It's gender dysphoria and the standards of care are set by a multidisciplinary organization that includes psychologists, endocrinologists, pediatricians, researchers and other medical and non-medical stakeholders called World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The most recent standards of care can be found here. The recomended standards of treatment are thus:
>6.1- We recommend health care professionals working with gender diverse adolescents:
6.1.a- are licensed by their statutory body and hold a postgraduate degree or its equivalent in a clinical field relevant to this
role granted by a nationally accredited statutory institution.
6.1.b- receive theoretical and evidenced-based training and develop expertise in general child, adolescent, and family mental
health across the developmental spectrum.
6.1.c- receive training and have expertise in gender identity development, gender diversity in children and adolescents, have
the ability to assess capacity to assent/consent, and possess general knowledge of gender diversity across the life span.
6.1.d- receive training and develop expertise in autism spectrum disorders and other neurodevelopmental presentations or
collaborate with a developmental disability expert when working with autistic/neurodivergent gender diverse adolescents.
6.1.e- Continue engaging in professional development in all areas relevant to gender diverse children, adolescents, and families.
6.2- We recommend health care professionals working with gender diverse adolescents facilitate the exploration and expression
of gender openly and respectfully so that no one particular identity is favored.
6.3- We recommend health care professionals working with gender diverse adolescents undertake a comprehensive biopsychosocial
assessment of adolescents who present with gender identity-related concerns and seek medical/surgical transition-related care,
and that this be accomplished in a collaborative and supportive manner.
6.4- We recommend health care professionals work with families, schools, and other relevant settings to promote acceptance of
gender diverse expressions of behavior and identities of the adolescent.
6.5- We recommend against offering reparative and conversion therapy aimed at trying to change a person’s gender and lived
gender expression to become more congruent with the sex assigned at birth.
6.6- We suggest health care professionals provide transgender and gender diverse adolescents with health education on chest
binding and genital tucking, including a review of the benefits and risks.
6.7- We recommend providers consider prescribing menstrual suppression agents for adolescents experiencing gender incongruence
who may not desire testosterone therapy, who desire but have not yet begun testosterone therapy, or in conjunction with
testosterone therapy for breakthrough bleeding.
6.8- We recommend health care professionals maintain an ongoing relationship with the gender diverse and transgender adolescent
and any relevant caregivers to support the adolescent in their decision-making throughout the duration of puberty suppression
treatment, hormonal treatment, and gender- related surgery until the transition is made to adult care.
6.9- We recommend health care professionals involve relevant disciplines, including mental health and medical professionals, to
reach a decision about whether puberty suppression, hormone initiation, or gender-related surgery for gender diverse and
transgender adolescents are appropriate and remain indicated throughout the course of treatment until the transition is made
to adult care.
6.10- We recommend health care professionals working with transgender and gender diverse adolescents requesting gender-affirming
medical or surgical treatments inform them, prior to initiating treatment, of the reproductive effects including the potential loss
of fertility and available options to preserve fertility within the context of the youth's stage of pubertal development.
6.11- We recommend when gender-affirming medical or surgical treatments are indicated for adolescents, health care professionals
working with transgender and gender diverse adolescents involve parent(s)/guardian(s) in the assessment and treatment process,
unless their involvement is determined to be harmful to the adolescent or not feasible.
The following recommendations are made regarding the requirements for gender-affirming medical and surgical treatment (All of them
must be met):
6.12- We recommend health care professionals assessing transgender and gender diverse adolescents only recommend
gender-affirming medical or surgical treatments requested by the patient when:
6.12.a- the adolescent meets the diagnostic criteria of gender incongruence as per the ICd-11 in situations where a diagnosis
is necessary to access health care. In countries that have not implemented the latest ICd, other taxonomies may be used although
efforts should be undertaken to utilize the latest ICd as soon as practicable.
6.12.b- the experience of gender diversity/incongruence is marked and sustained over time.
6.12.c- the adolescent demonstrates the emotional and cognitive maturity required to provide informed consent/assent for the treatment.
6.12.d- the adolescent’s mental health concerns (if any) that may interfere with diagnostic clarity, capacity to consent, and
gender-affirming medical treatments have been addressed.
6.12.e- the adolescent has been informed of the reproductive effects, including the potential loss of fertility and the available
options to preserve fertility, and these have been discussed in the context of the adolescent’s stage of pubertal development.
6.12.f- the adolescent has reached tanner stage 2 of puberty for pubertal suppression to be initiated.
