news Ban on puberty blockers has not led to an increase in suicide rates in the UK

[Kukai]

Quote

There is no evidence of a large rise in suicides in young patients attending a gender identity clinic in London, an independent review, external has found.

Professor Louis Appleby was asked by Health Secretary Wes Streeting to examine the data following claims made by campaigners of a rise in suicide rates since puberty-blocking drugs were restricted at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in 2020.

Prof Appleby's review concludes "the data do not support the claim".

And he added that the way the issue had been discussed on social media was "insensitive, distressing and dangerous".

The Department of Health and Social Care said it was vital that public discussion around the issue was handled responsibly.

Unsafe language

Prof Appleby, who is a professor of psychiatry and experienced suicide researcher from the University of Manchester, said online discussions about the issue had gone against guidance on safe reporting of suicide.

"One risk is that young people and their families will be terrified by predictions of suicide as inevitable without puberty blockers - some of the responses on social media show this," he said.

There was also the risk that distressed adolescents hearing that message could be led to copy the behaviour warned about.

He also said the claims placed in the public domain about an "explosion" in suicides "do not meet basic standards for statistical evidence".

The claims have been led by legal campaign group, the Good Law Project, on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The group is challenging the decision by the previous health secretary to end the prescription of puberty-blocking drugs by private clinics to children and young people with gender dysphoria.

That was recommended in the Cass Review, published in April, which found "remarkably weak" evidence on the use of the treatment.

In response to their claims, the new health secretary launched an independent review led by Prof Appleby which analysed data from NHS England on suicides of patients at the Tavistock clinic, based on an audit at the trust.

Covering the period between 2018-19 and 2023-24, he found there were 12 suicides - five in the three years leading up to 2020-21 and seven in the three years afterwards.

"This is essentially no difference," Prof Appleby says in his report, "taking account of expected fluctuations in small numbers, and would not reach statistical significance."

He adds: "In the under 18s specifically, there were 3 suicides before and 3 after 2020-21."

The patients who died were in different points in the care system, including post-discharge, suggesting no consistent link to any one aspect of care, Prof Appleby noted.

However, he said it was likely there had been a rise over a longer period as more young people at risk came forward with gender identity problems.

Article

 

 

[Uncatena]

Can y'all please start using the unformat text option when pasting text. If you're on dark mode the text basically disappears.

[Virgos Groove]

It's still a transphobic and amoral policy that no sane person should support. The way the entire British political spectrum, from the left to the farthest of the right, is propagating #that lady's rethoric is concerning to watch as an outsider.

Edited July 19 by Virgos Groove

[Uncatena]

Anyways the fact that they're trying to push this not even two months after it was introduced makes the entire thing null and void. 

[BYoncé]

How can this data hold any weight when the policy just went into effect? 

 

 

[suburbannature]

Oh good anti-trans rhetoric on a gay pop forum 

[jadeabove]

This seems to be in a pretty bad faith. There are so many other factors to consider. 

[Uncatena]

6 minutes ago, BYoncé said:

How can this data hold any weight when the policy just went into effect? 

 

 

It doesn't, it's all part of the propaganda used by the government to distract from issues that actually affect the general public so they don't hold politicians accountable.

 

This is shown really well in the polls that asked people to estimate how many percent of people are trans (some said up 20% when it's less than 1%)

 

Its basically crowd control. Sometimes it's PoC, sometimes gay people, unfortunately right now its trans folks. 

Edited July 19 by ChapelHooker

[Moloko Plus]

Medical intervention for a transition should happen after a child goes through puberty. Argue with the wall.

[Uncatena]

Just now, Moloko Plus said:

Medical intervention for a transition should happen after a child goes through puberty. Argue with the wall.

Are you a medical professional in the field? 

[Minto]

how recent was this policy omg these people need to get a grip 

[CovalentBondage]

Can we ban the OP, thanks. 

[Miss Show Business]

Just now, Moloko Plus said:

Medical intervention for a transition should happen after a child goes through puberty. Argue with the wall.

This is literally against recommended guidelines for trans youth. Going through puberty opposite to their gender identity is detrimental to their mental health. Puberty blockers are not permanent and are lifesaving medications for these youths.

 

Any credible medical institution will agree as this is what the vast majority of the evidence says.

 

Regardless, a person's healthcare should be up to them and their doctor. If parents of minors approve of their treatment, then the government has no business interfering.

