Outbreak: On Transgender Teens and Psychic Epidemics

Abstract

Having lived through both World Wars, Jung was aware of the dangers of what he termed "psychic epidemics." He discussed the spontaneous manifestation of an archetype within collective life as indicative of a critical time during which there is a serious risk of a destructive psychic epidemic. Currently, we appear to be experiencing a significant psychic epidemic that is manifesting as children and young people coming to believe that they are the opposite sex, and in some cases taking drastic measures to change their bodies. Of particular concern to the author is the number of teens and tweens suddenly coming out as transgender without a prior history of discomfort with their sex. "Rapid-onset gender dysphoria" is a new presentation of a condition that has not been well studied. Reports online indicate that a young person's coming out as transgender is often preceded by increased social media use and/or having one or more peers also come out as transgender. These factors suggest that social contagion may be contributing to the significant rise in the number of young people seeking treatment for gender dysphoria. Current psychotherapeutic practice involves immediate affirmation of a young person's self-diagnosis, which often leads to support for social and even medical transition. Although this practice will likely help small numbers of children, there may also be many false positives.

Gender dysphoria in adolescence: current perspectives

“…There is little empirical knowledge regarding young people who experience their first signs of GD in adolescence, well after the onset of puberty, especially regarding biological girls. 50 , 100 Among a treatment-seeking sample in the UK, 18% experienced their first feelings of GD in adolescence 46 compared with approximately two-thirds of the Finnish sample, 39 and for the majority of adolescent-onset cases, GD presented in the context of severe mental disorders and general identity confusion. In such situations, appropriate treatment for psychiatric comorbidities may be warranted before conclusions regarding gender identity can be drawn.…”

“…Emerging discussions raise concern for post-pubertally abruptly emerging cross-gender identification (“rapid onset”), particularly among biological girls, suggesting a role for intensive media influences and generous group validation as shaping the understanding of, and giving new meanings to, the body discomfort common among female adolescents at large. 100 The persistence of increasing adolescent-onset transgender identification is not known. 5 , 100 …”

GnRHa (‘Puberty Blockers’) and Cross Sex Hormones for Children and Adolescents: Informed Consent, Personhood and Freedom of Expression

“…Instead he offered an approach that did not define the child as the problem but rather helped families and children cope with the challenges of gender non-conforming behaviour. More recently, others have echoed this need for caution with regards to decontextualizing a child's or adolescent's transgender identification (Schwartz 2012, Marchiano 2017.…”

Students opinions and attitudes toward LGBT persons and rights: Results of a transnational European project

“…(1) youth conflate gender non-conformity and/or normal discomfort surrounding pubertal development and unwanted sexual attention with being transgender, and (2) this conflation is motivated by internalized and parental homophobia (Littman, 2018;Marchiano, 2017;Soh, 2018). In this section, I will highlight that the critique relies on empirical misconceptions about the prevalence of transphobia and homophobia, mistakenly assumes that trans youth are straight, and unjustifiably assumes that youth are prone to false beliefs about their gender identity due to social pressures.…”

“…In recent years, a new critique has emerged from scholars professing feminist and pro-LGB commitments. According to this critique, the gender-affirmative approach is homophobic because it pressures youth who would otherwise be (cisgender and) LGBQ into being (straight and) trans, motivated by internalized and parental homophobia (Bannerman, 2019;Bewley, Griffin, & Byng, 2019;Littman, 2018;Marchiano, 2017;Soh, 2018). According to this argument, the homophobic underpinnings of gender-affirmative care may even make it tantamount to conversion therapy, a term which refers to efforts to change a person's same-gender sexual orientation (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015).…”