Leading Australian psychiatrists say puberty blockers should be restricted to children enrolled in rigorous clinical trials, after a new British analysis found the mental health of one-third of adolescents deteriorated while they were taking the controversial drugs.
The new UK analysis of an earlier, landmark study found 34 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 reported their mental health had deteriorated after taking puberty blockers for one year, while 29 per cent of children saw their psychological health improve. No mental health change was reported by 37 per cent of the children who had been on blockers for 12 months.
Overall, the fresh analysis, published on preprint health sciences website medRXIV, suggests 71 per cent of children taking puberty blockers reported a decline or no change in their mental health after one year of treatment. Yet as the study states: “The main argument for the introduction of puberty blockers in the UK for this age group (under 16) had been their potential to relieve psychological distress’’ while the children explored their gender identity.
Psychiatrist Jillian Spencer, who openly advocates for a cautious rather than an affirmation-only treatment model for children with gender dysphoria, said the latest UK findings “beg the question, ‘Why on Earth are puberty blockers still being prescribed?’ ”.
Dr Spencer said despite potential side-effects including infertility and impaired sexual function, in Australia, these drugs “are being prescribed off label for children with gender dysphoria, which means that no drug company has ever had to prove to a regulator that puberty blockers are safe and effective”.