[LOTF]

12 minutes ago, ChapelHooker said:

Anyways the fact that they're trying to push this not even two months after it was introduced makes the entire thing null and void. 

Exactly! Like did they expect them to skyrocket just seconds after passing it?

Its impact will take a bit more time than that

[SignificantOther]

5 minutes ago, Miss Show Business said:

This is literally against recommended guidelines for trans youth. Going through puberty opposite to their gender identity is detrimental to their mental health. Puberty blockers are not permanent and are lifesaving medications for these youths.

 

Any credible medical institution will agree as this is what the vast majority of the evidence says.

 

Regardless, a person's healthcare should be up to them and their doctor. If parents of minors approve of their treatment, then the government has no business interfering.

The government should absolutely set standards. That's what Federal Agencies with trained professionals are for. A parent doesn't magically know better just because they are a parent, whether it's healthcare, schooling, and everything else. 

Edited July 19 by SignificantOther

[Uncatena]

I want to post really, really mean things  already because I'm passionate about this topic and some of you ******* have shown your true faces already so lemme just say, please do not comment in this thread if your knowledge on puberty blockers starts and ends with random tweets you see.

 

Modern medical consensus and guidelines support puberty blockers. This is where the conversation ends for every person who isn't trans. You don't have any weighty opinions outside of either accepting that, or being wrong. Its not an opinion, you are anti-science and anti-healthcare and don't think about trans lives. So... **** you if that's you and also delete tour account <3

[Mr. Peanutbutter]

If you're against puberty blockers then... don't use it? This isn't about you and you shouldn't speak on what other people should do with their bodies

[Kukai]

21 minutes ago, BYoncé said:

How can this data hold any weight when the policy just went into effect? 

 

 

The data is from the trust it was banned from in 2020. This is UK focused though so it is not reflective of what's happening globally. 

[Popboi.]

Suicide rates not increasing doesn't mean the ban was the right call. Thousands and thousands as they grow older will feel deep shame and anger they couldn't begin taking the blockers when they could make the biggest and most significant impact, that requires a longer term unique study. Focusing on this article completely neglects depression or any kind of psychological impact or clandestine medication that happened due to the ban  

 

If they wanted to make a health-positive decision, the time and energy spent on passing the ban should've gone to helping people medicate safely to help on their transition journey.

Edited July 19 by Popboi.

[Miss Show Business]

44 minutes ago, SignificantOther said:

The government should absolutely set standards. That's what Federal Agencies with trained professionals are for. A parent doesn't magically know better just because they are a parent, whether it's healthcare, schooling, and everything else. 

Yes, they should set standards, but they shouldn't be dictating healthcare decisions between doctors and patients. Doctors have guidelines that are established by evidence, and amongst these is puberty blockers for trans youths. The government should not be making personal healthcare decisions for people, whether it's abortion or puberty blockers. Again, they are not permanent and are always reversible, all they do is delay puberty.

[Suilen]

The British government is openly biased against trans people, relying on that flawed Cass review that's been criticized by medical specialists, and they already tried to bury some recent suicide statistics, so yeah, whatever they say.

Edited July 19 by Suilen

[Likingstars]

"There is no evidence of a large rise in suicides in young patients"

 

This very vague language right here. No large rise? so there's a rise but not large???

[Dear Reader]

I wish that people that legislate against trans people or the ones that agree or get behind those said legislations, suffered a tiny bit of what a trans person suffers and struggles every single day. **** them and this thread. 

[Pikachoo]

1 hour ago, Miss Show Business said:

This is literally against recommended guidelines for trans youth. Going through puberty opposite to their gender identity is detrimental to their mental health. Puberty blockers are not permanent and are lifesaving medications for these youths.

 

Any credible medical institution will agree as this is what the vast majority of the evidence says.

 

Regardless, a person's healthcare should be up to them and their doctor. If parents of minors approve of their treatment, then the government has no business interfering.

just playing devil's advocate, but isnt this what the article is saying? it is in fact not detrimental to their mental health?

[Redstreak]

1 hour ago, SignificantOther said:

The government should absolutely set standards. That's what Federal Agencies with trained professionals are for. A parent doesn't magically know better just because they are a parent, whether it's healthcare, schooling, and everything else. 

The child certainly knows themselves better