(ZENIT News / Madrid, 28.10.2024).- The Institute of Medical and Bioethical Anthropology published a study, directed by clinical psychologist Pablo Expósito-Campos, with German and Spanish data, which shows that young people who underwent gender surgeries and treatments want to return to their biological sex, after realizing that the transition was not a good option.
In a survey, published by Die Tagespost on October 11, young people wished that they had had another option and noted that the return to their own gender “is often associated with a lack of social and professional support.” They complained about the lack of information and resources, as well as interpersonal difficulties, identity problems and stigmatization through de-transphobia, as the return to one’s original sex is called.
The study consulted 2,689 people, who admitted being subjected to “complex emotions such as grief and guilt” or “discrimination and rejection,” struggling “with discrimination and rejection.”
The conclusion is striking that 26.7% of those interviewed had hoped for different support to the hormonal and surgical processes. 33% said they had been misinterpreted by the doctors and 46% subjected themselves to transgender treatment due to external pressures. Only 20% of those surveyed were satisfied with their physical change.
Specialists said that young people need help in their search for meaning and identity, and suggested that medical professionals and psychologists should focus on recognizing complex experiences and emotions and emphasize attention to internal wounds caused by prejudices and social exclusion.
The researchers say that “instead of administering precipitously potentially damaging hormones, which generally lead to irreversible surgical interventions, an integral focus is necessary to do justice to the needs of those affected.”
The research detected another problem reported long ago, in the relation of dysphoria with previous psychological problems, frequently eluded by the majority of professionals. Gender affirmation is neglected, as 53% of those polled expressed.
The pharmaceutical publication Ârzteblatt reported in 2022 that 67% of boys and 76% of girls in Germany received at least a different mental health diagnosis, such as depression or borderline disorders, related to their sexual identity.
The recent study shows that the diagnosis of “gender identity disorder” occurs eight times more often among young people of 5 to 24 years of age in Germany than ten years ago, whereas only one third of diagnoses are carried out between young people from 15 to 24 years old. Adolescent girls are particularly affected.
