In my last role as a school nurse there was a girl who, at the age of 11 told her parents she wanted to be a boy. So,, the parents did what they could and got help from various doctors and experts, and over the course of the next 3 years I got to know this student well, and regardless of what I thought on the matter, was able to support this student. The student knew I had a different perspective but we had a good working relationship and this student appreciated a different perspective eg I disagreed with the hormone blockers, chest compression brace and eventual male hormones.
Anyway, during this student's time here, 2 close female friends of the student decided they were trans as well. The thing is, I believed they were not trans. I knew both of them had serious family issues, including a family divorce, and had also gone through the gambit of self harm - from cutting, eating disorders etc. But the rest of the group of girls all agreed they were trans, and encouraged this.
At about the same time this was happening, Brown university came out with a study looking into ROGD (rapid onset gender dysphoria) which showed that the vast majority of the teens and young adults coming out as trans, were not actually trans. They cited various issues, including media pressure as well as underlying, unresolved psychological issues. Unfortunately, because this study was not 'affirming' of their transition, the study was withdrawn due to media pressure.
Anyway, regardless of my thoughts, these students were sent to the pediatric psychologist, who promptly refused to see them. I knew the psychologist very and and she confided in me that it's far too dangerous a minefield and she could easily lose her licence. She said that basically, any opinion that did not affirm someone as trans risked it all. A second pediatric psychologist I knew also refused to see them.
Anyway, the school decided to go along with one of the girl's requests to be called a boy. I was not happy to do this, but did ask my manager if the girl's parents were aware we were calling their daughter a boy. My manager said 'Yes' the parents were aware.
I was not convinced I was being told the truth, and about one week after being told the parents were aware, the headmaster had a talk with us in the health center, and told us that if we have any communication with the parents, not to call their daughter a boy or use her boy name ie we were told to lie to the parents.
I was not happy to do this, and quit. And now I'm in the middle of the Australian desert having new adventures.
In my specialty I seldom have reason to look things up in the DSM-5, but aren’t you misrepresenting the diagnosis Gender Dysphoria when you claim that the DSM-5 considers ”transgender” to be a mental illness? That’s not at all how I interpret it after having just looked.
The key word in the diagnosis appears to be dysphoria. A person whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics but who feels at ease with their bodies (either with or without medical/surgical intervention) and generally content with their life would not get a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, would they?
It’s the possible/eventual discomfort the identity might cause, not the gender identity itself, that the diagnosis covers. Mustn’t a person show clinicallysignificantdistress or impairment in order for the diagnosis to be made? The distress could be caused by external factors as well as internal. I can only imagine how it would feel to not be accepted by family, friends and society. I can easily see that causing distress.
So no, I don’t think that the DSM-5 says that ”transgender” is a mental illness.
What do you actually think about an 11 year old or any age range except above 18, coming to such a decision re sexuality? I find this topic fascinating because I have close gay friends in my circle that I hang with but there's an understanding. I am very likely phobic about the details of the LGBT lifestyle but my OS re respect for others supersedes the phobia, so it's never really a problem. No one ever talks about intimate details of their relationships anyway in my posse so it's difficult to process through interaction how to understand the subject matter.
You are a deep thinking person Macawake, what's your thoughts on the matter?
But on the topic of sexuality, don’t you think that most of us had a pretty good idea regarding who we’re physically attracted to well before we turned eighteen?
A couple things. Being transgender is not about sexual orientation.
How old were you when you knew you liked girls (I’m assuming you’re a cishet male)? I bet you knew at age 11, no?
I’m not a lesbian, but my fiancée is. She knew she was gay when she was 6.
Had to look up the cishet thingy. Yup, too hetero for my liking. Takes up too much time. Can't wait to get older and have these urges decreased. My buds don't seem to like the same things though. They just want to score. I am not interested in scoring without the chase and experience of the game, so I kind of doubt that we are on the same wavelength. Which is why I am so interested in the subject matter. I am very testosterone driven, very alpha with little insecurities, yet I must have some estrogen drivers because I need the relationships before I can be interested in the leg over.
So this issue of the Chemistry is intriguing to me. I don't believe in the socio/cultural aspects driving LGBT behaviors and being very science driven I've read the literature, but it's not convincing. Hence the curiosity.
But on the topic of sexuality, don’t you think that most of us had a pretty good idea regarding who we’re physically attracted to well before we turned eighteen?
Exactly, but we can only speak from our own experiences.
I'm in Psych and I really don't trust the psychologists or psychiatrists because they have spent so much time in academia I don't believe they can relate to the real world. Eg. I know lots of people who can explain how a combustion engine works but they couldn't change their air filters in reality.
Empathy and education isn't enough. You have to be able to relate, but also be able to apply logical parameters to your understanding in anything that you interact with.
I flirt outrageously with lesbian women, please correct me if the terminology is wrong, because of arrogance, the intrigue. I just don't attribute the exterior with being otherwise, interlectually. Like a lion behaving like a puppy dog. A woman liking another woman in preference to me. I am respectful and I understand the refusals but it doesn't compute.
As a number of people stated, transgender itself is not the condition in the Dsm 5. dysphoria occurs when a person is having distress and other dysfunction as a result of NOT feeling that they are the gender they are assigned at birth.
this is why a transgender person who transitions is no longer dysphoric, because they are now able to identify with the gender they feel they have. It's the un-transitioned person who may dysphoric.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
26 minutes ago, Curious1997 said:
I flirt outrageously with lesbian women, please correct me if the terminology is wrong, because of arrogance, the intrigue. I just don't attribute the exterior with being otherwise, interlectually. Like a lion behaving like a puppy dog. A woman liking another woman in preference to me. I am respectful and I understand the refusals but it doesn't compute.
How can a genuine Ferrari be a Lada?
And in today’s episode of “What Inanimate Object Are Women Being Compared To Now”.
Curious1197, please stop. You’re being gross, bordering on offensive.
Per the APA: “Some people who are transgender will experience “gender dysphoria,” which refers to psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.”
They are clearly saying in that statement that transgender and gender dysphoria are NOT the same, as only some people who are transgender experience it. Sounds like you need to educate yourself more, per the APA.
Knowing that gender incongruence and gender dysphoria are APA DSM-5 diagnoses does not mean that I, or others, think that there is anything “wrong” with transgender people. If you disagree with these diagnoses, I urge you to be an advocate and work towards changing them in the next iteration of the DSM.
Being a psychiatric nurse means I advocate for all of my patients and that I do not make any judgments. We all have to work towards changing the stigma that anyone with a mental health diagnosis is “crazy”, “nuts”, “a pervert”, “unintelligent”, etc. (These are just a few of the labels I have heard). There is nothing wrong with having a mental health diagnosis!!
But on the topic of sexuality, don’t you think that most of us had a pretty good idea regarding who we’re physically attracted to well before we turned eighteen?
To say gender identity and sexual orientation are completely different is utterly wrong. How the hell can you say something so utterly wrong. For the entirety of human history people have not needed a DSM or psychiatrists to show this.
PsychNurse24, BSN, RN
143 Posts
Yes, please Make sure that other opinions besides your own are censored.