Trans people face higher rates of mental health issues and thoughts of suicide, according to a series of studies. Puberty blockers, which temporarily suspend the onset of puberty, can substantially reduce this risk in young people, a new cohort study confirms. The study, published in July in the academic journal JAMA Network Open, analyzed insurance-claims data from more than 230,000 youths aged ten to seventeen.
The participants were divided for the study into four groups: transgender children and adolescents with and without puberty-blocker treatment, and cisgender youths with and without treatment — the latter primarily receiving the medications due to early puberty. The researchers adjusted for confounding factors such as demographics, socioeconomic status, region, and local political contexts.
Suicidal thoughts fall by about 80 percent
The findings indicate that while young trans people show markedly higher rates of mood disorders—i.e., mental health conditions—and of suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared with cisgender peers, those among transgender youths who took puberty blockers experienced nearly a 50 percent reduction in mood-disorder diagnoses and up to an 80 percent decrease in suicidal thoughts.
The researchers conclude that administering puberty blockers can help narrow the existing mental-health inequities between transgender and cisgender youths. They also caution that this is an observational study; it identified a statistical association between the use of puberty blockers and better mental health but does not necessarily prove causation. Factors such as family support, access to psychotherapy, participation in support groups, or other psychosocial influences could not be accounted for because they are not captured in the analyzed insurance data.
Other studies had previously arrived at similar results, including another U.S. study published earlier this year in the Journal of Pediatrics. Puberty blockers, however, remain under political pressure in many countries: the United Kingdom, swept by anti-trans sentiment, banned the provision of the treatment around 2024 (TheColu.mn reported).
Additionally, roughly half of the U.S. states — largely conservative Republican regions — have restricted access to puberty blockers. A 2024 study by the queer organization The Trevor Project found suicide attempts rose by as much as 72 percent in those states after the policy changes.
German politicians also oppose treatment of trans youths
Transphobic voices are also gaining momentum in Germany when it comes to medical care for gender minorities: the German Medical Association urged limiting treatment of trans youths around 2024 (TheColu.mn reported). The Bavarian state legislature, with votes from the CSU, Free Voters, and AfD, decided to actively advocate restricting medical treatments for trans youths to exceptional cases, such as puberty blockers (TheColu.mn reported).
What are puberty blockers?
Puberty blockers (medical term: GnRH analogs) are medications that temporarily suppress the release of sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone) in the body. They pause the physical development typically associated with puberty, giving young people time to understand their gender identity. If the treatment is halted, puberty resumes within a few months as the body’s own processes take over.
However, side effects have been reported, including hot flashes, fatigue, or headaches. Severe acute adverse effects are rare, but there are concerns about long-term effects on fertility or bone development, for which scientific evidence remains limited. It may take longer for corresponding studies to accumulate, especially given that the U.S. government under Donald Trump has since 2025 actively pursued measures to hinder the conduct, funding, and publication of scientific studies on trans topics — particularly in pediatric medicine. In recent years, nearly half of global studies on trans issues originated from the United States. At the same time, the White House has launched a disinformation campaign aimed at denying the existence of trans people. (dk)
Talk to others about it. Friends or relatives can be good points of contact.
The TelefonSeelsorge is anonymous, free, and available 24/7. The phone numbers are: 0 800 / 111 0 111 and 0 800 / 111 0 222.
For trans people, Germany has a large network of meetup, support, and counseling services. For instance, the German Society for Transidentität und Intersexualität operates several counseling centers. More local resources can usually be found via search engines.
