In the middle of one session, Andy put down the toy truck, held onto a Barbie, and said, 'Mommy and Daddy, you don’t love me when I’m a boy.' When Andy was 3, his sister with special needs was born, and required significantly more of his parents’ attention. Andy misperceived this as 'Mommy and Daddy love girls. If I want them to love me, I have to be a girl.' With family therapy Andy got better. Today, Andy’s parents would be told, 'This is who Andy really is. You must ensure that everyone treats him as a girl, or else he will commit suicide.'

Dr. Michelle Cretella, President of the American College of Pediatricians