Thank you for the part you're playing in ending this scandal. Vulnerable kids are in dire need of this integrity and courage against zealous, incompetent trans activism.
You need to kick them in the money bags. Morally fluid surgeons will go where the bread is. Surely the insurance companies would be the ones to hit. How much money would they save if this became medically unnecessary? In fact, what the heck is their incentive to not lose that money in the first place? Untangle that web, snip the base of the cord, and the whole thing comes down. Admittedly this isn't the easiest quarry to hunt, pragmatically speaking.
The Federal gov? I'm in Canada, so such things are covered by our provincial gov. That's pretty crazy that the gov is 100% reimbursing that. Almost like an incentive.
Ordinary woman is incorrect. The law she referenced mandated insurers to cover gender care at the same level at which they cover other medical and psychiatric services. There is no mandate that it be 100% reimbursed, and in any case the federal gov is not the one paying except for people covered the military or Medicare (which is our program to provide partial coverage to seniors and the disabled).
Thank you for your courage! I’m sure there are many doctors who see this an immoral and against their oath of “Do no harm” but are too afraid to stand up against it! I hope the Supreme Court takes the case before more children are harmed.
So, now that I have a moment to dive into this, let's start. We will take your response piece by piece.
"Dr. Zywiec, the publicly documented facts seem misaligned with your assertion of being the only U.S. doctor challenging transgender youth healthcare at the Supreme Court. Initially I was intrigued, as certainly this would have made some news and waves, so I started to look into this. I started by looking for the court case that you filed "against this madness". It turns out it was not a Supreme Court lawsuit but a *New York State* Supreme Court case in Kings County. Well, ok, still a "Supreme Court", so an easy mistake to make, I suppose. Maybe this was about fighting the NY State on medical standards of care and associated policies governing trans youth healthcare? Maybe you were suing the state to take your moral stance before the courts?"
Response: NY Supreme Court is indeed, a Supreme Court... did you make an assumption of what level it was, then accuse me of lying, even though you just said it was the Supreme Court? What court was it? What court is on the documents? The Supreme Court. It seems odd that you would make a false assumption, find out it's false, and then accuse me of being the reason for your assumption. Are you literally delusional? What I said is factually true. Not exactly a good start for you. To end, as evidenced in the very first filing, I explicitly state in north of 50 points that it is regarding my both my moral and my scientific stance on gender affirming care, as well as the discriminatory treatment I faced for several years for being a white, heterosexual, conservative, Christian male. You should probably start at the beginning, because you are already deeply mistaken. Not exactly a strong start for you. Let's tackle your next bit.
"Well, not really. I read the public court documents, and it turned out to be more about saving your position in the residency program than it was anything else. Based on public court documents, evidence provided by the hospital and your fellow interns shows a documented history of disciplinary issues and warnings for unprofessional conduct, offensive speech, and attendance/absence problems since you started the residency program. A complaint letter signed by all the second year residents in 2021 alleging inappropriate and racist comments made by you, among other evidence documented evidence. Trans health care was only brought up *after* you were made aware of your pending termination in an injunction for a temporary restraining order against the hospital, to prevent them from terminating you. Here is the public record of the court case in case anyone is interested:
Response: Everything here is pretty fallacious. You start off by stating that I filed a lawsuit to "save" my position. Interesting, I was in perfectly good standing, then filed a lawsuit. Several months into the lawsuit I was threatened with termination, which by definition is retaliatory, and became the start of an EEOC lawsuit, which is another matter. So you either lied, or are misinformed, either way, you're incorrect. You bring up disciplinary action, however, I have never faced any disciplinary action, again, patently wrong. You are, however, correct about numerous complaints made on me, not by patients, but by JUNIOR physicians, who all wear rainbow pins and support the pharmacological castration and surgical mutilation of children, along with genocidal COVID mandates. Did you look at their complaints? I said men and women have different biology, such as muscle mass, fat percentage, brain size, bone structure, etc. They claimed I was calling women stupid and being racist for pointing out basic biological differences. Par for the course for liberals. Next, I stated that only heterosexuals can reproduce, IE men cannot get pregnant, I was called a homophobe, and transphobe, and a bigot. Sounding familiar to every liberal commentary yet? I was accused of a whole slew on nonsense, including throwing a clipboard at someone, which again was false, has video footage showing it was false, and eye witness accounts. It seems there is no depths these people won't sink. In the lawsuit, there was also a patient that came in and threatened to kill me, had to be escorted out by police, there are multiple 911 calls and bodycam footage of this, and the lawyer and hospital DENIED IT EVEN HAPPENED in the court documents. I would think this madness, but look at the courts in NYC, they are corrupt beyond imagination. Lying is the native tongue, even with clear evidence against it. You then assert that trans gender healthcare is brought up later, however, it was a main reason for the lawsuit, and is the first filing, explicitly. Did you read any of this case? Apparently not. I notice you overlook the fact that a judge literally imposed a restraining order on my hospital, as they were attempting to block my email access so my attorney could not gather or show evidence, and they were trying to force me to see psychiatrists of their choosing for my refusals to adhere to their standards of care. Maybe you should consider reading the case, as it is full of insanity. Once again, you have displayed how disingenuous you are. Let's keep moving.
"Naturally, as I was googling around trying to find out about this case, it flagged a series of posts on twitter in relation to the above case. It seems you sent a series of threatening emails and letters when the hospital sought to fire you for the aforementioned absenteeism, unprofessional and inappropriate behavior as a resident? Seemed hard to believe a doctor of such moral turpitude would engage in such behavior, but then I found this letter from the hospital on twitter:
Which naturally led me to some other twitter posts that I will not link here, that alleges you threatened to hang trans people and the doctors who provide them care? Was this why you were banned from twitter? How can you square being a doctor with an oath to do no harm while calling out for violence and death against your fellow human beings?"
Response: You again make false claims. The lawyer apparently received anonymous threatening emails, and implied that I was sending them, however, thousands of people were following the case on Twitter. As you said, my Twitter account was then banned, and a year later, after the case, was restored. Apparently, Twitter made a "mistake" banning it. I have all the receipts. I never sent any emails to the DEFENDING attorney, keep in mind that it was the hospital on trial, not me. Obviously while suing my hospital, I wouldn't be contacting the defending attorney. Interesting that you appear to have a one sided argument that defies all logic, color me shocked. You then reference a random and anonymous Twitter user who stalks me, and are using their post as some sort of evidence? Try harder, although "belikethecheese" sounds very trustworthy... Last, I have never said to hang trans people, but I can see how that might help your narrative. Very hyperbolic. I stated that those doctors who pharmacologically castrate and surgically mutilate children and call it gender affirming care under the guise of empathy, for profit, deserve life in prison or DEATH. Personally, I think they deserve the death penalty. The castration and butchery of children is beyond evil. I won't budge on this stance. Let's move to your next piece of brilliant commentary.
"Whereas I have no doubt in your convictions, misrepresenting yourself and the facts at hand do you and those who believe you at face value a grave disservice, and threatening people with violence or other harm is deplorable behavior.
You were not crucified for taking a moral stand, you were hung by your own petard."
Response: I'm glad you have no doubt in my convictions, as I stand up for our most innocent population. I am also a free speech absolutist, pro life from conception, and against all COVID mandates and "vaccines." You can call my deplorable all you'd like, I've been called worse things by better people. I was slandered for years, bullied for years, and although I was the highest scoring doctor, with the most publications, most research, most awards, and most degrees in my entire program, I was treated like less than human because I believe in God, I refuse to use pronouns or affirm the delusions of children who are victims of abuse, and I won't recommend a poison vaccine to my patients. You should probably take a look at my resume. God bless.
It is too bad that anyone who in any way criticizes the trans ideology is literally crucified. You have every right to be outraged at the harm done by this hateful cult! The gender ideology will use every means to denounce anyone who threatens their lies..and , make no mistake their “ beliefs “ are based on nothing but lies! It is a shame that young doctors have fallen for this, and that reality has been thrown in the garbage bin of falsehood. I hope your voice is heard as the Supreme Court rules to end this madness.
I agree with most of your statements, but the word “literally” used here is inaccurate, so say the least. Persecuted, vilified, harassed, yes, but obviously the good doctor used “crucified” figuratively.
I don't actually need to prove anything to you. You fail to see that I sued my hospital, over gender care, harassment and safety, won the settlement, and proved much of what you said to be false, intentionally or erroneously. While I am a well respected and extremely well educated medical doctor, with a very distinct resume to and experience to prove it, you are an anonymous internet user pretending to know both medicine and law. Given your interaction I would suggest you know neither. If a rape victim filed charges against a rapist, and won, would you have the same approach? Use the rapists arguments in the lawsuit they lost to pass your judgment. Fallacy pf false inference? At this point I have thousands of trolls messaging daily. Get in line, we're all done here, as I've already afforded you enough time. If you support the pharmacological castration of children, or the violation of patient autonomy and vaccine mandates, I assure you, history will not be kind. God bless.
Biggs (2023) The Dutch Protocol for Juvenile Transsexuals: Origins and Evidence, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, vol. 49, no. 4, 348-368 https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2022.2121238
Dhejne, Cecilia - Lichtenstein, Paul - Boman, Marcus - Johansson, Anna L. V. - Långström, Niklas - Landén, Mikael, (2011) Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden. PLOS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0016885
Levine, Stephen B. - Abbruzzese, E. (2023) Current Concerns About Gender-Affirming Therapy in Adolescents. Current Sexual Health Reports, vol 15, no. 2, 113-123, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-023-00358-x
Littman, Lisa - O’Malley, Stella - Kerschner, Helena - Bailey, J. Michael (2023) Detransition and Desistance Among Previously Trans-Identified Young Adults. Archives of Sexual Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02716-1
The science is crystal clear. No benefit. Serious harms. WPATH's own words condemn what they are doing. WPATH is an illegitimate organization. This is a massive RICO case, not medicine.
