Mental health worsened after gender transitions for youth, major new study finds

Adolescents struggling with gender dysphoria who sought gender transition medical treatment were found to have worse mental health symptoms in the long term compared to their peers, contradicting the belief that so-called “gender-affirming care” significantly improves outcomes. 

Youth patients with gender dysphoria who were referred to gender medicine clinics in Finland were upward of three times as likely to need psychiatric treatment following their referral compared to patients without a history of gender transition counseling or interventions. 

A new study published this week in the journal Acta Paediatrica analyzed 1996–2019 data on mental health services for children and young adults in Finland’s education system, tracking patients with gender dysphoria referred to Gender Identity Services for transition treatment. Researchers were able to collect this long-term data for each patient due to the country’s socialized medicine system and comprehensive mental health screening in schools.

The authors found that adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria “showed