Review of World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care for Children and Adolescents with Gender Identity Disorder: A Need for Change?

Abstract

ABSTRACT With the upcoming seventh edition of the Standards of Care (SOC), this article addresses various relevant aspects of the assessment and treatment of gender-dysphoric children and adolescents. In this article, the recently published literature on the phenomenology, the diagnostic process, and the psychological, social, and physical treatment options are reviewed. On the basis of the existing literature, no major changes are warranted. Recommendations for adjustments concern (1) the acknowledgement that childhood GID and adolescent GID are related, but not entirely similar, phenomena; (2) a more precise indication of which areas of functioning should be explored during the diagnostic phase; (3) an elaboration on the informed consent procedure; (4) the distinction between the purposes of the GnRH analogues and cross-sex hormone use (diagnostic versus treatment); (5) complete social gender changes long before puberty; and (6) monitoring the physical development during pubertal suppression.