Science is quite clear. There is no benefit. There is damage.
So you support not just the mutilation of kids, but the torture of people who oppose it. Got it. I bet you think you're fightin' Nazis. I also bet once the worm turns,, you'll lie about where you stood.
Then I recommend you familiarize yourself with reality. "The Blank Slate" is a good place to start.
There is variation between men and women - for those traits that differ between them, they're typically overlapping bimodal distributions. The average man is taller than the average woman, but not all men are taller than all women. Not all women like pink. Not all men like football.
Denying this and reifying stereotypical traits with crackpot theories about "gender" is bad enough on its own. Drugging and sterilizing kids (many of them gay, FWIW) because of the belief that feelings over-ride objective reality is insane, anti-scientific barbarism.
Mutilating kids is flat out evil, and the fact you don't "feel" evil doing it makes it that much worse.
You obviously didn’t read the report that shows how easy it is to get “ gender affirming care”..an Orwellian term for medical mutilation! In her report that started these comments, it is completely clear that no matter which red flags she held up, no matter which mental illness she demonstrated, the doctors were happy to let her transition with hormones and surgery! Profits over morals ! How can anyone with any morals support this ?
You continue to attack me, rather than attacking my position on the pharmacological castration and surgical mutilation of children. You're saying a lot, without saying anything of substance. Happy to have an open debate on the topic, when would you like to schedule it? I'll wait....
You must see that there is no truth to believing that one can change sex. Taking hormones, getting mutilating surgery like the euphemistic “ top surgery” will not make a woman into a man! If you want truth, accept the fact that sex is binary, that it is immutable, that evolution is true. No amount of feeling can deny your biological truth! No amount of word salad will change that ! Being “ kind” or “ understanding “ of lies is not morality!
You might read “Irreparable Damage” by Abigail Schrier or anything by Scott Newgent, a trans man (biological woman) who has suffered immeasurably due to these horrific practices you are so reluctant to judge.
One of the most insane things to me about this, is my medical issue. I have severe diastisis from three pregnancies. Causes me great pain and several hernias, but surgery to fix it is about 20,000 because it's considered "cosmetic". Amazing to me that I could go to the doctor tomorrow, tell them I wanted to be a man, and get it later this year for $200.00. That's beyond backwards and absolutely infuriating.
That's disgusting. A condition that causes severe pain is not just cosmetic. This is no different than when surgeons refuse to do a hysterectomy on a woman in her 20s, 30s or 40s who has severe symptoms of endometriosis because "what if you or your husband want a child someday?" yet will do it on an 18yo for gender dysphoria.
Not to mention the horrendous difficulty as a postmenopausal woman trying to get hormones that are truly medically necessary to KEEP you the gender to which you were born.
A postmenopausal woman does not need hormones to keep her the gender she is born!!! Wtf?!!! Total and utter BS. Since when did a genuine woman need hormones to keep her a woman?!!! Since someone swallowed some fairytale... Choosing to take hormone replacement therapy is one thing, but it's never medically necessary, it's a choice, that may improve quality of life... and they DON'T keep you the gender you were born! They just improve your quality of life. You won't magically turn into a man without them, whatever your fears (or hopes!!!)
There is a difference between refusing to do a hysterectomy on an 20 something yo for severe endometriosis and health insurance policy considering rectus diastesis repair a cosmetic procedure... You've let your ideology blind your common sense. The two situations are not comparable. I agree the latter is negligence (it's the same in my country) but there are certainly many situations where I'd be reluctant to provide a hysterectomy to a 20 something yo, even with severe endometriosis. The idea is that gender dysphoria is much more of a compelling reason than severe pain, it's extreme distress, and that fertility regret is more common in cis women.
And yet just about every Democrat I know IRL is horrified but afraid to speak up. I can't tell you how angry it makes me that grown adults are too scared to say what they see, while young people's bodies are damaged beyond repair.
Scary, isn't it? Never understood how the Germans were wooed by Hitler's insanity, but when you see all these people going along with this agenda because they are scared to go against it, makes you realize just how weak we humans really are.
Yes, we absolutely need to speak up about this! My wife and I and some other lesbian feminists are actively practicing having these conversations in our liberal circles. It’s a fucking disaster in there. We personally have and really need the ACA, yet I find myself wishing that some aspects of it would be repealed so we can remove the subsidies for gender “affirmation” cosmetic surgery.
Could you tell me more about how Obamacare encourages transitioning? What’s the difference between allowing for it and encouraging it? I’m genuinely confused.
Also, the ACA sets the standard for what insurance companies are required to cover by law. It’s a blessing since the ACA allows those of us with preexisting conditions to actually get affordable insurance. But then there’s this nonsense of paying for cosmetic surgery in one case (gender reassignment), with negligible gatekeeping, because gender identity is some kind of sacred cow that should never be questioned. It’s madness.
When insurance companies are mandated to cover these procedures and drugs, that encourages hospitals and doctors to perform/prescribe them, as they are reimbursed 100%, and most patients require lifelong care afterwards. Also covered by insurance. Not that hard to understand.
The trans cult is backed but billons of dollars !It is highly profitable to the medical industrial complex! Who cares about legitimate medical issues when so much more profit can be made from the trans insanity?
Similar here. I have a connective tissue disease that my insurance actually has a policy for; they pay for other modalities but have denied me for the only thing that will actually correct it, which is surgery, that they state in my policy that they cover. Their tactic was to deny that I have the disease at all, despite meeting all the criteria, with over 100+ pages of documentation including 5 doctors’ letters of medical necessity conforming my diagnosis, and call the surgery “cosmetic.” No lawyer will take my case. The disease is progressive and debilitating, and they have simply lied to and about me, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. Maybe I should declare myself a man and say I want some “contouring.” FFS.
Where do you live? Do you know about LegalShield? If your policy says they cover the surgery, and you have documentation of the diagnosis, I can’t believe LegalShield attorneys wouldn’t fix it?
I have LegalShield. They were unable to find me an attorney who would take the case. The insurance companies are powerful. It's impossible to explain how torturous this process has been.
Thank you for exposing this madness. We need to name, shame, and punish all doctors, health system, and donors that butcher children. Check out plume health and the Pritzker family for profiting from trans drugs and surgeries: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-do-no-harm-part-2
The messed up thing with Kaiser is these unnecessary treatments are taking dollars away from other insured people who are getting less than adequate care.
Can confirm. I’m a Kaiser employee( dental) for 35 years. I’ve hung on because of the “ velvet handcuffs”.. ie disgust at working for a company I’ve grown to despise in the last 10 years in exchange for promise of a decent pension and lifetime healthcare when I retire. Which will be in 58 months. The healthcare I receive, should I ever need it, will be substandard. It already is substandard. It takes close to 75 days to get an appointment for routine care, meanwhile this shit is fast tracked. Decent clinicians are leaving healthcare in droves. The scary thing is that this is not unique to Kaiser, thus my hesitation in leaving ( reducing my pension when I am so close to the end) for employment with a different insurance company. They have all been infiltrated. Be very, very afraid.
I can support this. I was with Kaiser for three years during which time I had two issues--torn muscle in my upper back and the start of tinnitus. In both cases, I could not get my PCP to authorize my seeing a specialist. No matter how many times I emailed or called, they just refused. Yet this is a slam dunk.
In fairness, I don't think we can blame gender clinics for the many major problems in our healthcare system. It's not just Kaiser-many if not most payors have all kinds of prior authorization requirements for way too many things, and primary care clinics frequently can't see anyone for weeks regardless of their insurance coverage. Hell, even walk in clinics sometimes are only by appointment now! We have many serious problems that predate the gender craze. Not that the gender stuff helps anything.
Exactly... good point to mention the other folks getting harmed by the sucking of resources away from what is medically necessary in order to support trans people's "embodiment goals".
Naming and shaming are pointless when they aren't ashamed of what they're doing, and no one's going to get punished unless activists publicize, organize and push the people responsible for handing out the punishment to act.
Right now everyone is saying "This is outrageous! Someone has to do something! Then doing nothing. And as a result, not much is happening.
Yes. We need some folks with deep pockets to step up and fund Protect Kids CA ballot initiative ASAP. Without an injection of cash to hire paid signature gatherers it's hard to see how we'll reach the 1 million signatures needed.
I do think there is more awareness now of the harm this ideology is causing. Though I am not a fan of Trump, I do think he was smart to use this issue to get more votes.I do not doubt that this was in part the reason he won. Democrats are too ingrained to change their tune though.
Like I said elsewhere hiding behind a euphemism like "scientifically-guided interventions to improve wellbeing" doesn't change the reality of castration and mutilation.
The people promoting lobotomies would also have described they're procedures as "scientifically-guided interventions to improve wellbeing, not harm".
What if her daughter thought she was Jesus? Give her a crown of thorns? What if she thought she was Napoleon? Stick her in an island prison? It is not kind to reinforce delusions. Saying a girl is a boy is just cruel because the truth is never far away, and will come back with a vengeance later in life.
Nothing philosophical there. Just plain reality. You can dress and act however you want, but you can't change sex, and pretending that you can will lead to a life-time of mental ill-health.
