Around one in 11,500 people in Scotland seek NHS medical assistance to undergo a process of gender reassignment.

There are four gender identity clinics including Sandyford, run by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which is the only service that treats children from the age of 13. Other clinics are run in Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

You do not need a mental health assessment to be referred to a clinic.

Sandyford offers a counselling service for young people aged 13-17 who are questioning their gender and the service takes self-referrals.

LGBT Youth Scotland encourages young people to speak to a trusted family member, counsellor, or youth worker.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde say puberty blockers would only be considered if young people are experiencing "clear, persistent and consistent gender dysphoria".

Patient information guidance for Sandyford notes that there is "a lack of good quality research" into their long-term effects.

In the case of adults, any decision about medical treatment will be made together between the patient and clinician.

In Scotland, a young person needs to be at least 16 to be prescribed hormone treatment.

There is some uncertainty about the risks of long-term cross-sex hormone treatment.

A referral for gender surgery is generally only made when a patient has socially transitioned to the preferred gender identity for at least a year.

Experts say transitioning is a process that can take anywhere between several months and several years. 

Some people, especially non-binary, may spend their whole life transitioning and may redefine and re-interpret their gender as time passes.

Private treatment in Scotland can cost up to £360 for a one-hour consultation. Many will not prescribe hormones/hormone blockers until the age of 18.

Gender Reassignment is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 which means that transgender people are protected from discrimination and unfair treatment. 

You do not have to be undergoing medical transition to be protected by the Equality Act. 

There is strong evidence that trans people as a social group experience disproportionately poorer health than the majority of the population who ‘fit’ their assigned birth gender. 

They are more likely to suffer from mental health issues including depression, suicide ideation, and addiction-related behaviour and self-harm. 

Transgender people are also more likely to be victims of crime and where their transgender status is known, be subject to bullying and harassment throughout their lives. 

www.lgbtyouth.org.uk 
www.scottishtrans.org/community/useful-orgs/