23 Comments
User's avatar
Niamh Ni Argain's avatar

Superb piece. The expression 'mental health distress,' is accepted, like moat of modern ideas with very little questioning. Such as what might have caused it, as you mention at one point.

How many, tragically, were sexually abused? Suffered parental neglect or violence? Were exposed to severe hard-core pornography at a young age? Suffer loneliness and lack of connection? Or even just standard adolescent angst?

Is any of the above ever questioned?

Sasha Aguilar's avatar

Beautiful analogy and I wonder if we humans are learning to ask fewer interesting questions. We should all endeavor to peel back the varnish.

alfie's avatar

Don't look. Don't ask. Say nothing. Nod, perhaps smile. Move on.

sensusquaeram's avatar

Beautifully expressed and scathingly accurate. Thank you for your ongoing work.

Dee's avatar

Excellent as always! My son has been on hormones for 7 years. Mentally, he is all over the place. He's had vaginoplasty, breast implants. He's become a narcissist . Recently he told me his Dr said he needed to "cut back on work" because of stress. I asked if his levels were being checked on his meds.... he lies....he lives in NM, I live in IL. I'm terrified for him -

Your article spells it all out.

L RiverOtter's avatar

I’m so sorry, and I share your terror. I pray there may come a day when we all recover our sons and daughters from this trans travesty.

Private Intellectual's avatar

Good piece--thanks. I was struck by no finding--even miniscule--of the teens having-- initially or "at follow up"-- identified as gay. Possible that that might be under a layer of varnish too?

Joy B's avatar

Who takes the time and effort to study the real painting. So much easier to 'move along there - nothing to see here'. You are worth your weight in gold

L RiverOtter's avatar

I appreciate your insights and explanations so much - even when they leave me in tears. I hope my son, the bright quirky colorful soul that he was, is still somewhere there under the dark patina that this trans ideology layered over him. He’s been no contact for over 3 years now. I don’t think I’ll ever see him again, but I hope for a someday when we might meet and maybe some of his bright spark will be back. In the meantime, thanks for your continued efforts - you and your fellow gender questioners! On the few occasions I can choke out discussion over my grief, your insights and information help inform my side of the discourse and keep me sane in the face of gender zealots.

George Q Tyrebyter's avatar

I am so sorry to hear about your son being destroyed by the gender madness. You may find some comfort in the PITT website - https://www.pittparents.com/

Alison Bull's avatar

I read Abigail Shrier’s book in 2020 and it’s incredible that six years later so many are still entrenched.

The story of that abused boy is nothing but evil. Those abusing him probably enjoyed his needless transing.

What a damn tragedy.

Joy B's avatar

I found her book so helpful. My trans son was cross but it helped me

RJ in NY's avatar
5dEdited

Jamie, thank you not just for your insight re: the problems with this study’s methodology* and how the public is being misled about it**, but thank you also for the example which illustrates ~how~ the model of so-called “care” was ~failing~ to provide the help that distressed individuals needed.***

*“the researchers report that not one of the 445 adolescents was lost to follow-up…”

*“A teenager who came twice in 2015 and vanished still has years of “follow-up” under this definition, and is counted as stable, because the last thing written in the chart is the identity they walked in with. Silence in a chart is not stability. In this study, silence is stability.”

*“…the question asked of the charts was never how are they — only are they still ours.”

**“Their charts went silent, and their silence was tallied as persistence, and their persistence was tweeted as reassurance.”

***”So when I read retrospective chart review, I don’t think about methodology first. I think about my individual patients — the ones who would make up a subset of any 445-patient file pull. One young man comes to mind immediately. He came to us at seventeen…”

Suzette Cullen's avatar

Excellent analogy!

keva house's avatar

You could be writing a book, and if you’re doing that, I’d be glad.

Anna's avatar

Thoughtfully and beautifully expressed. Thank you, Jamie.

Lisa Anllo PhD's avatar

Brilliant piece 👏

alfie's avatar

Thank you very much.

Brenda Bartlett's avatar

Always need to see the whole picture