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Honestly, that's not hugely reassuring in the context of what I was talking about. The problem isn't the medical effects but the fact that the certainty a misd

Honestly, that's not hugely reassuring in the context of what I was talking about. The problem isn't the medical effects but the fact that the certainty a misdiagnosis brings blocks people with mental health issues from actually treating the root of the problem. And this decision, practically speaking, isn't reversible. Once someone on the spectrum decides to go down this path, there's no stopping them. If you have an Autistic kid and they're asking questions about gender, you should absolutely be worried. Hell, I'd be worried about an Autistic 25 year-old.

kevingadd 4y ago
Misdiagnosis are common when trying to get treated for almost any medical issue, because humans are not orderly, rational machines with well defined inputs and outputs. Gender issues are perhaps an easier one to look at and go "I'm pretty sure you got it wrong, doc" because you can look at someone and instinctively think "that's a man" or "that's a woman". But whether it's back pain that's actually caused by an incredibly rare knee cancer or a doctor misdiagnosing the cause of an ultimately harmless migraine, you run the risk of this any time you go to a physician. I've personally lost people I care about to misdiagnosis but it's still just a fact that I decide to accept: Physicians may try hard, but they're not perfect. If a problem isn't severe, that might be a reason to avoid medical intervention so you don't take on that risk. But if you're really struggling to cope or it seems like you might have a serious problem, you should probably see a doctor. If their diagnosis makes you ask more questions, get a second opinion, or a third one! Similarly, basically any surgery has the risk of complications, and lots of interventions we perform on a regular basis have a small but real risk of harm. It's something that comes with medicine, and overall, people live longer and happier lives because medicine usually works out. I postponed wisdom teeth extraction for years because the first dentist I saw about it put the fear of god into me about the terrifying risks of anesthesia, and ended up regretting it because they had to come out eventually anyway. But if I had been that rare statistic to die from anesthesia, maybe it would've been the right choice? I lean towards no, personally. As far as blocking people from treating the root of the problem - while this is a real issue, if the secondary problem is seriously lowering someone's quality of life, there's something to be said for stopping the bleeding (so to speak) long enough to start working on everything else that's causing issues. It's a matter of triage - sometimes root causes simply cannot be dealt with fast enough to postpone dealing with everything else. A non-surgical gender intervention like blockers to get someone onto stable footing for a year or two could be a great step in order to refocus on everything else, and maybe at the end of that time they decide they don't need meds or surgery.
howinteresting 4y ago
What the fuck? I'm autistic and I knew at 15 that something was up with my gender. This is a monstrous opinion.
- suddenclarity 4y ago
  On the contrary, it's becoming common among doctors to make a 180 on the subject. It was a major scandal in Sweden last year when several who had transitioned went to the news and attacked the doctors for allowing them to go through with it. As a result, transition at a young age seem to have been stopped. Because the science is lacking, it's heavily associated with health issues, you'll need treatment for the rest of your life and you can't go back.
  - howinteresting 4y ago
    Sweden is a white ethnostate that did forced sterilization of trans people until 2013, so it is unsurprising that it has center-right views on transitioning. I know some trans teens who left Sweden and moved to the US over the medical protocols there. It's far more important that someone resolve their gender dysphoria than concerns like needing lifelong treatment. Plenty of political detransitioners are still dysphoric, they've just chosen alternative treatment modalities that we know lead to less happiness (which is fine as an individual decision, it's just bad to set public policy based on that).

kevingadd 4y ago

Misdiagnosis are common when trying to get treated for almost any medical issue, because humans are not orderly, rational machines with well defined inputs and outputs. Gender issues are perhaps an easier one to look at and go "I'm pretty sure you got it wrong, doc" because you can look at someone and instinctively think "that's a man" or "that's a woman". But whether it's back pain that's actually caused by an incredibly rare knee cancer or a doctor misdiagnosing the cause of an ultimately harmless migraine, you run the risk of this any time you go to a physician. I've personally lost people I care about to misdiagnosis but it's still just a fact that I decide to accept: Physicians may try hard, but they're not perfect. If a problem isn't severe, that might be a reason to avoid medical intervention so you don't take on that risk. But if you're really struggling to cope or it seems like you might have a serious problem, you should probably see a doctor. If their diagnosis makes you ask more questions, get a second opinion, or a third one! Similarly, basically any surgery has the risk of complications, and lots of interventions we perform on a regular basis have a small but real risk of harm. It's something that comes with medicine, and overall, people live longer and happier lives because medicine usually works out. I postponed wisdom teeth extraction for years because the first dentist I saw about it put the fear of god into me about the terrifying risks of anesthesia, and ended up regretting it because they had to come out eventually anyway. But if I had been that rare statistic to die from anesthesia, maybe it would've been the right choice? I lean towards no, personally. As far as blocking people from treating the root of the problem - while this is a real issue, if the secondary problem is seriously lowering someone's quality of life, there's something to be said for stopping the bleeding (so to speak) long enough to start working on everything else that's causing issues. It's a matter of triage - sometimes root causes simply cannot be dealt with fast enough to postpone dealing with everything else. A non-surgical gender intervention like blockers to get someone onto stable footing for a year or two could be a great step in order to refocus on everything else, and maybe at the end of that time they decide they don't need meds or surgery.

howinteresting 4y ago

What the fuck? I'm autistic and I knew at 15 that something was up with my gender. This is a monstrous opinion.

suddenclarity 4y ago
On the contrary, it's becoming common among doctors to make a 180 on the subject. It was a major scandal in Sweden last year when several who had transitioned went to the news and attacked the doctors for allowing them to go through with it. As a result, transition at a young age seem to have been stopped. Because the science is lacking, it's heavily associated with health issues, you'll need treatment for the rest of your life and you can't go back.
- howinteresting 4y ago
  Sweden is a white ethnostate that did forced sterilization of trans people until 2013, so it is unsurprising that it has center-right views on transitioning. I know some trans teens who left Sweden and moved to the US over the medical protocols there. It's far more important that someone resolve their gender dysphoria than concerns like needing lifelong treatment. Plenty of political detransitioners are still dysphoric, they've just chosen alternative treatment modalities that we know lead to less happiness (which is fine as an individual decision, it's just bad to set public policy based on that).