Hi thrown away, Actually I don't think you can outdo me here with references, but I don't have time to write you an essay at the moment. The types of studies you refer to generally have these features: (1) short time follow up (2) large loss to follow up (3) high risk of bias (4) no control untreated group (5) reliance on subjective assessment of patient rather than assessing how well they are coping with life (6) no consideration of honeymoon period for getting what you desired so earnestly, and the mood-boosting effect of testosterone. However, that was referring to attempts at clinical studies. A lot of the studies are based on useless anonymous surveys responded to by adolescent activists wanting to paint transgenderism in a rosy light. These studies are worthless because of poor methodology. They are generally done by activist doctors wanting to support what they are doing (like the infamous Jack Turban). I will instead rely on the systematic reviews of the evidence from Sweden and the UK (also Finland) that found there was no clear evidence of benefit, and certainly and absolutely no long term evidence for the safety of cross sex hormones. In fact we know already some of the health risks.
The supposed 'consensus' of the medical community that you refer to is not a consensus. It is merely what medicine generally does - there are supposed experts in a field, and people trust them. Doctors can't learn about all fields, and so they trust 'experts' to have properly assessed the literature and the evidence. Sadly, with gender 'medicine' they are being led astray by activist ideologue doctors. The AAP, the endocrine society, who support gender affirming 'care' have not done systematic reviews, they just have policies driven by a few activists who get themselves in positions of power. (Can't wait for the court case where the AAP is a defendent against a detransitioner). The countries where they have done reviews KNOW that the evidence is not there. There was a paper in the NEJM (Chen 2023) that was trying very hard to prove that treatment was helpful. Their methodology has been harshly criticised, as they did not report all the parameters that they pre-registered as collecting. However, whilst trying to present transition in a rosy light, 2 out of 337 participants in that study committed suicide within one year of commencing hormone treatment. Appreciate there is no control group, but maybe not so life-saving?
And you can not change sex. You can change your clothes, you can cut off body parts and stitch rather sad ones on, you can mess up your metabolism with the wrong hormones, but that is not changing sex. A Swedish study found that born male transsexuals maintain male pattern criminality long after their supposed transition. You can change outward appearance, but you cannot change the developmental program. And no, we are not more than our DNA and our body parts. That is what we actually are, other than the experiences which have shaped our brain development. Anything else is just mysticism or a religious belief in some kind of soul.. You are welcome to believe that, but there is no evidence for it.
Thank you for sharing this. Everyone in the United States should read it, now.
It's hilarious that you were able to so easily bamboozle these people, and horrifying that there are medical professionals out there who are almost eager to be bamboozled. And we're trusting these people to know what *children* need?
I absolutely want doctors and medical folks to be gatekeepers, because some gates *should* be kept. These people, however, haven't just abandoned the gate; they're handing out the keys to anyone who asks!
of course medical people are gatekeepers. They handle potent drugs, many of which can be misused. I can't get T for my teenage boy just because he seems deficient. Why can I get it for my teenage girl?!
I think "bamboozled" is too kind an interpretation for these people. They obtained the consent they wanted, that's all. I don't think the doctors and therapists are the ones being fooled.
Not only are the med professionals eager to get bamboozled. I've heard detransitioners say they were actually pursued by medical professionals. One young man who was struggling with a pretty serious drug problem was cold called by a doctor wanting to perform an orchiechtomy on him. Apparently, the doctor had been encouraged by an older "friend" of this young man's to call him.
Yep. This medical organization's official motto and website banner is "Gatekeeping Sucks". They offer free recommendation letters on demand, for hormones and surgery, anywhere in the country:
Do you have personal experience, or a link to an article, about high risk childbirth not getting covered? I have never heard of this. Seems it would be against EMTALA and could be ripe ground for a lawsuit.
Wow. That's terrible. I do think things have changed now, definitely with the ACA but in this case perhaps even before, at least with some insurance companies. I do remember when one had to purchase more expensive insurance to have such things covered, but as far as I know that is a thing of the past with the ACA.
> Your accusation of gaslighting appears to be an intimidation tactic to discredit my comment without actually addressing the substance of my points.
The substance of your point is that you're telling Robin that what she experienced interacting with her insurance company did not happen.
> Accusations and name-calling divide rather than unite.
If you don't want to get called a scumbag, stop acting like one.
> We all want what is best for young people.
Your behavior in this thread has not been consistant with that claim.
> Regardless of what your intent, the fact remains that, broadly speaking, the large majority of women in America have pregnancy and childbirth covered to some degree by either private health insurance or public programs like Medicaid.
"To some degree" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
> I do not believe that my words or behavior can be qualified as "scumbag".
You cover your support for mutilating and castrating children behind marketing speak. The word "scumbag" very much applies, or would you prefer "bullsh*ter"?
As someone who wants suicide to be accessible to me when I need it, you have no need to be sad for vulnerable people who have access to suicide, they are incredibly lucky they don't have to spend $$$$$ and go to Switzerland to get it, as I will need to, , but have access to it in their own country.
Some more potential inspiration. 37 year old Kayla Pollock of Ontaria stated that she was offered MAID after having suffering paralysis from the neck down subsequent to COVID jabs, and that she refused the offers. Canadian independent at SubStack is where that story can be found.
This medical killing business can be an efficient way to silence noisy and disgruntled patients, kill the placebo effect, depopulate the earth a bit faster.....
Nope, just realists, living in the real world, not the fantasy world of gamers with their little anime avatars with cat ears and cute little maid outfits, or their furry suits.
To see the full spectrum, it would be fascinating if someone out there would stage wanting to de-transition “to become their authentic self” and see if that process is as easily supported by the system.
It absolutely would not be. It would be considered cosmetic surgery, do all out of pocket costs would apply. Although there is no coming back from gender affirming surgery. Therein lies the horror. None of that was discussed in the OP’s “ consultations” . The medical term is PARQ and they are not doing it. P( procedure) A(adverse outcomes) R(risk) Q( questions). I work in dental and we are nailed to the wall if this is not done before every procedure including routine cleanings. Which are considerably less life altering. It’s beyond fucked up
OMG OMG! This is like the worst horror story that I can think of. Thank you for doing this to expose the medical scandal that this is. How can any doctor with any moral compass do something like this? I know they tell themselves that they are doing this for your good, but basically they are doing it for their own greedy Reasons. They must be getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in income from this. It has to be stopped. It has to be outlawed totally. I admire your courage of following through on this. You must’ve had some really nightmarish thoughts as you found out how easy it was for you to be permanently disfigured physically, and even mentally. Didn’t you feel like you were on the edge of a precipice about to fall into a black hole? Anyway, thank you so much for showing us the real face of this medical scandal.
Thanks Reni. The first appointment was the hardest. I was nervous and afraid I'd give away my cover. But then when I saw how eager the therapists and doctors were to give me referrals for the surgery and hormones it became more of just a chore to get through each horrific appointment and not feel too depressed afterwards knowing there was no safeguarding in place.
How anyone can defend this by declaring that this is “ care” is beyond belief! Would it be” care” to put an anorexic on a starvation diet , because you “ affirm” their delusion? Should doctors “ affirm” those who want healthy limbs amputated to “ feel whole” ? For now , that is illegal , but amputating healthy breasts is perfectly legal…” affirming “ a very similar delusion! Moreover, amputating healthy breasts is much more harmful to a woman than amputating a leg!
And the teachers could simply not have encouraged her daughter to have herself mutilated and you could have chosen not to spew your vileness all over the comments, but here we are.
There is no science behind this….only money and insanity ! Have you heard of the Cass Report? Defending this medical malpractice is immoral! The European Union does not allow sex reassignment surgeries on minors . Sweden considers those to be experimental. The US should follow .
Any who would go along with this is capable, imo, of going along with building extermination factories to get rid of those they don't like. Another thought I have is there are many people who have to struggle and wait to get actual medical care, while there are so-called counselors, doctors and other medical personnel, and politicians who grease the skids out there using their extensive education and influence to keep this cesspool overflowing. I hope you were able to help your daughter.
So many historical horrors are less alien now. It really is just ordinary people, walking among us, who are able to carry out hideous acts without even blinking.
I learned this at the ripe old age of 12-yrs-old when expose to Mengele and Gestapo archive pictures, and then delved more into how this stuff happened. There's a very apropos quote from the economist John M. Keynes in The General Theory, 1964 edition, pg 374. "Dangerous human proclivities can be canalized...by the existence of opportunities for money-making...which, if they cannot be satisfied in this way, may result in cruelty, the reckless pursuit of personal power and authority, and other forms of self-aggrandizement. It is better that a man should tyrannize over his bank balance than over his fellow citizens." Keynes was referring to some of the wealthy and powerful, but there are lesser demons.
I don’t see that connection. What this particular scenario looks like is a respect for self-autonomy run amok, not forcing something on the reluctant. There may be other elements of the ideology which involve punishment or retribution, but greasing the medical skids on simple request isn’t the same thing.
A mother knows her own child far better than does any doctor, teacher, social worker or friend. If the child was gender dysphoric early on, she would know this, and she would seek psychological help for her child. But if her daughter develops ROGD, that is another matter all together.
It is possible but unlikely that a parent of a transgender child would be unaware of the child's gender dysphoria until the child's adolescence. Most cases of transsexualism (as it was known in the past) began with an early onset of gender dysphoria. But that's not often the case today. Why the surging numbers of adolescents seeking gender affirming care? For the data, check this out: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/
You cannot rule out the social contagion (via the internet) theory, though many researchers are eager to disprove Lisa Littman's research. Attention-seeking, lonely adolescents can quickly find online (if not in-person) communities that support and encourage their transgender identification, and that lavish praise on these kids for their bravery while on their "gender journey." Check out this story as a case in point:
I suggest you read a sample of parent stories on the PITT Substack to help you understand the disconnect many parents feel between the knowledge of their own child and their child's sudden identification as trans. These are parents who care deeply about their children, and do want their kids to be their authentic selves. They just question whether their children are being authentic when they present as trans. Could their children be going through a phase? Might these adolescents outgrow their gender dysphoria? If there is even a remote chance that the child is simply confused and misled by online trans enthusiasts, then that child's parents will want to hold off on gender affirming care.
