The number of children with gender dysphoria increases 50 times in a decade

The number of children in England diagnosed with gender dysphoria has increased by 50 in the past decade, according to research.

Analysis of NHS GP recordings suggests that more than 10,000 under 18 have identified as transgender or fought against the sexes between the sexes in 2021, against around 200 in 2011.

Gender dysphoria describes the feeling of anxiety when people feel a gap between their biological sex and their gender identity, which encourages some to take measures to go to the opposite sex using hormonal drugs or surgery.

The study, led by a team from the University of York, examined GP electronic files to determine the trends in the number of children struggling with their gender identity. He showed that the prevalence had increased rapidly throughout the 2010s, compared to 1 in 60,000 Under 18 in 2011 at 1 out of 1,200 in 2021.

From 2015, the number of girls diagnosed with gender dysphoria began to increase much faster than boys. In 2021, twice as many girls had been informed that they had the condition that the boys.

Research, published in the Revue Archives of Disease in Childhood, did not examine the causes of the increase. However, the authors have said that possible explanations include “social factors”, such as greater use of social media, as well as aggravation of mental health in children, especially girls.

GP files show that the levels of depression and self -harm are much higher in children struggling with their sex than in other groups of children. More than half of the children had anxiety, depression or self -control recorded by their general practitioner.

The study, funded by the NHS England, said: “The levels of anxiety and depression observed have increased in children and young people in general in the past two decades for complex and disputed reasons, questioning the Health, education and social services, and those the test of gender dysphoria / incongruence is at risk of particular. »»

Among the number of people with gender dysphoria, 5% were prescribed by puberty blockers while 8% were prescribed male or female hormones. Last year, puberty blockers were made illegal in the United Kingdom due to the lack of evidence that they are safe or effective.

The rapid increase in the number of children identifying themselves as transgender since 2011 has led to an increase in references to NHS gender identity services. Until last year, the only service in England for those under 18 was the controversial gender identity development service at Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.

In 2010, the clinic received 138 references. It increased to 2,383 in 2020 and doubled at just over 5,000 in 2021.

The clinic was closed in March after a report by Lady Hilary Cass, a retired pediatrician, has raised fears that children be precipitated on a medical path. It is replaced by a network of six new NHS specialized clinics, led by multidisciplinary teams who take into account other possible problems, including mental health problems or autism.

Cass’s report underlined how the evolution of “cultural norms”, the pressure of peers and the influence of social media probably contributed to the increase in gender dysphoria.

His report indicated that children in distress should be considered as an “whole person and not only through the objective of their gender identity” and no longer rushed to medical intervention.

A team from the University of York was involved in the Cass Review, by examining the data of 113,000 children in the greatest rensual processing for children with their sex, examining 237 articles in 18 countries.

In a second study based on the feedback of those looking for gender identity treatment and their parents, access to care was an important problem.

The researchers interviewed 14 adolescents referred to gender identity services, 12 of their parents and 18 people aged 19 to 30 who had already asked for treatment between March 2022 and December 2023. They were impatient to start treatment and often felt disappointed by medical delays.

“Access to timely care, however, is a problem. Families talk about waiting difficulties, in which they must manage without specialized support … The expectation has created a feeling of urgency for young people and a reluctance to explore their feelings during their first meetings (Identity Services gender). They want to continue their life.

“For many parents, however, engagement with specialized care is more likely to reflect prudence and doubt,” said the researchers.