Pediatric Collections

LGBTQ+: Support and Care Part 2

Health Concerns and Disparities

American Academy of Pediatrics
100 pages
ISBN: 978-1610025393
April 2021

From a public health perspective, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, compared with their cisgender peers, experience substantially higher lifelong rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidality, substance use, eating disorders, victimization, homelessness, and incarceration. Pediatric primary care providers (PPCPs) can help foster early access to mental health, family support, and ongoing gender-affirming care that, ultimately, reduces the risk of gender dysphoria, isolation, and shame that many TGD youth unfortunately face. Part 2 of this first-of-its-kind 3-part series can help PPCPs become stronger allies for TGD patients and their families in the clinic, community, and beyond, providing the promise of both a medical home and a future that celebrates people for being true to themselves.