I'm not interested in denying rights or identities. I'm only raising concerns about whether some trans identities may be transitory. If you know any parent of an adolescent today, you are likely familiar with how common it is for today's teens to adopt different names and pronouns, often on a temporary basis. These kids are quite familiar with the idea that some people have brains and bodies that are a mismatch, and that gender is fluid. Honestly, it is a confusing time to be a teen, and I feel for them. But that's a topic for another day. The social contagion theory of ROGD is my focus here, and we ignore this phenomenon at our own risk. You know teens are impressionable, easily influenced, and have identities in flux. That is why gender affirming care is a questionable practice, because it assumes that kids "know themselves" and what they want, when in fact we all know that's not true. Hormones and surgeries may be the right option for a small number of gender dysphoric patients, but we absolutely must avoid sending teens down a lifelong path of medical care if it can be avoided.
We should learn from the countries in Europe that are now taking a more cautious approach to gender care, because I suspect this is where the US is headed.
> The medical community has moved away from the term "ROGD" (rapid onset gender dysphoria) because substantial research has proven that gender identity tends to form early in life.
When my wife & I first moved to California in 2012 we had Kaiser Permenante health insurance from my employer. I came to loathe them. The service was bureaucratic and awful. And never helpful or cheap when one of us was ill. So imagine my surprise to read this article and see how KP bent over backwards to supply this gender reassignment treatment with so little scrutiny?!? It’s bad enough that it was for a consenting adult, but to do the same for a teenager is simply beyond the pale.
In what way? Typically, cardiac and cancer care are the big money makers, along with orthopedic surgery. Emergency and psychiatric services tend to be money losers.
I don't know how you could have gone through all that and not started yelling at these so-called doctors who were so willing to mutilate your body and put you on mood altering hormones. I applaud your restraint in the name of investigative journalism.
I refuse to collude with the delusional mental illness that is trans. Delude yourself all you want, but stay away from my fucking kid. As in all deviant behavior, you will reap what you sow. And you will be the first to decry the thing YOU HAVE DONE TO YOURSELF when the going gets hard through these medical procedures as you have zero coping skills. Isn’t that what trans is? A maladaptive coping skill .
Not incorrect, it is fact. WPATH are marching kids, young and vulnerable people to irreversible surgeries and wrong sex hormones. One of the biggest scandal of our time.
This is gold, Beth. Thank you so much for exposing this.
So many other parents have wanted to do the same. We know, absurd as it is, that the most unlikely "gender journeys" will be affirmed and approved for medical interventions.
There's a term for it: GAC--or gender-affirming care.
Thank you Melissa. My daughter was living with her dad her senior year of high school so I had some space to go undercover. I couldn't have done it if she was living with me as it often made me very upset/mad at these trans activists (Kaiser medical providers) and the public school district in my town.
If your kids are not living at home, I encourage other parents to do some undercover work as it will give you a sense of power and confidence that you are also an expert on "gender affirming care".
So, I'm curious: if you go to a psychiatrist and tell them you are hearing voices, and answer their questions with info you've gleaned about schizophrenia online, would you think they were wrong if you left the first visit with a prescription for antipsychotics and a treatment plan for psychosis? What about if you did the same with depression and left with a script for Prozac? I do think that we need more careful evaluations for gender issues, and perhaps a longer process before any medicalization, particularly for minors, but at the same time we are talking about a psychological condition, ALL of which are evaluated primarily if not completely based on patient self-report. In cases where the "patient" is determined to deceive the provider, it seems like there is only so much they can do (at least, until Elon implants his brain chips in all of us and Twitter can read all our kinds!)
I went through a period of severe depression. My GP tried me on various SSRIs and norepinephrines without success. I went to a mental health clinic for counseling. I had 6 appointments w/a therapist, after which I was referred to a nurse practitioner who started me on a low dose of fluoxetine, based on my therapist’s notes. After 4 more weekly sessions with the therapist, the dose was increased until I was at therapeutic level. Had a session w/a psychiatrist to go over everything and a final meeting w/therapist. Very successful treatment. But no way was I going to be given psychotropic drugs at my first session. Had I been suicidal, psychotic, or exhibiting severe symptoms of schizophrenia, I would have been admitted.
I assume you are not in the US? I can't speak to other countries. But as a health care professional in America, I can assure you that the norm here is a prescription on the first visit (I'm wondering if that is what you got from your GP?) although of course changes in dose and meds can come later. And, at least here, the majority of those presenting with symptoms of schizophrenia and psychosis are not hospitalized. The requirements for inpatient treatment for any psych illness are that the patient must be imminently suicidal or homicidal (this means it more than passive thoughts; there must be intent to act on them in the very near future AND a plan and means to do so) or gravely disabled. That second one is often where you see inpatient come in for those with psychosis (although they can certainly be suicidal or more rarely homicidal as well) but it's a high bar to meet. Essentially, there must be an imminent risk of death or serious illness due to lack of ability to see to basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, or safety.
In all other situations, a visit to a psychiatrist or GP with mental health complaints will typically end with a prescription and a schedule for followup. Therapy is often, though not always, a recommendation, but prescriptions are issued whether therapy is in process or not. And while coordination and communication between therapist and prescriber is ideal, in reality it happens sometimes. Other times there is no communication at all, for various reasons.
Bottom line, though, is that when you visit a doctor or NP for mental health reasons, you generally leave with a prescription on the first visit. If you are hospitalized for mental health reasons you will almost always be started on meds immediately after seeing a doctor for the first time. In either case referrals to therapy are very common but meds will be started first. I accept that mileage may vary significantly between countries. Here, there is some difference between states, between health systems, and between individual providers in how they carry out the guidelines. But the guidelines are quite clear that hospitalization is brief and for true emergencies only AND that prescribers should begin the first med trial after the first visit.
No, I’m the US. And I was not given meds right away. My visits with the therapist were pretty close together at first but I did have to wait a few weeks before seeing a NP and starting on meds. It could have been the policy of that particular hospital, or it could be that the protocol has changed since I last was there. Also, the medication I was given was fairly new -not generic- since none of the many other meds I’d tried had done anything.
I am the only US doctor to file Supreme Court lawsuits against this madness. And I was crucified for it. Thanks for continuing to expose it.
Thank you for the part you're playing in ending this scandal. Vulnerable kids are in dire need of this integrity and courage against zealous, incompetent trans activism.
You need to kick them in the money bags. Morally fluid surgeons will go where the bread is. Surely the insurance companies would be the ones to hit. How much money would they save if this became medically unnecessary? In fact, what the heck is their incentive to not lose that money in the first place? Untangle that web, snip the base of the cord, and the whole thing comes down. Admittedly this isn't the easiest quarry to hunt, pragmatically speaking.
"Morally Fluid" = BRILLIANT!
Morally fluid like “gender fluid “🤪
Yes, because of the “ gender fluid”!
The Federal gov? I'm in Canada, so such things are covered by our provincial gov. That's pretty crazy that the gov is 100% reimbursing that. Almost like an incentive.
Ordinary woman is incorrect. The law she referenced mandated insurers to cover gender care at the same level at which they cover other medical and psychiatric services. There is no mandate that it be 100% reimbursed, and in any case the federal gov is not the one paying except for people covered the military or Medicare (which is our program to provide partial coverage to seniors and the disabled).
Ty
Nope, not exactly. See my comment to Matt below.
There's a permanently designed connection between spirit and body that people are diddling with, and harming themselves irreparably.
Thank you for standing up for medicine as a healing art.
Thank you for your courage! I’m sure there are many doctors who see this an immoral and against their oath of “Do no harm” but are too afraid to stand up against it! I hope the Supreme Court takes the case before more children are harmed.
It costs $100 copay to get one month asthma inhaler necessary for living.
It is harder to get a referral for a shoulder injury.
Outstanding! (spoken like Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket).
"You look like a modern art masterpiece!" haha
Instant Follow
Good luck on the case . Thank you for your courage and your loyalty to the Hippocratic oath of “First Do No Harm”!
So, now that I have a moment to dive into this, let's start. We will take your response piece by piece.
"Dr. Zywiec, the publicly documented facts seem misaligned with your assertion of being the only U.S. doctor challenging transgender youth healthcare at the Supreme Court. Initially I was intrigued, as certainly this would have made some news and waves, so I started to look into this. I started by looking for the court case that you filed "against this madness". It turns out it was not a Supreme Court lawsuit but a *New York State* Supreme Court case in Kings County. Well, ok, still a "Supreme Court", so an easy mistake to make, I suppose. Maybe this was about fighting the NY State on medical standards of care and associated policies governing trans youth healthcare? Maybe you were suing the state to take your moral stance before the courts?"
Response: NY Supreme Court is indeed, a Supreme Court... did you make an assumption of what level it was, then accuse me of lying, even though you just said it was the Supreme Court? What court was it? What court is on the documents? The Supreme Court. It seems odd that you would make a false assumption, find out it's false, and then accuse me of being the reason for your assumption. Are you literally delusional? What I said is factually true. Not exactly a good start for you. To end, as evidenced in the very first filing, I explicitly state in north of 50 points that it is regarding my both my moral and my scientific stance on gender affirming care, as well as the discriminatory treatment I faced for several years for being a white, heterosexual, conservative, Christian male. You should probably start at the beginning, because you are already deeply mistaken. Not exactly a strong start for you. Let's tackle your next bit.
