"But do these treatments work? Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh write 'Adolescents with gender identity disorder have poor anxiety tolerance. Seeking sex reassignment surgery is a defensive solution and a mechanism for control of anxiety. The thought of not having a solution for their distress increases their anxiety, thus making it very difficult to achieve a therapeutic alliance.' Basically, this means, according to their analysis, that giving adolescents a sex change doesn’t actually treat their underlying anxieties or depression, rather it sweeps their emotional distress under the rug by providing a temporary bandage that makes them FEEL like they are in control." Studies Mentioned: Alexander Danvers, “Serotonin Imbalance Found Not to Be Linked to Depression,” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-you-know/202207/serotonin-imbalance-found-not-be-linked-depression#:~:text=New%20research%2C%20reviewing%20huge%20bodies,SSRIs%2C%20remain%20an%20effective%20treatment. Darlynne Gehring and Gail Knudson, “Prevalence of Childhood Trauma in a Clinical Population of Transsexual People,” https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-05206-002 Kenneth Zucker and Susan Bradley, “Gender Identity Disorder and Psychological Problems in Children and Adolescents,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697020/#:~:text=Gender%20identity%20disorders%20(GID)%20can,clinical%20course%20is%20highly%20variable. Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh, “Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences,” https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/executive-summary-sexuality-and-gender Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh, “Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences,” https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/executive-summary-sexuality-and-gender Paul McHugh, “Transgenderism: A Pathogenic Meme,” https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2015/06/15145/ Giulia Giacomelli, “Bone Health in Transgenderism: A Review,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9150228/ Janella Hudson, Leena Nahata, Elizabeth Dietz, and Gwendolyn P. Quinn, “Fertility Counseling for Transgender AYAs” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5979264/#:~:text=Cross%2Dsex%20hormones%20have%20many,which%20can%20lead%20to%20azoospermia. Jennifer Block, “Gender dysphoria in young people is rising—and so is professional disagreement,” https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p382