U.K. Psychiatrist Calls for Scottish Gender Clinic to Be Shut Down for Safety after London Clinic Forced to Close
A U.K. psychiatrist is calling for a Scottish clinic that offers gender-transition services for children to be closed immediately after a similar clinic was shut down in England over safety concerns.
Psychiatrist David Bell, a whistleblower who raised concerns about the now-defunct Tavistock clinic in London, says the gender services at the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow are based on a similar model, according to The Times.
NHS England chose to shutter the Tavistock clinic after finding it was “not a safe or viable long-term option.” An investigation revealed that other mental health issues were “overshadowed” by gender concerns, according to the report. Children who expressed gender dysphoria were often given puberty blockers. The U.K.’s health advisory board determined last year that there is “very low” evidence that blocking puberty in children with gender dysphoria is beneficial.
The pediatrician who spearheaded the investigation, Dr. Hilary Cass, recommended opening several regional centers for pediatric mental health services that take a “holistic” view of patients’ needs, rather than one single national service.
Bell said the Sandyford clinic was similar to Tavistock and that children seen by gender clinics often suffer from other problems, such as autism, depression, chaotic homes and a family history of sexual abuse.
“These children have been disadvantaged by being sent to a service that only deals with gender,” he said. “These children must be treated like any other children who have psychological problems.”
“There are quite a lot of studies showing if these children are helped in a different way, with expert attention and gender neutrality, they give up their wish,” he added. “A lot emerge as gay and lesbian young people . . . We want to celebrate gender fluidity, so people can keep their sex body but express their gender how they wish to.”
He expressed concern about the use of puberty blockers, saying “it should be an extremely rare occurrence that you should block a child’s puberty.”
Bell called for the clinic to be shut down “immediately” and said there “should not be a national service” given that members of the Scottish National Party government have adopted “trans ideology” that could impact services. He said that ideology was “likely to make it more difficult for them to see the damage that is being done to children by inappropriate, experimental treatment.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish government told The Times that it recognizes “the need to provide the best possible care for young people questioning their gender identity or experiencing gender dysphoria.”
“As we have previously stated, we will closely consider the findings of the Cass review within the context of NHS Scotland services as part of our broader commitment to improve access to, and delivery of, NHS gender identity services,” the statement added.