"Well, not really. I read the public court documents, and it turned out to be more about saving your position in the residency program than it was anything else. Based on public court documents, evidence provided by the hospital and your fellow interns shows a documented history of disciplinary issues and warnings for unprofessional conduct, offensive speech, and attendance/absence problems since you started the residency program. A complaint letter signed by all the second year residents in 2021 alleging inappropriate and racist comments made by you, among other evidence documented evidence. Trans health care was only brought up *after* you were made aware of your pending termination in an injunction for a temporary restraining order against the hospital, to prevent them from terminating you. Here is the public record of the court case in case anyone is interested:
https://casetext.com/case/zywiec-v-the-brooklyn-hosp-ctr"
Response: Everything here is pretty fallacious. You start off by stating that I filed a lawsuit to "save" my position. Interesting, I was in perfectly good standing, then filed a lawsuit. Several months into the lawsuit I was threatened with termination, which by definition is retaliatory, and became the start of an EEOC lawsuit, which is another matter. So you either lied, or are misinformed, either way, you're incorrect. You bring up disciplinary action, however, I have never faced any disciplinary action, again, patently wrong. You are, however, correct about numerous complaints made on me, not by patients, but by JUNIOR physicians, who all wear rainbow pins and support the pharmacological castration and surgical mutilation of children, along with genocidal COVID mandates. Did you look at their complaints? I said men and women have different biology, such as muscle mass, fat percentage, brain size, bone structure, etc. They claimed I was calling women stupid and being racist for pointing out basic biological differences. Par for the course for liberals. Next, I stated that only heterosexuals can reproduce, IE men cannot get pregnant, I was called a homophobe, and transphobe, and a bigot. Sounding familiar to every liberal commentary yet? I was accused of a whole slew on nonsense, including throwing a clipboard at someone, which again was false, has video footage showing it was false, and eye witness accounts. It seems there is no depths these people won't sink. In the lawsuit, there was also a patient that came in and threatened to kill me, had to be escorted out by police, there are multiple 911 calls and bodycam footage of this, and the lawyer and hospital DENIED IT EVEN HAPPENED in the court documents. I would think this madness, but look at the courts in NYC, they are corrupt beyond imagination. Lying is the native tongue, even with clear evidence against it. You then assert that trans gender healthcare is brought up later, however, it was a main reason for the lawsuit, and is the first filing, explicitly. Did you read any of this case? Apparently not. I notice you overlook the fact that a judge literally imposed a restraining order on my hospital, as they were attempting to block my email access so my attorney could not gather or show evidence, and they were trying to force me to see psychiatrists of their choosing for my refusals to adhere to their standards of care. Maybe you should consider reading the case, as it is full of insanity. Once again, you have displayed how disingenuous you are. Let's keep moving.
"Naturally, as I was googling around trying to find out about this case, it flagged a series of posts on twitter in relation to the above case. It seems you sent a series of threatening emails and letters when the hospital sought to fire you for the aforementioned absenteeism, unprofessional and inappropriate behavior as a resident? Seemed hard to believe a doctor of such moral turpitude would engage in such behavior, but then I found this letter from the hospital on twitter:
https://twitter.com/blikethecheese/status/1644774074751524867/photo/1
Which naturally led me to some other twitter posts that I will not link here, that alleges you threatened to hang trans people and the doctors who provide them care? Was this why you were banned from twitter? How can you square being a doctor with an oath to do no harm while calling out for violence and death against your fellow human beings?"
Response: You again make false claims. The lawyer apparently received anonymous threatening emails, and implied that I was sending them, however, thousands of people were following the case on Twitter. As you said, my Twitter account was then banned, and a year later, after the case, was restored. Apparently, Twitter made a "mistake" banning it. I have all the receipts. I never sent any emails to the DEFENDING attorney, keep in mind that it was the hospital on trial, not me. Obviously while suing my hospital, I wouldn't be contacting the defending attorney. Interesting that you appear to have a one sided argument that defies all logic, color me shocked. You then reference a random and anonymous Twitter user who stalks me, and are using their post as some sort of evidence? Try harder, although "belikethecheese" sounds very trustworthy... Last, I have never said to hang trans people, but I can see how that might help your narrative. Very hyperbolic. I stated that those doctors who pharmacologically castrate and surgically mutilate children and call it gender affirming care under the guise of empathy, for profit, deserve life in prison or DEATH. Personally, I think they deserve the death penalty. The castration and butchery of children is beyond evil. I won't budge on this stance. Let's move to your next piece of brilliant commentary.
"Whereas I have no doubt in your convictions, misrepresenting yourself and the facts at hand do you and those who believe you at face value a grave disservice, and threatening people with violence or other harm is deplorable behavior.
You were not crucified for taking a moral stand, you were hung by your own petard."
Response: I'm glad you have no doubt in my convictions, as I stand up for our most innocent population. I am also a free speech absolutist, pro life from conception, and against all COVID mandates and "vaccines." You can call my deplorable all you'd like, I've been called worse things by better people. I was slandered for years, bullied for years, and although I was the highest scoring doctor, with the most publications, most research, most awards, and most degrees in my entire program, I was treated like less than human because I believe in God, I refuse to use pronouns or affirm the delusions of children who are victims of abuse, and I won't recommend a poison vaccine to my patients. You should probably take a look at my resume. God bless.
When I read the case summary above, I thought "this sounds like cancelling what you don't like."
Seems Dr. Zywiec agrees.
It is too bad that anyone who in any way criticizes the trans ideology is literally crucified. You have every right to be outraged at the harm done by this hateful cult! The gender ideology will use every means to denounce anyone who threatens their lies..and , make no mistake their “ beliefs “ are based on nothing but lies! It is a shame that young doctors have fallen for this, and that reality has been thrown in the garbage bin of falsehood. I hope your voice is heard as the Supreme Court rules to end this madness.
I agree with most of your statements, but the word “literally” used here is inaccurate, so say the least. Persecuted, vilified, harassed, yes, but obviously the good doctor used “crucified” figuratively.
I don't actually need to prove anything to you. You fail to see that I sued my hospital, over gender care, harassment and safety, won the settlement, and proved much of what you said to be false, intentionally or erroneously. While I am a well respected and extremely well educated medical doctor, with a very distinct resume to and experience to prove it, you are an anonymous internet user pretending to know both medicine and law. Given your interaction I would suggest you know neither. If a rape victim filed charges against a rapist, and won, would you have the same approach? Use the rapists arguments in the lawsuit they lost to pass your judgment. Fallacy pf false inference? At this point I have thousands of trolls messaging daily. Get in line, we're all done here, as I've already afforded you enough time. If you support the pharmacological castration of children, or the violation of patient autonomy and vaccine mandates, I assure you, history will not be kind. God bless.
I have significant evidence, which is why I won. Cheers.
For a thorough review of the actual medical information available on the use of puberty blockers & cross-sex hormones in children take a look at the following https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0092623X.2022.2121238
The science:
Biggs (2023) The Dutch Protocol for Juvenile Transsexuals: Origins and Evidence, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, vol. 49, no. 4, 348-368 https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2022.2121238
Dhejne, Cecilia - Lichtenstein, Paul - Boman, Marcus - Johansson, Anna L. V. - Långström, Niklas - Landén, Mikael, (2011) Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden. PLOS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0016885
Levine, Stephen B. - Abbruzzese, E. (2023) Current Concerns About Gender-Affirming Therapy in Adolescents. Current Sexual Health Reports, vol 15, no. 2, 113-123, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-023-00358-x
Littman, Lisa - O’Malley, Stella - Kerschner, Helena - Bailey, J. Michael (2023) Detransition and Desistance Among Previously Trans-Identified Young Adults. Archives of Sexual Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02716-1
Mia Hughes (2024) The WPATH Files. https://environmentalprogress.org/s/U_WPATH-Report-and-Files.pdf
The science is crystal clear. No benefit. Serious harms. WPATH's own words condemn what they are doing. WPATH is an illegitimate organization. This is a massive RICO case, not medicine.
Science is quite clear. There is no benefit. There is damage.
The greatest medical malpractice that I can think of!
So you support not just the mutilation of kids, but the torture of people who oppose it. Got it. I bet you think you're fightin' Nazis. I also bet once the worm turns,, you'll lie about where you stood.
Then I recommend you familiarize yourself with reality. "The Blank Slate" is a good place to start.
There is variation between men and women - for those traits that differ between them, they're typically overlapping bimodal distributions. The average man is taller than the average woman, but not all men are taller than all women. Not all women like pink. Not all men like football.
Denying this and reifying stereotypical traits with crackpot theories about "gender" is bad enough on its own. Drugging and sterilizing kids (many of them gay, FWIW) because of the belief that feelings over-ride objective reality is insane, anti-scientific barbarism.
Mutilating kids is flat out evil, and the fact you don't "feel" evil doing it makes it that much worse.
Excellent reply!
You obviously didn’t read the report that shows how easy it is to get “ gender affirming care”..an Orwellian term for medical mutilation! In her report that started these comments, it is completely clear that no matter which red flags she held up, no matter which mental illness she demonstrated, the doctors were happy to let her transition with hormones and surgery! Profits over morals ! How can anyone with any morals support this ?
I am a pediatrician, I am one of the experts. What are you on about?
You continue to attack me, rather than attacking my position on the pharmacological castration and surgical mutilation of children. You're saying a lot, without saying anything of substance. Happy to have an open debate on the topic, when would you like to schedule it? I'll wait....
