Children on puberty blockers saw mental health change, new analysis suggests - BBC Newsnight

The majority of children in a landmark study on puberty blockers experienced positive or negative changes in their mental health, new analysis suggests.

The original study of 44 children, who all took the controversial drugs for a year or more, found no mental health impact - neither benefits nor harm.

But a re-analysis of that data now suggests 34% saw their mental health deteriorate, while 29% improved.

The new study has not been in a peer-reviewed journal yet.

The authors say they felt there was an urgency in getting the information into the public domain.

#BBCNews

[sheyshah]

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” - A. Einstein

[estebanperez]

Biggest child abuse scandal of our lifetime

[hellgates_javed]

Any doctor that approves this should be jailed

[connor]

It doesn't take a Doctor or a Scientist to realise interrupting a persons natural cycle of going through puberty is going to lead to irreversible damage. This is why It's sickening it was even prescribed in the first place

[BoofPack]

Wow, what a shocker!! Who could have seen it coming???

Absolute clown world

[floatingleaf]

It'll be interesting to see how their mental health is in 10 years and again in 20.

[kim-urban-edwards]

Did they really spend the majority of this piece interviewing a guy whose only credentials on the subject are "editing a book" someone else researched and wrote, and "auditing" a report someone else researched and wrote ?

It's telling that they could only get someone with THIS tenuous a connect to the subject to speak like this.

[qpvp]

Mental health effects is only one aspect. Puberty blockers fucks up puberty, the childs development, for life. That is a big decision to take by someone that is mentally unstable and a teenager. Teenagers thats known, by research, to lack the capacity to consider consequences.

[joeberg]

Sad how even a journalist who wrote a book detailing the horrible standards at Tavistock still needs to dance around the issue like this.

[rchlletters]

Who wouldn’t want to avoid puberty? It absolutely sucks! That doesn’t mean it’s wise to prevent children from maturity.

[Bungle-UK]

Children with a mental illness need support to accept who they are, not chemicals that feed a delusion that they can change who they are.

[zenquarium]

This practice needs to stop for children. It's absolutely not right and terrifying. We need to please stop hurting our children! They are our future. Let this kind of decision wait until they are mature and yes...puberty would have happened meaning hair or body development that does not align - in the end, trans people are usually suffering from body dysmorphia and or gender dysphoria - and children are not grown into fully who they will be yet to decipher the difference from exploring and suffrage from being discontent with ones assigned gender and body .. the brain is still developing! In adulthood they can make an informed and educated choice as to how the rest of their life will look like. I'm a LGBT member and this is just not okay in my books - I don't support the practice or the agenda . Leave the children alone please! Let them grow up and make this life altering choice themselves when they have fully developed. Also, it just seems like its "cool" to transition...a trend...its not. It's really horrible for those who really suffer from the conditions mentioned above. I don't know...its a mad world.

[NickdeDrummer]

No control group, no peer review. Embarrassing post BBC.

[ZahdShah]

As a pharmacist, I'd never distribute these. Any who does is maliciously greedy or negligent

[warlockboyburns]

sticking a needle in your kid unnecessarily is savage that should be obvious

[Clancydaenlightened]

Who the fuck puts they kids on hormones and puberty blockers

Ain't that effectively child abuse...

[Dani-El.]

Why on Earth would you want to 'block' puberty?
So strange.

[foxgloverose]

Surgeons are now learning that they are unable to create a vaginal sleeve using the penis of a male who has not gone through puberty as the penis is too small. There simply is not enough material. Furthermore children given puberty blockers pre-puberty are upon maturity these unable to orgasm. This appears to be more common in male to female individuals. Much research is needed! I am against giving puberty blockers to any child or adolescent. Ludicrous to allow a child or parent to interfere with a childs puberty for their fanciful frequently attention seeking behaviours and experimentation. Poor kids. Tragic.

[linzilou]

The Tavistock institute was closed down because it was found to be "unsafe for children".Over 1000 families are now suing the NHS. They plan on opening another, five regional clinics.

[PulaskiSkater]

If you think puberty blockers are acceptable for kids, you really need to seek help.