In a recent research study published in General Psychiatry, a noted mental health journal, a rising number of adolescents are being diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria (GD), formerly known as gender identity disorder.
The American Psychiatric Association defines “gender dysphoria” as a “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.”
The desire and strong belief to identify as the opposite gender characterize this condition, according to Dr. Ryan Sultan, director of integrative psych and a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University in New York, in his comment to Fox News Digital.
This research, spearheaded by the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Virginia, discovered a significant decrease in the average age of diagnoses from 31 years in 2017 to 26 years in 2021. “Most of this change occurred because rates of GD increased among those between the ages of 15 and 30,” Sultan disclosed.
The study, involving 42 million patients – 66,078 of whom were found to have gender dysphoria – analyzed data between 2017 and 2021 from the TriNetX database, a consortium of health care records from various organizations.
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The data revealed a slightly higher incidence of GD among females (58%) than males (55%). The findings also suggested that the condition tended to manifest at younger ages in females than males.
Among females, a surge in GD was observed at an average age of 11, peaking between ages 17 and 19. In males, the increase began at age 13, reaching a peak at 23.
Medical professionals agree that boys usually start puberty between ages 9 and 14, while for girls, it typically begins between 8 and 13, as per Cleveland Clinic. This biological difference might partly explain the earlier onset of GD in girls, according to the researchers.
The team also attributed the younger average age of diagnosis to factors such as “increasing acceptance” and more readily available “specialty gender clinics.”
The researchers argued that “Gender identity development heavily leans on social processes, including exploration and experimentation with external feedback,” noting that the use of gender-neutral pronouns and gender-non-congruent chosen names is growing more common.
They concluded, “The decreased mean age of GD suggests less oppression of gender minority youth and increased awareness of gender diversity.” However, it’s important to note that “Gender dysphoria is not a permanent diagnosis,” as clarified in the journal article.
Dr. Zachary Ginder, a psychological consultant and doctor of clinical psychology at Pine Siskin Consulting, LLC in Riverside, California, spoke to Fox News Digital stating, “It can be expected that gender identity will be fluid for some populations across the lifespan.”
“Gender-atypical behavior is common among young children and is considered part of normal development — thus it is hard to determine exactly how common gender dysphoria is,” Sultan remarked.
Sultan also noted that prior studies have documented an uptick in gender dysphoria in Europe and the U.S. since 2011.
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The research’s limitations include the lack of specific location data, race, or ethnicity in the records. Most data were sourced from the United States, thus making it challenging to extrapolate findings to other global populations. Dr. Ginder emphasized, “Within the U.S., it can be inferred that state-to-state prevalence data may vary.”
The study could not verify if the genders listed in the records corresponded to the sex assigned at birth or the “identified gender.”
Ginder cautioned that “Although this research identifies a potential trend within this specific data set, findings like this require further study across populations, and necessitate the utilization of other sources of data before anything can be considered set in stone.”
The results of this research is disturbing. While it does state that “increased acceptance” may be a factor, it says nothing of social pressure. One has to wonder how much of the increased dysphoria is related to indoctrination and subsequent confusion as opposed to actual gender dysphoria.
