The recent study from Finland, published in the journal European Psychiatry, challenges prevailing notions about transgender medical treatment and its impact on mental health. The findings underscore a concerning trend that goes against the assertions made by advocates in this field. Despite undergoing transgender medical procedures, individuals still exhibit significant psychiatric needs, as highlighted by the study conducted by Finnish researchers.
The research scrutinized a cohort of 3,665 individuals who sought gender identity services in Finland between 1996 and 2019. It revealed a persistent pattern of ongoing psychiatric requirements among these individuals, both before and after engaging with gender identity services, even when medical gender reassignment interventions were carried out. Notably, adolescents, particularly girls, are increasingly seeking these treatments, raising concerns about the mental health implications for this demographic.
The study revealed a substantial increase in psychiatric needs among the gender dysphoric group over time, with prevalent severe mood disorders ranking as the primary psychiatric issue. This group exhibited higher instances of autism and comparable levels of anxiety disorders compared to the control group. Alarmingly, those seeking transgender treatments in recent times tend to exhibit more psychiatric issues than those who sought similar treatments in the past.
Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala, one of the authors of the study and a pioneer in transgender hormone treatments for children in Europe, cautioned against the medicalization of gender-distressed children. Despite her prior involvement in transgender treatments, she raised concerns about intervening in healthy bodies based solely on a young person’s evolving feelings about gender. She pointed out that the lives of the treated individuals were not improving but rather deteriorating.
Kaltiala also raised alarms regarding the American medical approach promoting “affirming” models of transgender services for children. Instances of elective, gender-related double mastectomies among U.S. teenage girls, some as young as 12, have surfaced in recent years, signifying a troubling trend in medical procedures performed on minors. Additionally, a rising number of children identifying as transgender has become a notable phenomenon, with an estimated 300,000 minors aged 13 to 17 identifying as such last year.
Conservatives perceive this study as a critical revelation, shedding light on the mental health complexities faced by individuals undergoing transgender medical treatment. It raises substantial concerns about the effectiveness of such interventions and the lasting impact they have on the mental well-being of those seeking these procedures, particularly adolescents, urging a reevaluation of current approaches to gender identity services for minors.
