The endocrinologist's office-puberty suppression: saving children from a natural disaster?

J Med Humanit. 2013 Jun;34(2):255-60. doi: 10.1007/s10912-013-9228-6.

Abstract

In the past few years, the introduction and rapid acceptance of puberty suppression has transformed the clinical treatment of children diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder. This essay analyzes the narratives used by some advocates of this treatment, particularly the elements of saving children from the looming disaster of puberty and from future abject lives of violence and suicide as transgender adults. It briefly addresses the potential implications of this account for the well being of the children brought under clinical purview.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Endocrinology
  • Gender Identity*
  • Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / pharmacology
  • Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Physicians' Offices
  • Puberty / drug effects*
  • Sexual Maturation / drug effects*
  • Suicide / prevention & control
  • Transsexualism / psychology*
  • Violence / prevention & control

Substances

  • Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone