Is Labelling Gender Dysphoria A Psychological Illness Constructive?

Discussion of issues related to non-normative sexual and gender identities as related to mental health began in the 19th century (Drescher, 2010). Initially medical and psychiatric providers viewed issues related to gender identity as resulting from delusional thought processes (Drescher, 2010). As a result the concept of surgery as a solution to gender identity differences was viewed as unnecessary and ultimately an incorrect form of treatment (Drescher, 2010). In 1952 the first gender reassignment surgery was performed in Denmark on an American citizen (Drescher, 2010). The publicity in the American media that followed this surgery brought the concept of gender identity to the public eye. During the 1960s research about gender identity started to develop and it was the work of Money, Stoller, Benjamin, and Green that ultimately change professional and public concept of Gender Identity (Drescher, 2010). These four individuals were among the first to conduct clinical and academic research on gender identity and gender roles (Drescher, 2010). As a result of their research beliefs about non-normative gender identity shifted from a problem of the mind to a biological disorder that was fixed and should be treated with

In class, we have learned and discussed how during the period of adolescence, it is known that this is the period of time where individuals are finding themselves and figuring out where they belong. It is during this time where individuals are the most sensitive and personal problems tend to arise more commonly during this stage. A major issue adolescents struggle during this stage is gender identity and sexuality. Adolescents are trying to figure out who they are attracted to and how they perceive themselves to be. While the norm is to identify oneself as their biological gender, there are those who develop gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a reoccurring feeling that one’s biological gender is the opposite of one’s sexual identity (Cole,

In a world moving advancing with near instantaneous publication worldwide the fringe edges of society have become more visible. One group of people that has had the spotlight shined on them is those suffering from gender dysphoria–persons who are not comfortable living in the bodies that they are born with and are often referred to as transsexual. As of 2010, there was an estimated population of less than 1,000 of these fringe members of our society incarcerated in state and federal facilities. (Brown)

A cultural population that is possibly the most marginalized and misrepresented in health care, is the transgender and gender-nonconforming community (TGNC). Sex and gender are two different concepts. A person’s sex refers to their biological status as either male or female, or the assigned sex at birth (Bradford, 2016). Gender describes the characteristics that a society or culture claims as masculine/male or feminine/woman (Nobelius, 2004). Gender identity is the feeling a person has of being male or female or a combination of both. It is how the person see’s themself. TGNC people connect with a different gender than their birth gender (Dickey, Budge, Katz-Wise & Garza, 2016), in other words, their gender identities do not match with the sex or the gender role expected by society.

Gender Dysphoria is a name given to the condition of children who express a gender that is opposite of their biologically given gender. Children and teens who present and verbalize the desire to be of the opposite gender for at least six months are then diagnosed and treated medically. This issue is ethically controversial due to many parents, medical doctors, mental professionals, and myself believing that biological gender identification is not fully understood until puberty has taken place, noticing that children are exposed to transgender terminology and situations on the internet that are persuasive and confusing, and being concerned about the medications used to treat a disorder that can barely be explained and is misunderstood. Medications such as hormone blockers and opposite-sex hormones have become readily available to them without any long term testing. Not only should parents, doctors, professionals, and society be concerned about the safety of these medications, we should be asking ourselves, is gender dysphoria even a medical condition that should be treated with drugs or is it a psychological disorder that should be treated with therapy? Gender Dysphoria is a condition in children and teens that the general population does not understand, however, after doing research I believe the definition of gender dysphoria is

Transgender can be defined as a person whose self-identity does not conform precisely to conventional notions of the male or female gender. This self-identity problem can usually be accompanied by numerous forms of treatment to change ones’ physical appearance, and make it more consistent with their identified gender identity. In many cases, the individual can identify with the gender of the opposite sex to the point one believes that he or she is a member of that gender group trapped in the wrong body. This is also called Gender Dysphoria or formerly known as Gender Identity Disorder. The person with gender dysphoria or GD at times does not know that he or she have an actual disorder but more of a general discomfort with his or her biological sex. This also creates complications in their everyday life, when they are unable to interpret their feelings or rationalize problems they experience in a social setting (Gender Dysphoria, 2014).

