Search

The number of people with non-binary gender experience seeking gender-affirming treatment is rising in Finland as in other European countries. The treatments vary, and there is no long-term follow-up data on the benefits of the treatments orthe stability of non-binary gender experience. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of empirical gender-affirming treatment among non-binary individuals who were examined in Helsinki University Hospital’s Gender Identity Clinic during the period 2010–2018. 50 individuals were included in the study (43 were natal females and 7 natal males) and were sent a questionnaire which 39 individuals completed forming a follow-up group, i.e. respondents. All the patients’ psychiatric diagnoses were reviewed. It was found that 8% of patients had no other psychiatric diagnosis in addition to gender disorder diagnosis, and 50% had three or more psychiatric diagnoses, most commonly depression (76%) or anxiety disorder (48%). Neuropsychiatric diagnoses were assigned to 20% and eating disorders to 16%. The use of psychiatric services prior to the examination period was high, in line with the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured by using the 15D. The results were compared with an age- and gender-standardized sample of the general Finnish population. The mean 15D score among the follow-up group was significantly lower than among the general population. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean 15D score at the beginning of the examination period and at follow-up, suggesting that the treatment of gender dysphoria may not have a large effect on overall HRQoL. The respondents experienced the gender-affirming treatment to be beneficial, and the non-binary gender identity had remained stable among 32 (82%) respondents. The results of this study show that among these non-binary individuals, gender-affirming treatment alleviated gender dysphoria. Moreover, the treatments did not cause any concerning disbenefits, such as regret or unacceptable somatic complications. More research is urgently needed on the effectiveness of gender-affirming treatment among non-binary individuals.

Neurofilament (NF) proteins, the major constituent of intermediate filaments in neurons, have an important role in cellular stability and plasticity. We have now studied the short-term (hours) and long-term (up to 1 week) effects of kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus (SE) on the reactivity of NF proteins, and mossy fiber (MF) sprouting and neuronal death up to 4 weeks in 9-day-old rats. In Western blotting, the expression of the phosphorylation-independent epitopes of NF-L, NF-M, and NF-H rapidly but transiently increased after the treatment, whereas the phosphorylated NF-M remained elevated for 7 days. However, the treatment did not change the immunoreactivity of NF proteins, and no neuronal death or mossy fiber sprouting was detected at any time point. Our findings indicate seizure-induced reactivity of NF proteins but their resistance to degradation, which could be of importance in neuronal survival and may also prevent MF sprouting in the developing hippocampus.