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A lad of three who believes he is a girl has become the youngest child in Britain to be treated for the rare condition Gender Identity Disorder.

Sufferers feel that they are in the body of the wrong sex.

And the unnamed nursery schoolboy is currently being seen by experts with 20 other boys and three girls aged under 10, a Freedom of Information Request by the Mirror has found.

It is thought he was referred to the Gender Identity Development Service at London's Portman and Tavistock NHS Trust last year after he told his mum and dad he prefers girls' clothes and playing dolls.

The parents of another child, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Some of these young people go through hell. I wouldn't wish this on any family.

"Most of these children and teenagers have been on the receiving end of very nasty bullying. Or they have parents who don't understand.

"But the boys and girls need love, support and professional help."

Among the boys treated are two aged 12 and nine who go to school as girls with pigtails.

Six even younger lads affected are four to eight - a few of whom may go on at 16 to have hormone treatment that can sometimes be followed by a sex change operation.

One of the three girls is eight and the others nine. And the unnamed mother said: "I wish people were more tolerant. This isn't something these kids do to gain attention. They aren't being naughty. It's something natural in them - and it can be terrifying."

Consultant psychiatrist Adrian Lord said GID is becoming more common but more accepted in those of an early age as "there is a greater awareness in society".

The most common age group among the 83 boys and 66 girls referred to the unit in the past two years is 15-year-olds. Cases have steadily increased since 2005.

Now the clinic, the national centre for treatment, wants doctors to be able to prescribe reversible hormone blockers from the age of 12 to delay puberty until a child is old enough to make an informed decision - as happens in Holland.