Let Kids Be Kids
OKLAHOMA

Information on Adolescent Mental Health Care


Adolescent Mental Health Care is based on the informed consent model. 

The informed consent model, allows for clients who are (self diagnosed) transgender to access hormone treatments and surgical interventions without undergoing mental health evaluation or referral from a mental health specialist.
Planned Parenthood is one the largest providers of hormone treatment and does not require a therapy letter.  

The state of Oklahoma currently has a ban on medical transition for children. We support that children cannot consent to sterilization and that it is a human right to go through puberty without adult interference. 

Although these services can be accessed at age 18, gender affirming therapy is practiced on Oklahoma's most vulnerable children, including foster care and involuntary inpatient settings. This therapy is what plants the seeds and cements the new gender identity, which encourages the child to want to gain medical access at the age of 18. At this age, there is nothing that parents can do to prevent an unstable child from accessing lifelong medical care, sterilization, and painful side effects even though they are not capable of understanding the decisions that are being made. 

Even a child with no previous gender dysphoria, will be gender affirmed with new pronouns and names, within the Oklahoma adolescent mental health inpatient facilities. The parent may or may not be notified. You can request additional medical records from the facilities, which may or not be shared with you. 

There is a well-documented mental health crisis in Oklahoma that the state is trying to address. We want to address the shortage of beds and residential care for children with ideation. These children bounce in and out of 7–10 day acute inpatient stays, unable to access longer term care, which is needed.  This is traumatizing for the families, and often the child is exposed to more behavioral issues and over medicated. 

Our position is that if there is an increase of intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization (PHP) programs, families could access help before an acute stay is required. This should be a private matter for the family and not centered around CDC guidelines, public school or government systems that require affirmation.
 
If there is a mental health crisis, the parent will not be able to decide which facility their child will be sent to. Nor will the child be allowed to leave the ER, until a bed has been found. If there is not a bed available, the state will pay for transport to a nearby state, if you can find a bed, depending upon different hospital guidelines. Gender identity concepts will be introduced in this setting even if your child is not dysphoric, nor have a diagnosis as such.  

Once admitted, the staff working with your child will gender affirm, you are not required to and do not have to go along with it. You can insist that they work on underlying mental health issues and counter any scripts like "live son, dead daughter".  Compassion and understanding for the child is of utmost importance. Affirm the distress, not the gender. 

The gender affirming, informed consent model can also be practiced within the educational setting with guidance from the school psychologists and counselors. Oklahoma has passed laws that the parent must be informed if the child has requested pronouns or name changes. 

Political nonprofits posing as mental health resources will be given to the child for further support.