SW News: The National Health Service (NHS) of England has released new guidelines for the treatment of kids who experience gender dysphoria, cautioning that the condition is frequently only a passing "phase".

Gender transitioning may have "major effects on a child's psychological function," according to a review of current regulations, which led to the NHS's updated treatment policy being made public last week.

The modification comes after the Tavistock Clinic, previously the largest child-gender clinic in the world, was shut down as a result of complaints from patient families and issues revealed by an outside review.

The comprehensive guidelines provided by the NHS mark a departure from the "gender-affirming care" paradigm, which promotes a child's social and medical transition into the opposite sex, frequently with the aid of hormone and puberty-blocking medications.

Gender dysphoria is “a disorder characterized by a strong and persistent cross-gender identification such as stating a desire to be the other sex or frequently passing as the other sex coupled with persistent discomfort with his or her sex”.

NHS England is the responsible commissioner for specialized services for individuals with gender dysphoria, and it is holding a consultation to seek views on a proposed interim service specification for services for children and young people with that condition, which represents phase 1 of the service transformation program.

The public consultation will run for 45 days ending on 4th December 2022. There is currently only one provider of specialist services for children and young people (up to the 18th birthday) with gender dysphoria in England – this is the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) for children and adolescents, delivered by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London.

In September 2020, NHS England commissioned an independent and wide-ranging review of gender identity services for children and young people.

The ongoing review is being led by Dr. Hilary Cass, previous president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health. It was established in response to a complex and diverse range of issues, including a significant and sharp rise in referrals, marked changes in the types of patients being referred which are not well understood, scarce and inconclusive evidence to support clinical decision-making, long waiting times for initial assessment and significant external scrutiny and challenge surrounding the clinical approach and operational capacity at GIDS.