You must see that there is no truth to believing that one can change sex. Taking hormones, getting mutilating surgery like the euphemistic “ top surgery” will not make a woman into a man! If you want truth, accept the fact that sex is binary, that it is immutable, that evolution is true. No amount of feeling can deny your biological truth! No amount of word salad will change that ! Being “ kind” or “ understanding “ of lies is not morality!
You might read “Irreparable Damage” by Abigail Schrier or anything by Scott Newgent, a trans man (biological woman) who has suffered immeasurably due to these horrific practices you are so reluctant to judge.
Can you really keep,” an open mind” when young girls get their healthy breasts amputated because they dint like them? Girls as young as 13?
What a very nasty thing to say!For shame!
Get back to hell, where you belong, demon.
One of the most insane things to me about this, is my medical issue. I have severe diastisis from three pregnancies. Causes me great pain and several hernias, but surgery to fix it is about 20,000 because it's considered "cosmetic". Amazing to me that I could go to the doctor tomorrow, tell them I wanted to be a man, and get it later this year for $200.00. That's beyond backwards and absolutely infuriating.
That's disgusting. A condition that causes severe pain is not just cosmetic. This is no different than when surgeons refuse to do a hysterectomy on a woman in her 20s, 30s or 40s who has severe symptoms of endometriosis because "what if you or your husband want a child someday?" yet will do it on an 18yo for gender dysphoria.
Not to mention the horrendous difficulty as a postmenopausal woman trying to get hormones that are truly medically necessary to KEEP you the gender to which you were born.
A postmenopausal woman does not need hormones to keep her the gender she is born!!! Wtf?!!! Total and utter BS. Since when did a genuine woman need hormones to keep her a woman?!!! Since someone swallowed some fairytale... Choosing to take hormone replacement therapy is one thing, but it's never medically necessary, it's a choice, that may improve quality of life... and they DON'T keep you the gender you were born! They just improve your quality of life. You won't magically turn into a man without them, whatever your fears (or hopes!!!)
There is a difference between refusing to do a hysterectomy on an 20 something yo for severe endometriosis and health insurance policy considering rectus diastesis repair a cosmetic procedure... You've let your ideology blind your common sense. The two situations are not comparable. I agree the latter is negligence (it's the same in my country) but there are certainly many situations where I'd be reluctant to provide a hysterectomy to a 20 something yo, even with severe endometriosis. The idea is that gender dysphoria is much more of a compelling reason than severe pain, it's extreme distress, and that fertility regret is more common in cis women.
Yeah, I wonder how they got the insurance folks agree to pay so generously on this topic.
it's in the Obamacare (ACA) legislation
Yes, Democrats are all-in on transification. EVERY Democrat in Congress fully supports it, and ~98% of Democrats in state legislatures support it.
And yet just about every Democrat I know IRL is horrified but afraid to speak up. I can't tell you how angry it makes me that grown adults are too scared to say what they see, while young people's bodies are damaged beyond repair.
Scary, isn't it? Never understood how the Germans were wooed by Hitler's insanity, but when you see all these people going along with this agenda because they are scared to go against it, makes you realize just how weak we humans really are.
That’s exactly the analogy I used when discussing this with my daughter.
Yes, we absolutely need to speak up about this! My wife and I and some other lesbian feminists are actively practicing having these conversations in our liberal circles. It’s a fucking disaster in there. We personally have and really need the ACA, yet I find myself wishing that some aspects of it would be repealed so we can remove the subsidies for gender “affirmation” cosmetic surgery.
Democrats used to stand for liberal values…but now? The transmania has made them illiberal! Sad!
Could you tell me more about how Obamacare encourages transitioning? What’s the difference between allowing for it and encouraging it? I’m genuinely confused.
Obamacare subsidizes it.
Also, the ACA sets the standard for what insurance companies are required to cover by law. It’s a blessing since the ACA allows those of us with preexisting conditions to actually get affordable insurance. But then there’s this nonsense of paying for cosmetic surgery in one case (gender reassignment), with negligible gatekeeping, because gender identity is some kind of sacred cow that should never be questioned. It’s madness.
It’s terrible that the gender ideology has been able to pull off one of the greatest medical scandals ever!
When insurance companies are mandated to cover these procedures and drugs, that encourages hospitals and doctors to perform/prescribe them, as they are reimbursed 100%, and most patients require lifelong care afterwards. Also covered by insurance. Not that hard to understand.
The trans cult is backed but billons of dollars !It is highly profitable to the medical industrial complex! Who cares about legitimate medical issues when so much more profit can be made from the trans insanity?
Similar here. I have a connective tissue disease that my insurance actually has a policy for; they pay for other modalities but have denied me for the only thing that will actually correct it, which is surgery, that they state in my policy that they cover. Their tactic was to deny that I have the disease at all, despite meeting all the criteria, with over 100+ pages of documentation including 5 doctors’ letters of medical necessity conforming my diagnosis, and call the surgery “cosmetic.” No lawyer will take my case. The disease is progressive and debilitating, and they have simply lied to and about me, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. Maybe I should declare myself a man and say I want some “contouring.” FFS.
Where do you live? Do you know about LegalShield? If your policy says they cover the surgery, and you have documentation of the diagnosis, I can’t believe LegalShield attorneys wouldn’t fix it?
I have LegalShield. They were unable to find me an attorney who would take the case. The insurance companies are powerful. It's impossible to explain how torturous this process has been.
That really surprises me. What state are you in?
lol I guess?
Thank you for exposing this madness. We need to name, shame, and punish all doctors, health system, and donors that butcher children. Check out plume health and the Pritzker family for profiting from trans drugs and surgeries: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-do-no-harm-part-2
The profit that these people are making from this horrific medical scandal is worse than the profit from drug traffickers
The messed up thing with Kaiser is these unnecessary treatments are taking dollars away from other insured people who are getting less than adequate care.
Can confirm. I’m a Kaiser employee( dental) for 35 years. I’ve hung on because of the “ velvet handcuffs”.. ie disgust at working for a company I’ve grown to despise in the last 10 years in exchange for promise of a decent pension and lifetime healthcare when I retire. Which will be in 58 months. The healthcare I receive, should I ever need it, will be substandard. It already is substandard. It takes close to 75 days to get an appointment for routine care, meanwhile this shit is fast tracked. Decent clinicians are leaving healthcare in droves. The scary thing is that this is not unique to Kaiser, thus my hesitation in leaving ( reducing my pension when I am so close to the end) for employment with a different insurance company. They have all been infiltrated. Be very, very afraid.
I can support this. I was with Kaiser for three years during which time I had two issues--torn muscle in my upper back and the start of tinnitus. In both cases, I could not get my PCP to authorize my seeing a specialist. No matter how many times I emailed or called, they just refused. Yet this is a slam dunk.
In fairness, I don't think we can blame gender clinics for the many major problems in our healthcare system. It's not just Kaiser-many if not most payors have all kinds of prior authorization requirements for way too many things, and primary care clinics frequently can't see anyone for weeks regardless of their insurance coverage. Hell, even walk in clinics sometimes are only by appointment now! We have many serious problems that predate the gender craze. Not that the gender stuff helps anything.
Exactly... good point to mention the other folks getting harmed by the sucking of resources away from what is medically necessary in order to support trans people's "embodiment goals".
I meant Profiteering!
Jennifer (née James) Pritzker is a major source of funding for quite a few of the institutions engaged in the effort to trans away the gay.
https://open.substack.com/pub/geraldposner/p/the-transgender-money-pipeline?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7x0yn
Naming and shaming are pointless when they aren't ashamed of what they're doing, and no one's going to get punished unless activists publicize, organize and push the people responsible for handing out the punishment to act.
Right now everyone is saying "This is outrageous! Someone has to do something! Then doing nothing. And as a result, not much is happening.
Yes. We need some folks with deep pockets to step up and fund Protect Kids CA ballot initiative ASAP. Without an injection of cash to hire paid signature gatherers it's hard to see how we'll reach the 1 million signatures needed.
I do think there is more awareness now of the harm this ideology is causing. Though I am not a fan of Trump, I do think he was smart to use this issue to get more votes.I do not doubt that this was in part the reason he won. Democrats are too ingrained to change their tune though.
Ah, leftist bots. So compassionate.
I hope your daughter is able to leave the cult without lifelong damage.
Because she has shown how irresponsible a medical insurer is?
Ah yes. Only a liberal would call a mother "toxic" for trying to stop her daughter from castrating herself.
Like I said elsewhere hiding behind a euphemism like "scientifically-guided interventions to improve wellbeing" doesn't change the reality of castration and mutilation.
The people promoting lobotomies would also have described they're procedures as "scientifically-guided interventions to improve wellbeing, not harm".
What if her daughter thought she was Jesus? Give her a crown of thorns? What if she thought she was Napoleon? Stick her in an island prison? It is not kind to reinforce delusions. Saying a girl is a boy is just cruel because the truth is never far away, and will come back with a vengeance later in life.
Nothing philosophical there. Just plain reality. You can dress and act however you want, but you can't change sex, and pretending that you can will lead to a life-time of mental ill-health.
Hi thrown away, Actually I don't think you can outdo me here with references, but I don't have time to write you an essay at the moment. The types of studies you refer to generally have these features: (1) short time follow up (2) large loss to follow up (3) high risk of bias (4) no control untreated group (5) reliance on subjective assessment of patient rather than assessing how well they are coping with life (6) no consideration of honeymoon period for getting what you desired so earnestly, and the mood-boosting effect of testosterone. However, that was referring to attempts at clinical studies. A lot of the studies are based on useless anonymous surveys responded to by adolescent activists wanting to paint transgenderism in a rosy light. These studies are worthless because of poor methodology. They are generally done by activist doctors wanting to support what they are doing (like the infamous Jack Turban). I will instead rely on the systematic reviews of the evidence from Sweden and the UK (also Finland) that found there was no clear evidence of benefit, and certainly and absolutely no long term evidence for the safety of cross sex hormones. In fact we know already some of the health risks.
