The 13 people gathered in a room in north London are all members of Mermaids, a support group for children and teenagers with gender identity problems, and their families. They were originally brought together by Domenico Di Ceglie, a consultant child psychiatrist who runs the gender identity development unit at the Portman Clinic in London. To date he has seen about 110 children, some as young as four. Studies of children who have these problems have shown that only a minority will become transsexual. Most will grow up to be homosexual or bisexual, while others will eventually define themselves as heterosexual.
Research indicates the problem is more common in boys.
Gender Identity problems in children are rare, and Di Ceglie's clinic is the only multidisciplinary one specialising in them. His own interest in the condition began in the early 1980's with a teenage girl who had made repeated suicide attempts and 'who felt she was a boy inside'. The fact that his client's problems began in childhood gave him the idea for a service for children. Children who have gender identity problems often have emotional and behavioural difficulties, including separation anxiety and depression, says Di Ceglie. He emphasises that these problems must be taken seriously because suicide attempts are common in adolescence.