Chapter eleven focuses on sexual disorders and gender identity disorders. For this discussion I wanted to talk about gender identity disorder. For ordinary individuals they can describe themselves or identify themselves as either males or females since we are a child. But, there are some individuals who do not experienced this type of clarity. For some individuals it is a sense that their identity is different from the gender category which they were born with or that it is something that lies outside of the usual male versus female categories. These individuals are known as transgender experiences. It is something that we are seeing more and more of in society today. Many of these transgender individuals come to terms with themselves and they find

Many people today aren’t being educated about the topic of sex and gender, and they’ll end up living naïve and ignorant lives, but for some it can even be harmful. For some, their sex and gender don’t match up and they will experience gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria can cause a lot of psychological problems for a person, especially if it isn’t treated. Unfortunately, because of the lack of sex and gender education, some people who experience gender dysphoria don’t even know its existence, which can lead to anxiety, depression, and maybe even

The psychology of gender fluidity is a fundamental and contemporary subject. It is one which requires an in-depth analysis as it is an identity which is often misunderstood. Members of genderqueer community continuously experience stigmatization and discrimination due to societal norms. The societal norms are undeniably shaped from living in a gendered culture into which non-binary people do not easily fit in. Gender variance is commonly recognized as an absurdity and labelled as an unnatural behaviour. The experience of those who do not conform to a specific gender or those who do not identify as the sex they were assigned to at birth is one which is typically surrounded by difficulties with inner sense of belonging in addition to the discrimination, harassment, and denial of basic human rights. Subsequently, this strict way of thinking, too, often bring individuals with differing gender expressions into contact with mental health professionals. Therefore, this contact ultimately suggests a correlation between gender non-conformity and mental illness

As we know transgenderism has been around for quite some time now. Tracking back to way before 1998 when the transgender day was established. This day is on November 20th and it was established in order to have a day of remembrance for those people of the gay, lesbian, and straight community who have suffered from either physical abuse, assault, or both. Researchers of psychological advancements have discovered many new things about this rising issue or as a psychologist would call it a “disorder” with in the specific community in this case the LGBT community. However during the research many questions were asked by the American Psychology Association. Questions such as how the transgender community

The medical and behavioral (DSM) community has chosen to let go of the more shadowy term “Gender Identity Disorder,” in favor of a less charged and hopefully more suitable term, “Gender Dysphoria,” for transgender individuals. This paper will explore conventional clinical perspectives and subsequent changes therein; survey a few theoretical frameworks, both conventional and more post-modern, in order to gain a better understanding of how to effectively work with gender dysphoria. The main body of this paper will be structured under specific headings, beginning with a brief historical description of gender dysphoria, followed a brief discussion on etiology with some clinical implications. Current theoretical frameworks will be presented

After the depathologization of homosexuality, the DSM included yet another disorder known as gender identity disorder (GID) (Ross, 2009; Kamens, 2011). The following are some symptoms listed under this disorder: a strong cross-gender identification, continued discomfort with one’s biological sex, and that these disturbances cause clinically significant distress or impairment in all functioning aspects of life (Hozid, 2013). The populations that became stigmatized with this new diagnosis were the transgender and queer communities. Rather than focusing on the difficulty that the individual may be experiencing due to the mismatch between their biological sex and identified gender, the DSM-IV emphasized that it is gender variance that is the source of problems for the individual’s mental well-being (Ross, 2009). Again, society’s construction of what is “correct” oppresses those who do not find themselves belonging in the gender binary. With the rising momentum in the transgender movement, GID was removed from the DSM in the year of 2012 and renamed as gender dysphoria (Erickson-Schroth, 2014). While it appears that field of mental health was becoming more conscientious of its role in politics and culture, this relabeling is not without problems, nor does it serve as a real solution to issues arising in the mental health

Gender Dysphoria is described as “the condition of feeling one's emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one's biological sex.” according to google.For me, it's knowing that during any moment there's a chance that I will experience some kind of dysphoria in relation to my body and expression. I've never really thought about my gender because I didn't have the vocabulary to describe how I felt. I identify as genderfluid; it took me all of high school to discover and accept this about myself. It wasn’t until one of my classmates came out as a non-binary trans boy, that I started to find the words to how I’ve been feeling.

Many people around the world find they are unusually different and are treated in harsh ways for this reason. Certain societies see these people as freaks, or crazy, or something of that sort. Specifically the people who struggle with gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Since some societies are not yet used to people with these struggles, it seems as a big issue, especially in Asia. Laws have formed to prevent discrimination, such as The Yogyakarta Principles, but even authorities continue force individuals to live in mental rehabilitation clinics, or go through electro-shock therapy.

Gender Identity Disorder is classified as a mental dysphoria that describes patients that have a strong desire to identity with the opposite sex. GID marginalizes and infringes on the civil rights of transgender people (Winters). GID categorizes all of transgender people into one group. This type of medical conclusion leaves the transgender community into feeling isolated and targeted. There is no scientific evidence or data to back up this disorder, and there have been no studies that show transgender is linked to environmental, genetic, or other factors. Some scientific reasoning can be related to the chromosome pool, and the lack/abundance of Y and X chromosomes. Gender identity disorder can be deteriorating in many ways. Transgender people are given these titles that have nothing to do with mental health, only personal preference, and are targeted because they do not fit within the social