NHS ‘diagnosing too many children as transgender’

Doctors ‘fear being branded transphobic’

THE Health Service is ‘over- diagnosing’ children as transgender because doctors fear being branded transphobic, whistleblowers have claimed.

Former psychologists at England’s only specialist gender clinic have issued a stark warning about the ‘medical scandal’ of children being rushed into life-changing hormone treatment.

In the past three years, 35 psychologists have quit the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in London. Six of these have since raised concerns about the clinic’s ‘over-medicalisation’ of children struggling with their gender identity, an investigation by Sky News found.

One whistleblower said that those who worked in the service feared ‘they have had front row seats to a medical scandal’.

The Tavistock clinic helps children with gender dysphoria, a condition in which the child is distressed because of a perceived mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity. Cases have soared in recent years, with 2,590 children referred to the clinic last year compared with 77 a decade ago. Ten of those last year were for children aged three and four, and dozens more were of primary school age.

Young children sent to the NHS clinic are provided with counselling, and can then be given hormone blockers from the age of 11 to delay puberty. If a team of experts agree, oestrogen or testosterone can then be taken from the age of 16, which may cause changes such as the growth of breast tissue.

At present, 45 per cent of the initial referrals lead to physical treatment such as hormone injections. Patients can be offered surgical procedures after the age of 18.

However, there are concerns that many children are being misdiagnosed with gender dysphoria, then moved into irreversible medical treatment without thorough assessment of other possibilities.

One psychologist who has now left the service said: ‘Our fears are that young people are being over-diagnosed and then over-medicalised.

‘We are extremely concerned about the consequences for young people... for those of us who previously worked in the service, we fear that we have had front row seats to a medical scandal.’

Another psychologist said staff do not have enough time to thoroughly evaluate children and worry that denying them medical treatment could be seen as ‘transphobic’.

They said: ‘At the moment there’s only one pathway through the service, which is a medical pathway.

‘A junior clinician working full-time is expected to carry a caseload of 120 to 130 young people – compared to child and adolescent mental health services where the equivalent would be 40 cases.’ The psychologist added: ‘ Looking back, there are young people who I now wouldn’t necessarily put on medication.’

Experts have warned that some female-born youngsters identify as transgender after struggling with issues such as homophobic abuse. In some cases they find that medical treatment does not help their gender dysphoria and they later ‘detransition’.

One young woman, Thomasin, began to identify as male as a teenager but now identifies as a female again. She said her desire to be transgender stemmed from struggles with her sexuality as a lesbian.

She told Sky News: ‘Mainly the thing that was fuelling me was that I didn’t fit in and then I was slowly drip-fed this idea that you could change sex.’

She was diagnosed with gender dysphoria by the Tavistock at 17 but never received medical intervention.

The Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘Clinicians have regular supervision sessions where they can discuss concerns, including caseload. We have conducted exit interviews with all departing staff to understand their motivations.’

‘Front row seats to a scandal’

GENDER dysphoria, a condition that makes a person feel they were born the wrong biological sex, has recently gained popular currency in this country.

So is it appallingly unfashionable to feel concerned about the soaring number of children being treated as transgender?

A decade ago, the Tavistock, the country’s only specialist clinic, saw 77 youngsters. Last year, this rocketed to 2,590. Aged just 16, these patients, often profoundly tormented, can begin irreversible sex changes.

The clinic insists its service is safe, with young people’s wellbeing coming first. Of course, for some this monumental treatment will be the only hope of a contented life.

So it’s alarming 35 psychologists have quit the centre, warning the NHS is misdiagnosing children to avoid transphobia accusations from a powerful transgender lobby.

The Tavistock, say whistleblowers, ignores complex histories, including mental health issues, self-harm and confusion over sexuality. They claim children are rushed into life- changing medical procedures – only for some to later alter their mind.

It’s vital that in our eagerness to show compassion, we don’t risk harming others inadvertently.