Are There Mental Health Concerns about Kids Transitioning?

Clinical psychologist Dr. James Cantor joins The Doctors with neuroscientist Dr. Debra Soh and gender reassignment surgeon Dr. Marci Bowers to weigh in on psychological concerns of children transitioning too young. Also, what motivates a child to want to transition?

Mom Shares Her Reaction When Her Child Asked to Transition

About The Doctors: The Doctors is an Emmy award-winning daytime talk show in its 14th season. The Doctors helps you understand the latest health headlines, delivers exclusive interviews with celebrities dealing with health issues, debates and investigates health and safety claims, explains the latest viral videos and how you can avoid emergency situations, and serves up celebrity chefs to share the hottest and healthiest recipes and foods.

[BoppityBoopy]

Bowers doesnt name one scientific study.
Children and parents are being misinformed about this dangerous ideology. Thank you Dr. Soh and Dr Cantor.

[NickkaDUB]

Are there mental health issues with kids transitioning? Absofreakinlutely

[sandykl]

Attention seeking and a thrill. That is a huge underlying motive I’ve noticed in those people that go to great lengths to disconnect from their physical body and endocrine structure.

[thesunreport]

There's so many interesting things coming out of this discussion for me. Thank You Doctors for your efforts in talking about this.
I think Dr Soh made some interesting points, and I agree about the need lots of sensible information and support being made available as a priority to parents and children in this situation. However I would add to that, relative to the concept of 'social contagion', that this concept isn't purely a 'tactic' of the Trans minority. If we took an overall look at Dr Soh's attitude, it is quite cold and unhappy, she is talking over her 'opponent', while simultainiously complaining about having her views, and those like hers 'shut down', we see a 'core approach' in attitude that itself would be identifiable in part or in whole with other similar commentators. Would this attitude be appropriate to 'infect' concerned parents with when thinking about a child's welfare?, I am not sure it is.

Secondly, the debate implies that parents are already on top of all of the other parental responsibilities, and herein lays another problem in that in some ways parents actually have less and less input into their children's lives. Can we really expect parents to be a success on their own in dealing with this?. Generally speaking I think parents have an aspect of their parenthood where they want to be proud of their kids, and are setting up fantasy goals etc for their children through their expectations. That can also be a difficult hurdle to get over, even without any Trans issues involved.
I think it's a myth to hold up parent's as simply needing the guidance of 'conservatives' when it seems politically expedient to do so. The discussions about Trans issues are important, but if you went by Dr Soh's perspective you wouldn't believe that there are thousands of kids needing adoption or fostering, or who have other unadressed issues. This is what is missing with this attitude, the 'science' used never seems to reflect actual normality or reality, it's all very very serious, while other arguably more important issues go ignored, or the context goes ignored.
That suggests something other than social interest is at play maybe, which can only be perhaps therefore an individual or minority interest.

The 'conservatism' she shows speaks of a general desire to make sure society is being run along a fairly strict set of rules, to avoid too much progress which may make society unstable or dangerous etc.
Essentially, 'conservatives' in humouressly ironic political terms, are the puberty blockers. If what we are seeing is a natural culmination of historical/current social factors interacting, then by our nature we would find ourselves here, whereby nature has become 'too wild' and 'conservatives' need to somehow mow the field.

I am not saying there is not merit in careful and steady stewardship of society, but I am saying that in order to be taken seriously, it has to be fair and reasonable. For example Dr Bowers came across as both reasonable and experienced in these matters, so would definitely be someone who should be a voice in the debate for me. I think comparitively speaking, Dr Soh comes across as having more of an academic rather than a real-world, experienced view on the matter, which came across to me as being a limited view.

The other main issue for me is also the body/gender dismorphia issue being essentially aligned in the debate generally, with physical gender expression (clothing etc). I think this is why terms like 'gender fuild' seem to have found traction maybe. Perhaps the assumption from non-Trans people is that for example a MTF Trans person would want to 'wear make-up and a dress', when that may not be the case at all. There may be actionable/non-actionable body/gender dismorphia issues that are not aligned with that concept, in that the person may already dress in the way they would after a physical transition, whihc may not be obviously a representation of either gender. In some treatment pathways there is a demand for the person to be 'presenting in their gender' for two years before surgery should be considered, but this might not suit some people or be functional or satisfying to their criteria, however sensible it seems toi have rules like this, due to the serious nature of full Trans treatment pathways (serious surgery etc).

So yes I am glad there are good debates being had as the issues are very complicated obviously. 🙂