An autistic patient who had his penis removed is suing over NHS treatment given to young people with gender dysphoria

Surgery seems to be promoted as problem free, at least that’s the impression given by supporters ‘ trans activists.
Any surgery is potentially problematic. It leaves scar tissue which can and often does cause discomfort or pain.
The growing link between autism particularly and gender identity problems should be a red flag to any clinician.

A Twitter post :

"My body was never loved or wanted before surgery. Surgery didn’t help. My body hasn’t been loved or wanted after de-transition, and I have to be reminded of that every time I look at my body. All that trying to be wanted and I never was, and am not. I now have evidence of lack of love and self-love burned into my flesh permanently.
And nothing to make up for it.

I wish when I was 19 I would have just done what I do now which is cry about it, accept, and do my best to create meaning in other ways. Instead my ruminations based in CPTSD were medically classified as a health condition where my organs were needing to be removed.

I won’t stop talking about how this is unethical medical malpractice."
#DeTransition

Heron’s case is utterly tragic, that’s such a horrific read.

It will be interesting, if it’s forthcoming, the views of all parties.

Iam64

Surgery seems to be promoted as problem free, at least that’s the impression given by supporters ‘ trans activists.
Any surgery is potentially problematic. It leaves scar tissue which can and often does cause discomfort or pain.
The growing link between autism particularly and gender identity problems should be a red flag to any clinician.

Yes, it does seem quite a common crossover also links to homophobia from parents (Kiera Bell)

it is heart breaking

Oh, this is heartbreaking.

Poor young man, I could cry for him.

I think many teens go through phases of hating how they look; it was not called gender dysphoria years ago even if they disliked the changes in their bodies for some reason even if they were loved.

More help is needed before such drastic, irreversible action is taken.

I agree wholeheartedly with your post Callistemon21

More help is needed before such drastic, irreversible action is taken absolutely.

There are now many people who have detransitioned and who have realised that they needed help other than the gender-related medication or/and surgery which they got.

There is a view that adults can do what they like with their bodies.
Ritchie Herron was a young adult at the time of his treatment and his point is that medics took insufficient interest in possible causes of his distress, simply pursuing the gender transition path with him.

Utterly heartbreaking

This is so sad, and sadly, not an isolated case.

That is very sad and worrying,too. I know of a young male in a friend’s family who wants to have an operation at the young age of 15 and his mother seems to be supporting him. I find that very frightening because there are places overseas ( he has researched this )where he could certainly get the op, no questions asked and no form of counselling given whatsoever.

This sort of thing needs to be given greater priority in the media. There is an obsession with gender at the moment and too many people in the medical profession are ill-informed and think all problems are caused by identity confusion.

By the way, I'm not sure about the definition of autism but that post written by the 'victim' seems to suggest a perfectly rational person who has trusted those in the medical profession and been badly let down.

Here's an idea. Suppose all those who feel for this young man write to their MP and ask for more and better counselling services and mental health services for children. I seem to remember a promise from this government that every school would have someone responsible for the mental health of the pupils. I seem to remember a huge publicity event where members of the Royal family promised more help for people suffering. What has happened? Services have been cut in all areas. This isn't just a gender problem. Although the results in that area are headline grabbing. This is a problem with services for children and young people.
And children who do not get proper counselling will do as nanna8 has suggested and go abroad, if all that is done is restricting their access to surgery here.

Glorianny
From my own personal experience schools do have people in place to help/educate. But is only a tick box exercise by the government/ school.
Me and my daughter had to educate one such person what sensory processing disorder is.
My granddaughters teacher was in on this meeting and I actually saw her roll her eyes a couple of times 😡

MerylStreep

Glorianny
From my own personal experience schools do have people in place to help/educate. But is only a tick box exercise by the government/ school.
Me and my daughter had to educate one such person what sensory processing disorder is.
My granddaughters teacher was in on this meeting and I actually saw her roll her eyes a couple of times 😡

I'm so sorry MerylStreep seeing your child or grandchild subjected to such treatment is awful. I suspected that what we would get would not be exactly what it sounded like. And education is not the positive experience for some children it should be. I hoped teachers at least had progressed, but there are always some who do not.
It seems so wrong that we cannot provide the care and support all children need.

