Gender Affirming Care in Children and Adolescents: A Primer
Sep 18, 2023
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Child and adolescent psychiatrists discuss gender-affirming care in this podcast. They cover topics such as interventions like social transitions, hormone treatments, and surgeries. They also address the availability and effectiveness of gender-affirming care. Additionally, they explore care for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria, including puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy. The podcast also discusses a study on gender affirmation, detransition, and the importance of individualized care.
Gender affirming care includes medical, psychological, and social support to alleviate gender dysphoria.
Psychotherapy is recommended for children and teens as part of the transition process in gender affirming care.
Deep dives
Overview of Gender Affirming Care
Gender affirming care encompasses medical, psychological, and social support for individuals whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth. The goal is to alleviate gender dysphoria and improve overall well-being. It includes a spectrum of interventions, such as social transitions, hormone treatments, and surgical procedures. Patient preferences and individualized care are prioritized, and gender affirming care is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Criteria for Gender Affirming Care
Patients can access gender affirming care from various sources, but the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPath) provides guidelines for its appropriateness. Criteria include persistent gender dysphoria, capacity to make informed decisions and provide consent, stabilization of medical or mental health considerations, and the ability to independently decide on pursuing care. Psychotherapy is often recommended for children and teens as part of the transition process.
Effectiveness and Considerations in Gender Affirming Care
Research shows that gender affirming care can significantly reduce depression rates and suicidality among transgender and non-binary youth. Treatment approaches vary based on age, with social transitions for younger children and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for adolescents. HRT can involve estrogen and progesterone for trans females and testosterone for trans males. Surgery is typically accessible in legal adulthood, and detransition is rare but influenced by external factors. Monitoring bone density during HRT is important.
Child and adolescent psychiatrists are seeing increasing numbers of transgender and gender-diverse children and teens. This podcast will help clinicians understand the basics of gender-affirming care (GAC) as they work with families around issues of gender dysphoria.
Joshua Feder, MD, and Mara Goverman, LCSW, have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.
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