Mental Health of Youths Who Use Puberty Blockers
Authors' conclusion
In this study, transgender youths overall had substantially higher rates of diagnosed mood disorder and suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender peers, highlighting the need for population-specific interventions. Prescription of a puberty blocker was associated with partial attenuation of this disparity, suggesting mental health benefits associated with this treatment for transgender youth.
Study context
- Population
- Youths aged 10 to 17 years in a US nationwide multipayer claims database, January 2016 to January 2025, categorized into 4 cohorts by gender modality and puberty blocker prescription
- Participants
- 231,783 participants4 cohorts
- Exposure
- Transgender vs cisgender youths, with and without puberty blocker prescription
- Transgendern = 41,472
- Cisgendern = 190,311reference
- Outcome
- ICD-10 diagnoses of mood disorders and suicidal thoughts and behaviors
Methodological detailsUS nationwide multipayer claims database, inverse probability-weighted generalized estimating equation models
- US nationwide multipayer claims database
- Inverse probability-weighted generalized estimating equation models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Mood disorder diagnosis and suicidal thoughts and behaviors
Estimate (95% CI)
Transgendervs Cisgender
aOR (mood disorder diagnosis) 4.42(4.24–4.60)
Transgendervs Cisgender
aOR (suicidal thoughts and behaviors) 12.21(10.69–13.95)
Puberty blockervs No prescription
aOR (mood disorder diagnosis) 2.11(2.02–2.19)
Puberty blockervs No prescription
aOR (suicidal thoughts and behaviors) 3.04(2.65–3.49)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Puberty blocker vs none among transgender youthsPuberty blockervs No prescriptionTransgender youths | aOR (mood disorder diagnosis) 0.52 (95% CI 0.45–0.60) | |
| Puberty blocker vs none among transgender youthsPuberty blockervs No prescriptionTransgender youths | aOR (suicidal thoughts and behaviors) 0.20 (95% CI 0.14–0.29) | |
| 0.10.31310Ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Mental Health of Youths Who Use Puberty Blockers. JAMA Netw Open. Published 1 July 2026. doi:10.
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