school, and the Internet. Currently, there are established treatments for eating disorders and cutting, but nothing for these types of kids before they become clinically diagnosable. There's not even any evidence-based advice for their parents on how to help them based on their susceptibility to these types of problems.
Even if medical transition is outlawed worldwide tomorrow, you have a lot of confused and hurting people who need help now. And there will be a new problem with many of the same "roots" very soon, and that will probably require treatment using techniques that are similar in many ways to those that work with the ROGD types. I'm way too old to have seen the gender trend in school, but I did see eating disorders, for example, and I do know nearly a dozen classmates of mine who, decades later, either still have the symptoms of the disorders, or still deal with the physical fallout-or both. And as I said, eating disorders were never affirmed by authority figures. But, while many people did get better with time and various other interventions, there is a significant percentage who did not, or who already had significant permanent complications when they did. I can't imagine gender dysphoria would be different, though of course none of us will know until it happens.
Perhaps I should have been more explicit: my serious misgivings about this specific "solution" are in no way an endorsement of the use of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria. (I also, for example, don't approve of the use of Viagra for children without certain heart conditions for which it's life saving, but I'm not going to petition the President to regulate that because it's not his role).
Yes, there are always going to be providers and parents who outright reject any research supporting an alternative to meds. But there are also some in both groups who are currently very vocal about the need for alternatives and would welcome such research, no matter where it came from, so long as it was a well-designed study. My impression from reading on the subject (including from numerous posts here) is that there is also a large middle group, that would be willing to entertain alternatives, at least for some patients or as the first option. Professionals who currently feel afraid to speak up or to or provide other treatments might be more willing to do so, at least in some cases, if there was a researched and effective psychotherapy technique to use for this population. And I still say, it can't be any less well-regarded or less credible than no studies at all, which is darn close to what we currently have.
Yes, the gender trend is new in the past 10-ish years. Anorexia, bulimia, and cutting were far less common before the 90s. But they haven't gone anywhere and are actually increasing despite having never been encouraged by professionals, though there have always been large online communities dedicated to encouraging the behaviors by peers. Tics, DID and sometimes autism have become "popular" for some social circles more recently, around the same time frame as gender stuff. The kids who are susceptible to these trends often share certain traits, regardless of the specific disorder-trend they fall into. If gender dysphoria fades to the background for any reason, it's not going to go quickly and the kids already affected will likely remain so for some time. And, something else is going to fill the vacuum unless we find a way to help this "type" of could better navigate the social minefields of junior high, high school, and the Internet. Currently, there are established treatments for eating disorders and cutting, but nothing for these types of kids before they become clinically diagnosable. There's not even any evidence-based advice for their parents on how to help them based on their susceptibility to these types of problems.
Even if medical transition is outlawed worldwide tomorrow, you have a lot of confused and hurting people who need help now. And there will be a new problem with many of the same "roots" very soon, and that will probably require treatment using techniques that are similar in many ways to those that work with the ROGD types. I'm way too old to have seen the gender trend in school, but I did see eating disorders, for example, and I do know nearly a dozen classmates of mine who, decades later, either still have the symptoms of the disorders, or still deal with the physical fallout-or both. And as I said, eating disorders were never affirmed by authority figures. But, while many people did get better with time and various other interventions, there is a significant percentage who did not, or who already had significant permanent complications when they did. I can't imagine gender dysphoria would be different, though of course none of us will know until it happens.