Heart breaking. But what Nanna8 says about parent support and going abroad is not an isolated case. I’ve watched it happen and I’ve seen the fall out later.
It needs parent support for children not earning to go abroad. The trip and the surgery is not cheap. The mother in the case I’m familiar with talked about her child’s right to have surgery.
Now she talks about the lack of advice they were given about potential after effects, and how her son’s life has been ruined.

Glorianny

Here's an idea. Suppose all those who feel for this young man write to their MP and ask for more and better counselling services and mental health services for children. I seem to remember a promise from this government that every school would have someone responsible for the mental health of the pupils. I seem to remember a huge publicity event where members of the Royal family promised more help for people suffering. What has happened? Services have been cut in all areas. This isn't just a gender problem. Although the results in that area are headline grabbing. This is a problem with services for children and young people.
And children who do not get proper counselling will do as nanna8 has suggested and go abroad, if all that is done is restricting their access to surgery here.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I agree, there’s less help out there than there used to be in fact, not more!

What a sad story. At the risk of starting a controversial discussion, I understand that many people wishing to transition are on the autistic spectrum. Did anyone ever tell Herron that if surgery was undertaken, they would be infertile and would never have an orgasm? I suspect not. Many of us keep our opinions to ourselves on this subject for fear of being accused of transphobia, or worse.

Mental Health Services are run into the ground, and Covid made it far worse as people suffered with lockdowns.

This Govt has deliberately defunded the NHS in the hope that the 'great unwashed' would accept anything to get the help they needed (ie sell it off to themselves and their mates) I don't think that we would be shocked to find most MP's will have their grubby little fingers in the private healthcare/insurance pie.

I blame this defunding on the death of my daughter to suicide in November - she and we begged for proper help for YEARS, but didn't get it. She even tried to kill herself when she was in hospital after an overdose, which would have been fatal had she not been found - the MH lot just let her out from A&E in the evening to fend for herself with no way of getting home (Uni was in rural Gloucestershire) and she was confused, and actually thought that she was here where I lived. She was diagnosed in 2019, but no help then, got upgraded finally after being with services since the age of 9, 6 weeks before she died and that help hadn't yet kicked in. I was referred to the MH Services as my surgery were very concerned about my MH, as I have been suicidal - they called 6 months to the day after she died, but have heard nothing since ....

I blame them, and this will hopefully be recorded at her Inquest.

Hasn't the call for more counselling before even social transition been deemed transphobic? Labelled conversion therapy by those for whom positive affirmation is the only way.
From the different stories detransitioners tell one common factor seems to be that as soon as they mentioned any body dysphoria that became the prime focus with little interest in any other areas.
Child, adolescent and adult mental health care requires a huge overhaul and far more investment. It must be prepared to take far more effort with getting to the bottom of an individual's problems and not just seize on one area.

I'm so sorry to read this MadeInYorkshire I hope you get help soon. Maybe time to start phone calls asking if you've been 'mislaid' in the system. This is exactly why it needs an overhaul and far more investment, although I fear mental health has always been the Cinderella of health care.

Mental health services are overwhelmed in UK. My daughter a mental health community nurse is stressed beyond belief trying to help her patients. No lessons have been learned, there is no joined up thinking between agencies and certainly very little support for staff at the sharp end trying to deal with crisis after crisis.

Totally second that sodapop no beds to send anyone to, no time to write notes which have to be done same day so memory is sharp so end up being done in home time (adding hours and hours of unpaid work to a day)
Staff going off with stress adding to those that continue working Far more patients per nurses ( therapists )list
Little help from other agencies as they are working on overstretched lines too
No input from the government I could go on and on they don’t call it the Cinderella section for nothing
Add to that covid Brexit and economic poverty and the need for mental health help is way out of control