Claim Review: Puberty Blockers and Mental Health in Transitioning Teens
Reviewed by
Remedia Ai
Claim RatingMostly True | Claim DateOctober 5, 2024 | |
Claim Review: Puberty Blockers and Mental Health in Transitioning Teens
The claim that Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy refused to publish a $10 million study showing puberty blockers don’t help the mental health of teens who want to transition is largely true. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), involved 95 children with an average age of 11 who started receiving puberty-blocking medication in 2015. The study found that these treatments did not improve the mental health of the participants after two years.
Dr. Olson-Kennedy, a prominent advocate for trans rights and gender-affirming care, admitted to the New York Times that she withheld the study results due to fears that they could be 'weaponized' by critics of transgender interventions for children. She expressed concern that the findings could be used in court to argue against the use of puberty blockers for transitioning.
This decision to withhold the results has been criticized by fellow researchers and clinical psychologists. Amy Tishelman, a clinical and research psychologist at Boston College and one of the original researchers in the study, stated, 'I understand the fear about it being weaponized, but it’s really important to get the science out there.' Another clinical psychologist, Erica Anderson, called out Olson-Kennedy for not respecting the scientific method, stating that it is not her prerogative to decide whether to publish results based on their potential impact.
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has already banned the use of puberty blockers in children after a four-year review found that it was not a good solution. This decision was based on a similar study in England that also found no significant improvements in mental health from puberty blockers.
The claim that puberty blockers do not improve mental health in transitioning teens is supported by the study's findings. However, the ethical implications of withholding scientific results due to political concerns are a significant point of contention. The decision to withhold the study results undermines the principles of scientific integrity and transparency.
In conclusion, the claim that Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy refused to publish a study showing puberty blockers don’t help the mental health of transitioning teens is largely true. The study's findings and the ethical debate surrounding the withholding of results highlight the complexities of medical research and its political implications.
For further reading, refer to the following sources:
Who is claiming:
- Natural News - Claim can be found on - https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-10-25-doctor-ref...