The supposed 'consensus' of the medical community that you refer to is not a consensus. It is merely what medicine generally does - there are supposed experts in a field, and people trust them. Doctors can't learn about all fields, and so they trust 'experts' to have properly assessed the literature and the evidence. Sadly, with gender 'medicine' they are being led astray by activist ideologue doctors. The AAP, the endocrine society, who support gender affirming 'care' have not done systematic reviews, they just have policies driven by a few activists who get themselves in positions of power. (Can't wait for the court case where the AAP is a defendent against a detransitioner). The countries where they have done reviews KNOW that the evidence is not there. There was a paper in the NEJM (Chen 2023) that was trying very hard to prove that treatment was helpful. Their methodology has been harshly criticised, as they did not report all the parameters that they pre-registered as collecting. However, whilst trying to present transition in a rosy light, 2 out of 337 participants in that study committed suicide within one year of commencing hormone treatment. Appreciate there is no control group, but maybe not so life-saving?
And you can not change sex. You can change your clothes, you can cut off body parts and stitch rather sad ones on, you can mess up your metabolism with the wrong hormones, but that is not changing sex. A Swedish study found that born male transsexuals maintain male pattern criminality long after their supposed transition. You can change outward appearance, but you cannot change the developmental program. And no, we are not more than our DNA and our body parts. That is what we actually are, other than the experiences which have shaped our brain development. Anything else is just mysticism or a religious belief in some kind of soul.. You are welcome to believe that, but there is no evidence for it.
> I understand where you are coming from, but the research does not support your claim.
Well the current state of psychology research is such that it's claims are indistinguishable from BS, especially when they align with leftist dogma.
https://www.experimental-history.com/p/im-so-sorry-for-psychologys-loss
This is one of the best Gender Industrial Complex whistleblower pieces I've read. Let's hope it leads to media interviews, news articles, etc.
I think I know who is insane "Penis Faceman"
That would be Kaiser who will be humiliated by this story
Thank you for sharing this. Everyone in the United States should read it, now.
It's hilarious that you were able to so easily bamboozle these people, and horrifying that there are medical professionals out there who are almost eager to be bamboozled. And we're trusting these people to know what *children* need?
I absolutely want doctors and medical folks to be gatekeepers, because some gates *should* be kept. These people, however, haven't just abandoned the gate; they're handing out the keys to anyone who asks!
of course medical people are gatekeepers. They handle potent drugs, many of which can be misused. I can't get T for my teenage boy just because he seems deficient. Why can I get it for my teenage girl?!
This! Kaiser also won’t give HRT to another population of people who actually need it: menopausal women.
But I imagine they cover treatment for men with erectile problems...
I think "bamboozled" is too kind an interpretation for these people. They obtained the consent they wanted, that's all. I don't think the doctors and therapists are the ones being fooled.
Well, I just really like the word "bamboozle." It's fun to say!
Not only are the med professionals eager to get bamboozled. I've heard detransitioners say they were actually pursued by medical professionals. One young man who was struggling with a pretty serious drug problem was cold called by a doctor wanting to perform an orchiechtomy on him. Apparently, the doctor had been encouraged by an older "friend" of this young man's to call him.
Yep. This medical organization's official motto and website banner is "Gatekeeping Sucks". They offer free recommendation letters on demand, for hormones and surgery, anywhere in the country:
https://www.prospecttherapy.com/hrt-and-gcs-letters
Good gawd this is horrifying. These “docs” wanted to put you through FOUR major surgeries at once???
And the fact that Kaiser pays for all this with tiny copays! - meaning everyone buying their insurance would pay of course!
And a woman can’t get her childbirth covered or a c section because they’re “high risk?” WTAF!
It's insane isn't it?!
Do you have personal experience, or a link to an article, about high risk childbirth not getting covered? I have never heard of this. Seems it would be against EMTALA and could be ripe ground for a lawsuit.
It’s been a long time since babies came out of my body, and as I remember childbirth was not covered AT ALL c section or otherwise - this was pre ACA.
Wow. That's terrible. I do think things have changed now, definitely with the ACA but in this case perhaps even before, at least with some insurance companies. I do remember when one had to purchase more expensive insurance to have such things covered, but as far as I know that is a thing of the past with the ACA.
Stop gaslighting, scumbag.
> Your accusation of gaslighting appears to be an intimidation tactic to discredit my comment without actually addressing the substance of my points.
The substance of your point is that you're telling Robin that what she experienced interacting with her insurance company did not happen.
> Accusations and name-calling divide rather than unite.
If you don't want to get called a scumbag, stop acting like one.
> We all want what is best for young people.
Your behavior in this thread has not been consistant with that claim.
> Regardless of what your intent, the fact remains that, broadly speaking, the large majority of women in America have pregnancy and childbirth covered to some degree by either private health insurance or public programs like Medicaid.
"To some degree" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
> I do not believe that my words or behavior can be qualified as "scumbag".
You cover your support for mutilating and castrating children behind marketing speak. The word "scumbag" very much applies, or would you prefer "bullsh*ter"?
sorry not to ignore your article
but i've always wanted to pretend to chronically fatigued or something to receive MAID and see how it easy to get government-provided suicide
this is good inspiration for that investigation
This experience made me really sad and frightened for mentally ill/ vulnerable people in countries where there are government provided suicides.
As someone who wants suicide to be accessible to me when I need it, you have no need to be sad for vulnerable people who have access to suicide, they are incredibly lucky they don't have to spend $$$$$ and go to Switzerland to get it, as I will need to, , but have access to it in their own country.
Some more potential inspiration. 37 year old Kayla Pollock of Ontaria stated that she was offered MAID after having suffering paralysis from the neck down subsequent to COVID jabs, and that she refused the offers. Canadian independent at SubStack is where that story can be found.
This medical killing business can be an efficient way to silence noisy and disgruntled patients, kill the placebo effect, depopulate the earth a bit faster.....
Nope, just realists, living in the real world, not the fantasy world of gamers with their little anime avatars with cat ears and cute little maid outfits, or their furry suits.
Says the person advocating for doctors killing patients.
'Health care professionals' providing treatments that generate long-term ill-health
Real health care professionals don't kill their patients or mutilate children.
So now we have the implausible denials.
Are you saying Canada's MAiD program doesn't exist?
We should organize a horde of patients to do this all over the country and document it all like you have.
To see the full spectrum, it would be fascinating if someone out there would stage wanting to de-transition “to become their authentic self” and see if that process is as easily supported by the system.
I would bet NOT!
It absolutely would not be. It would be considered cosmetic surgery, do all out of pocket costs would apply. Although there is no coming back from gender affirming surgery. Therein lies the horror. None of that was discussed in the OP’s “ consultations” . The medical term is PARQ and they are not doing it. P( procedure) A(adverse outcomes) R(risk) Q( questions). I work in dental and we are nailed to the wall if this is not done before every procedure including routine cleanings. Which are considerably less life altering. It’s beyond fucked up
OMG OMG! This is like the worst horror story that I can think of. Thank you for doing this to expose the medical scandal that this is. How can any doctor with any moral compass do something like this? I know they tell themselves that they are doing this for your good, but basically they are doing it for their own greedy Reasons. They must be getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in income from this. It has to be stopped. It has to be outlawed totally. I admire your courage of following through on this. You must’ve had some really nightmarish thoughts as you found out how easy it was for you to be permanently disfigured physically, and even mentally. Didn’t you feel like you were on the edge of a precipice about to fall into a black hole? Anyway, thank you so much for showing us the real face of this medical scandal.
Thanks Reni. The first appointment was the hardest. I was nervous and afraid I'd give away my cover. But then when I saw how eager the therapists and doctors were to give me referrals for the surgery and hormones it became more of just a chore to get through each horrific appointment and not feel too depressed afterwards knowing there was no safeguarding in place.
How anyone can defend this by declaring that this is “ care” is beyond belief! Would it be” care” to put an anorexic on a starvation diet , because you “ affirm” their delusion? Should doctors “ affirm” those who want healthy limbs amputated to “ feel whole” ? For now , that is illegal , but amputating healthy breasts is perfectly legal…” affirming “ a very similar delusion! Moreover, amputating healthy breasts is much more harmful to a woman than amputating a leg!
And the teachers could simply not have encouraged her daughter to have herself mutilated and you could have chosen not to spew your vileness all over the comments, but here we are.
There is no science behind this….only money and insanity ! Have you heard of the Cass Report? Defending this medical malpractice is immoral! The European Union does not allow sex reassignment surgeries on minors . Sweden considers those to be experimental. The US should follow .
You obviously didn’t read the report. Your mind is closed .
No matter how many times you copy-paste your euphemism, that doesn't change the underlying reality.
Any who would go along with this is capable, imo, of going along with building extermination factories to get rid of those they don't like. Another thought I have is there are many people who have to struggle and wait to get actual medical care, while there are so-called counselors, doctors and other medical personnel, and politicians who grease the skids out there using their extensive education and influence to keep this cesspool overflowing. I hope you were able to help your daughter.
So many historical horrors are less alien now. It really is just ordinary people, walking among us, who are able to carry out hideous acts without even blinking.
