Socialstyrelsen (Sweden)
Socialstyrelsen is Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare, a government agency that, among other things, produces national knowledge documents and recommendations for healthcare.
The main article on this subject is Gender Care in Sweden.
What you can find
The website contains regulations, statistics and knowledge documents. The document on care for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria is a revision of a publication from 2015. The chapter on hormone treatment was published in February 2022, and the fully revised version in December 2022.
Why it is included on this list
Socialstyrelsen determined that the scientific evidence is insufficient to assess the effects of puberty blockers and hormones in minors, partly on the basis of a report by SBU. According to the recommendations, these treatments should be provided within research settings and, outside them, only in exceptional cases. Sweden thereby adopted a more cautious approach than before. Karolinska Hospital had already adjusted its own policy in 2021; see Karolinska 2021. See also the Dutch Protocol and country-by-country policies.
The December 2022 knowledge document
The document is titled Care for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria and was published on 16 December 2022 as a national knowledge document containing recommendations for healthcare professionals and administrators. The document includes recommendations on assessment and treatment, information materials for young people and their families, and a list of questions and answers. Socialstyrelsen identifies good psychosocial care as the foundation. The services also include support such as speech therapy and sexological counselling. The publication page states that treatment with puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones may still be possible following an individual assessment, preferably as part of research.
The reasons for the cautious approach
Socialstyrelsen gives three reasons for its more cautious recommendations. The first is the growing number of young people receiving the diagnosis. The second is that medical detransition among young adults has been documented. The third is that the benefits, risks and long-term effects of the treatments have not been scientifically established. The latter assessment is based on a literature review by SBU, the Swedish agency responsible for evaluating medical and social methods. More about the treatments themselves can be found under puberty blockers, and more about the value of such reviews under systematic reviews in gender care.
Organisation of care and use of the source
Since January 2024, care for this group in Sweden has been designated as nationally coordinated highly specialised care. It is provided by three regions: Stockholm, Östergötland and Västra Götaland. The knowledge document is a primary government source and is therefore more reliable than summaries in the media. It is written in Swedish, while English-language versions often come from organisations with their own point of view. Note that the recommendations do not ban treatment but make it subject to certain conditions. For a comparison with neighbouring Finland, see the entry on Palko.