Hundreds of thousands of young people in the U.S. identify as transgender, but the lack of gender-affirming care can lead to an increased risk of mental health issues and substance use.

“A great deal of psychiatrists and nurse practitioners are ill-equipped to treat younger transgender patients simply because these issues were not taught during their training,” said Jami Woods, DPh, MD, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UC Riverside School of Medicine.

With the increasing number of transgender youth in the U.S., the issue of access to appropriate care has gained importance. A June 2022 report from the UCLA Williams Institute found that 1.6 million people over age 13 in the U.S. identify as transgender, including 300,000 youth aged 13 to 17. The number of transgender youth doubled from the institute’s previous report in 2017.

Woods will address the issue of caring for transgender youth in a lecture at the 28th Annual National Psychopharmacology Update, which will be held in Las Vegas on February 15 to 18, 2023.

She said that her talk, “When Kids Say They’re Trans,” will focus on the increasing prevalence of young people who identify as transgender/gender nonconforming, how to engage the younger transgender patient, hormone replacement therapy/puberty blockers, and the increasing number of antitransgender bills in many states and the psychological effect that has on young people.

“My talk will hopefully ‘bring [attendees] up to speed’ on some of the essentials of engaging the younger transgender patient,” Woods said.

Her professional and personal experience in this area give her an in-depth understanding of the issues. “I am very fortunate because my experience as a pharmacist and psychopharmacologist has been useful in terms of treating these patients’ comorbid anxiety/depressive disorders,” said Woods, who is board certified in psychiatry and subspecialty certified in psychopharmacology. “My experience both as a transgender female myself, and having prescribed gender affirming hormones for several years, position me to be uniquely qualified to speak on this issue.”

Woods understands that some people may be uncomfortable with young people seeking gender-affirming care. “Grooming or indoctrination is a preconceived notion that many parents are rightfully afraid of,” she said. “I would never be guilty of indoctrination. Conversion therapy, which unfortunately is what many churches recommend, is actually more like indoctrination.”

She hopes that her talk will help providers effectively treat gender dysphoria to benefit their young patients. “My key message to the prescribers attending the conference is to help them recognize younger transgender patients’ tenacity, perseverance, courage, and resilience,” she said. “As mental health professionals, [we can] be in a position to treat not only their gender dysphoria but their co-occurring anxiety and depression and in many cases post-traumatic stress disorder.”