Informed Consent for Transgendered Patients Stephen B. Levine Department of Psychiatry, Case Western

Informed consent for transgender patients means that they have all the information they need to make decisions about their own healthcare. This includes understanding the risks and benefits of different treatments, as well as any other options available to them. For example, if a transgender person wants to start hormone therapy, they would need to give informed consent after learning about the effects of the hormones, potential side effects, and alternatives to treatment. One verifiable fact is that a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that transgender youth who had access to gender-affirming care, such as hormone therapy, had lower rates of depression and anxiety compared to those who did not have access to such care. An analogy to help understand informed consent could be like reading the terms and conditions before downloading a new app. You want to make sure you understand what you’re agreeing to before making a decision.