Intersex healthcare
 | This article, Intersex healthcare, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
Intersex healthcare includes treatments to improve the mental, cognitive, physical, and sexual health of intersex people. The need for and type of care can vary depending on one's intersex variation.
Mental health
Intersex people are at a higher risk of some mental conditions. A survey of intersex adults in the U.S. found that respondents 61.1 reported having depressive disorders compared to 19 percent of the general adult population.[1] The survey found higher suicide attempt rates as well, with 31.8 percent of intersex adults reporting having attempted suicide; this is significantly higher than the U.S. lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts (4.6 percent).[1]
Cognitive health
Some intersex variations can impact cognitive and social functioning. Rates of autism symptoms are higher in intersex people. A survey of European intersex adults finding a 9.1 percent prevalence, compared to 1 percent in the general adult population.[2] This percentage varies depending on the particular intersex variation, with those with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) having the highest autism symptom prevalence of the variations measured.
Cognitive differences are not limited to autism, and these differences can depend on the particular variation. Females with Turner syndrome are more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, can struggle with social competence in both childhood and adulthood, and can have visuospatial deficits that negatively impact math ability.[3][4] Those with KS are also likely to experience language issues. 70-80 percent of males with KS experience language difficulties at an early age, and impairments in verbal fluency and confrontation naming have been found in adolescents and adults.[5] Reading difficulties are similarly common in children and adults with KS.[5]
A psychologist should be consulted to access learning difficulties if they are present.[6][7] Academic accommodations, tutoring, or other forms of support may be equipped to help those with cognitive impairments.[4][6]
References
- ^ a b Rosenwohl-Mack, Amy; Tamar-Mattis, Suegee; Baratz, Arlene B.; Dalke, Katharine B.; Ittelson, Alesdair; Zieselman, Kimberly; Flatt, Jason D. (2020-10-09). "A national study on the physical and mental health of intersex adults in the U.S." PLOS ONE. 15 (10): e0240088. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0240088. ISSN 1932-6203.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ de Vries, Annelou L.C.; Roehle, Robert; Marshall, Louise; Frisén, Louise; van de Grift, Tim C.; Kreukels, Baudewijntje P.C.; Bouvattier, Claire; Köhler, Birgit; Thyen, Ute; Nordenström, Anna; Rapp, Marion; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T. (September 2019). "Mental Health of a Large Group of Adults With Disorders of Sex Development in Six European Countries". Psychosomatic Medicine. 81 (7): 629–640. doi:10.1097/PSY.0000000000000718. ISSN 0033-3174. PMC 6727927. PMID 31232913.
- ^ Hong, DS; Reiss, AL (May 2012). "Cognition and behavior in Turner syndrome: A brief review". Pediatric endocrinology reviews : PER. 9 (0 2): 710–712. ISSN 1565-4753. PMC 4285374. PMID 22946281 – via National Library of Medicine.
- ^ a b Reimann, Gabrielle E.; Comis, Leora E.; Bernad Perman, Martha M. (2020-04-01). "Cognitive Functioning in Turner Syndrome: Addressing Deficits Through Academic Accommodation". Women's Health Reports. 1 (1): 143–149. doi:10.1089/whr.2019.0019. ISSN 2688-4844. PMC 7325492. PMID 32617534.
- ^ a b Boada, Richard; Janusz, Jennifer; Hutaff-Lee, Christa; Tartaglia, Nicole (2009). "The Cognitive Phenotype in Klinefelter Syndrome: A Review of the Literature Including Genetic and Hormonal Factors". Developmental disabilities research reviews. 15 (4): 284–294. doi:10.1002/ddrr.83. ISSN 1940-5510. PMC 3056507. PMID 20014369.
- ^ a b Davis, Shanlee; Howell, Susan; Wilson, Rebecca; Tanda, Tanea; Ross, Judy; Zeitler, Philip; Tartaglia, Nicole (August 2016). "Advances in the interdisciplinary care of children with Klinefelter syndrome". Advances in pediatrics. 63 (1): 15–46. doi:10.1016/j.yapd.2016.04.020. ISSN 0065-3101. PMC 5340500. PMID 27426894.
- ^ "Turner syndrome - Treatment". nhs.uk. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2024-07-31.