I learned this at the ripe old age of 12-yrs-old when expose to Mengele and Gestapo archive pictures, and then delved more into how this stuff happened. There's a very apropos quote from the economist John M. Keynes in The General Theory, 1964 edition, pg 374. "Dangerous human proclivities can be canalized...by the existence of opportunities for money-making...which, if they cannot be satisfied in this way, may result in cruelty, the reckless pursuit of personal power and authority, and other forms of self-aggrandizement. It is better that a man should tyrannize over his bank balance than over his fellow citizens." Keynes was referring to some of the wealthy and powerful, but there are lesser demons.
I don’t see that connection. What this particular scenario looks like is a respect for self-autonomy run amok, not forcing something on the reluctant. There may be other elements of the ideology which involve punishment or retribution, but greasing the medical skids on simple request isn’t the same thing.
A mother knows her own child far better than does any doctor, teacher, social worker or friend. If the child was gender dysphoric early on, she would know this, and she would seek psychological help for her child. But if her daughter develops ROGD, that is another matter all together.
The best thing a parent can do is keep their children away from brain washers and science deniers.
Except you seem to be on the side of the biology deniers.
It is possible but unlikely that a parent of a transgender child would be unaware of the child's gender dysphoria until the child's adolescence. Most cases of transsexualism (as it was known in the past) began with an early onset of gender dysphoria. But that's not often the case today. Why the surging numbers of adolescents seeking gender affirming care? For the data, check this out: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/
You cannot rule out the social contagion (via the internet) theory, though many researchers are eager to disprove Lisa Littman's research. Attention-seeking, lonely adolescents can quickly find online (if not in-person) communities that support and encourage their transgender identification, and that lavish praise on these kids for their bravery while on their "gender journey." Check out this story as a case in point:
https://lacroicsz.substack.com/p/by-any-other-name?s=r
I suggest you read a sample of parent stories on the PITT Substack to help you understand the disconnect many parents feel between the knowledge of their own child and their child's sudden identification as trans. These are parents who care deeply about their children, and do want their kids to be their authentic selves. They just question whether their children are being authentic when they present as trans. Could their children be going through a phase? Might these adolescents outgrow their gender dysphoria? If there is even a remote chance that the child is simply confused and misled by online trans enthusiasts, then that child's parents will want to hold off on gender affirming care.
I'm not interested in denying rights or identities. I'm only raising concerns about whether some trans identities may be transitory. If you know any parent of an adolescent today, you are likely familiar with how common it is for today's teens to adopt different names and pronouns, often on a temporary basis. These kids are quite familiar with the idea that some people have brains and bodies that are a mismatch, and that gender is fluid. Honestly, it is a confusing time to be a teen, and I feel for them. But that's a topic for another day. The social contagion theory of ROGD is my focus here, and we ignore this phenomenon at our own risk. You know teens are impressionable, easily influenced, and have identities in flux. That is why gender affirming care is a questionable practice, because it assumes that kids "know themselves" and what they want, when in fact we all know that's not true. Hormones and surgeries may be the right option for a small number of gender dysphoric patients, but we absolutely must avoid sending teens down a lifelong path of medical care if it can be avoided.
We should learn from the countries in Europe that are now taking a more cautious approach to gender care, because I suspect this is where the US is headed.
See: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11930-023-00358-x
Well psychology barely even pretends to be a science these days (https://www.experimental-history.com/p/im-so-sorry-for-psychologys-loss).
Thus I think we should stick to the system that worked well for millenia.
Especially since the people who advocate changing it are mostly coming up with ever more creative euphemism for castrating children.
> The medical community has moved away from the term "ROGD" (rapid onset gender dysphoria) because substantial research has proven that gender identity tends to form early in life.
I believe you meant "$ub$tential re$earch".
Well the fact that any researcher questioning the conclusion is immediately canceled does not incline one to take the field seriously.
Also studies have repeatedly shown that most medical research reaches conclusions that support the interests of its main funding source.
When my wife & I first moved to California in 2012 we had Kaiser Permenante health insurance from my employer. I came to loathe them. The service was bureaucratic and awful. And never helpful or cheap when one of us was ill. So imagine my surprise to read this article and see how KP bent over backwards to supply this gender reassignment treatment with so little scrutiny?!? It’s bad enough that it was for a consenting adult, but to do the same for a teenager is simply beyond the pale.
The gender “ affirming care” is probably the most lucrative medical (mal) practice there is, so others can wait.
In what way? Typically, cardiac and cancer care are the big money makers, along with orthopedic surgery. Emergency and psychiatric services tend to be money losers.
I don't know how you could have gone through all that and not started yelling at these so-called doctors who were so willing to mutilate your body and put you on mood altering hormones. I applaud your restraint in the name of investigative journalism.
I dreaded every single appointment and would often have nightmares after them.
But during the appointments it was easy to go along with what I knew the doctor, nurse, therapist wanted me to say.
I refuse to collude with the delusional mental illness that is trans. Delude yourself all you want, but stay away from my fucking kid. As in all deviant behavior, you will reap what you sow. And you will be the first to decry the thing YOU HAVE DONE TO YOURSELF when the going gets hard through these medical procedures as you have zero coping skills. Isn’t that what trans is? A maladaptive coping skill .
Doesn't say good things about the state of our "leading medical organizations" that they're willing to endorse such BS.
> Do you have any idea how insane this sounds to people outside of your cult?
Says the person defending the mutilation and castration of children.
Not incorrect, it is fact. WPATH are marching kids, young and vulnerable people to irreversible surgeries and wrong sex hormones. One of the biggest scandal of our time.
> Equating affirming care to castration is false equivalence.
No it's not since one is designed to lead to the other.
'Cult' - look in a mirror mate.
And this is the state that takes away your child and transes them if the parents don’t agree to this madness?
We are fighting it. Many in California disagree. But the cities are cultural wastelands.
This is gold, Beth. Thank you so much for exposing this.
So many other parents have wanted to do the same. We know, absurd as it is, that the most unlikely "gender journeys" will be affirmed and approved for medical interventions.
There's a term for it: GAC--or gender-affirming care.
Thank you, Colin for publishing this piece.
Can we get this in the NYT?
Thank you Melissa. My daughter was living with her dad her senior year of high school so I had some space to go undercover. I couldn't have done it if she was living with me as it often made me very upset/mad at these trans activists (Kaiser medical providers) and the public school district in my town.
If your kids are not living at home, I encourage other parents to do some undercover work as it will give you a sense of power and confidence that you are also an expert on "gender affirming care".
So, I'm curious: if you go to a psychiatrist and tell them you are hearing voices, and answer their questions with info you've gleaned about schizophrenia online, would you think they were wrong if you left the first visit with a prescription for antipsychotics and a treatment plan for psychosis? What about if you did the same with depression and left with a script for Prozac? I do think that we need more careful evaluations for gender issues, and perhaps a longer process before any medicalization, particularly for minors, but at the same time we are talking about a psychological condition, ALL of which are evaluated primarily if not completely based on patient self-report. In cases where the "patient" is determined to deceive the provider, it seems like there is only so much they can do (at least, until Elon implants his brain chips in all of us and Twitter can read all our kinds!)
I went through a period of severe depression. My GP tried me on various SSRIs and norepinephrines without success. I went to a mental health clinic for counseling. I had 6 appointments w/a therapist, after which I was referred to a nurse practitioner who started me on a low dose of fluoxetine, based on my therapist’s notes. After 4 more weekly sessions with the therapist, the dose was increased until I was at therapeutic level. Had a session w/a psychiatrist to go over everything and a final meeting w/therapist. Very successful treatment. But no way was I going to be given psychotropic drugs at my first session. Had I been suicidal, psychotic, or exhibiting severe symptoms of schizophrenia, I would have been admitted.
I assume you are not in the US? I can't speak to other countries. But as a health care professional in America, I can assure you that the norm here is a prescription on the first visit (I'm wondering if that is what you got from your GP?) although of course changes in dose and meds can come later. And, at least here, the majority of those presenting with symptoms of schizophrenia and psychosis are not hospitalized. The requirements for inpatient treatment for any psych illness are that the patient must be imminently suicidal or homicidal (this means it more than passive thoughts; there must be intent to act on them in the very near future AND a plan and means to do so) or gravely disabled. That second one is often where you see inpatient come in for those with psychosis (although they can certainly be suicidal or more rarely homicidal as well) but it's a high bar to meet. Essentially, there must be an imminent risk of death or serious illness due to lack of ability to see to basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, or safety.
In all other situations, a visit to a psychiatrist or GP with mental health complaints will typically end with a prescription and a schedule for followup. Therapy is often, though not always, a recommendation, but prescriptions are issued whether therapy is in process or not. And while coordination and communication between therapist and prescriber is ideal, in reality it happens sometimes. Other times there is no communication at all, for various reasons.
Bottom line, though, is that when you visit a doctor or NP for mental health reasons, you generally leave with a prescription on the first visit. If you are hospitalized for mental health reasons you will almost always be started on meds immediately after seeing a doctor for the first time. In either case referrals to therapy are very common but meds will be started first. I accept that mileage may vary significantly between countries. Here, there is some difference between states, between health systems, and between individual providers in how they carry out the guidelines. But the guidelines are quite clear that hospitalization is brief and for true emergencies only AND that prescribers should begin the first med trial after the first visit.
No, I’m the US. And I was not given meds right away. My visits with the therapist were pretty close together at first but I did have to wait a few weeks before seeing a NP and starting on meds. It could have been the policy of that particular hospital, or it could be that the protocol has changed since I last was there. Also, the medication I was given was fairly new -not generic- since none of the many other meds I’d tried had done anything.