6.12.g- the adolescent had at least 12 months of gender-affirming hormone therapy or longer, if required, to achieve the desired
surgical result for gender-affirming procedures, including breast augmentation, orchiectomy, vaginoplasty, hysterectomy, phalloplasty,
metoidioplasty, and facial surgery as part of gender-affirming treatment unless hormone therapy is either not desired or is
medically contraindicated
wishIwere t1_iuan4bz wrote
Reply to Is there a consensus among the medical community on the treatment of preteen and teens that have gender dismorphia? by MayorBobbleDunary
It's gender dysphoria and the standards of care are set by a multidisciplinary organization that includes psychologists, endocrinologists, pediatricians, researchers and other medical and non-medical stakeholders called World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The most recent standards of care can be found here. The recomended standards of treatment are thus:
>6.1- We recommend health care professionals working with gender diverse adolescents:
6.1.a- are licensed by their statutory body and hold a postgraduate degree or its equivalent in a clinical field relevant to this role granted by a nationally accredited statutory institution.
6.1.b- receive theoretical and evidenced-based training and develop expertise in general child, adolescent, and family mental health across the developmental spectrum.
6.1.c- receive training and have expertise in gender identity development, gender diversity in children and adolescents, have the ability to assess capacity to assent/consent, and possess general knowledge of gender diversity across the life span.
6.1.d- receive training and develop expertise in autism spectrum disorders and other neurodevelopmental presentations or collaborate with a developmental disability expert when working with autistic/neurodivergent gender diverse adolescents.
6.1.e- Continue engaging in professional development in all areas relevant to gender diverse children, adolescents, and families.
6.2- We recommend health care professionals working with gender diverse adolescents facilitate the exploration and expression of gender openly and respectfully so that no one particular identity is favored.
6.3- We recommend health care professionals working with gender diverse adolescents undertake a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment of adolescents who present with gender identity-related concerns and seek medical/surgical transition-related care, and that this be accomplished in a collaborative and supportive manner.
6.4- We recommend health care professionals work with families, schools, and other relevant settings to promote acceptance of gender diverse expressions of behavior and identities of the adolescent.
6.5- We recommend against offering reparative and conversion therapy aimed at trying to change a person’s gender and lived gender expression to become more congruent with the sex assigned at birth.
6.6- We suggest health care professionals provide transgender and gender diverse adolescents with health education on chest binding and genital tucking, including a review of the benefits and risks.
6.7- We recommend providers consider prescribing menstrual suppression agents for adolescents experiencing gender incongruence who may not desire testosterone therapy, who desire but have not yet begun testosterone therapy, or in conjunction with testosterone therapy for breakthrough bleeding.
6.8- We recommend health care professionals maintain an ongoing relationship with the gender diverse and transgender adolescent and any relevant caregivers to support the adolescent in their decision-making throughout the duration of puberty suppression treatment, hormonal treatment, and gender- related surgery until the transition is made to adult care.
6.9- We recommend health care professionals involve relevant disciplines, including mental health and medical professionals, to reach a decision about whether puberty suppression, hormone initiation, or gender-related surgery for gender diverse and transgender adolescents are appropriate and remain indicated throughout the course of treatment until the transition is made to adult care.
6.10- We recommend health care professionals working with transgender and gender diverse adolescents requesting gender-affirming medical or surgical treatments inform them, prior to initiating treatment, of the reproductive effects including the potential loss of fertility and available options to preserve fertility within the context of the youth's stage of pubertal development.
6.11- We recommend when gender-affirming medical or surgical treatments are indicated for adolescents, health care professionals working with transgender and gender diverse adolescents involve parent(s)/guardian(s) in the assessment and treatment process, unless their involvement is determined to be harmful to the adolescent or not feasible. The following recommendations are made regarding the requirements for gender-affirming medical and surgical treatment (All of them must be met):
6.12- We recommend health care professionals assessing transgender and gender diverse adolescents only recommend gender-affirming medical or surgical treatments requested by the patient when:
6.12.a- the adolescent meets the diagnostic criteria of gender incongruence as per the ICd-11 in situations where a diagnosis is necessary to access health care. In countries that have not implemented the latest ICd, other taxonomies may be used although efforts should be undertaken to utilize the latest ICd as soon as practicable.
6.12.b- the experience of gender diversity/incongruence is marked and sustained over time.
6.12.c- the adolescent demonstrates the emotional and cognitive maturity required to provide informed consent/assent for the treatment.
6.12.d- the adolescent’s mental health concerns (if any) that may interfere with diagnostic clarity, capacity to consent, and gender-affirming medical treatments have been addressed.
6.12.e- the adolescent has been informed of the reproductive effects, including the potential loss of fertility and the available options to preserve fertility, and these have been discussed in the context of the adolescent’s stage of pubertal development.
6.12.f- the adolescent has reached tanner stage 2 of puberty for pubertal suppression to be initiated.
6.12.g- the adolescent had at least 12 months of gender-affirming hormone therapy or longer, if required, to achieve the desired surgical result for gender-affirming procedures, including breast augmentation, orchiectomy, vaginoplasty, hysterectomy, phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, and facial surgery as part of gender-affirming treatment unless hormone therapy is either not desired or is medically contraindicated