gender "issues"

[rac1]

I am looking for articles, studies, books.... on the gender identity issues.

I had the Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Success book from 2009, and it had chapters in it for gender identity "disorders." The updated newest version is retitled "issues related to sexuality."

As a provider of health care, I do not feel it is responsible of me to believe that gender identity issues are "normal," if in fact they are actually not. It seems to me this is a similar psychological issue as anorexia. The person feels fat, believes they are fat, does everything in their power to keep themselves from gaining weight - no one can convince them that they are not fat. We don't walk around pretending that they are normal. We tell them they need help. So I am struggling with the politics of these gender issues that are in the media, news, and within the healthcare community.

I have not studied, nor were we taught about this topic AT ALL in school. I know homosexuality used to be classified as a mental illness, and of course now it is not. I have read some articles that likened gender identity to homosexuality saying that being homosexual used to cause great distress and turmoil, and therefore it was classified as a mental illness, and so similarly this is why gender identity was classified as a mental illness.

Is it about the numbers? The more people that do it, means that it is actually NOT an illness? I mean, if more and more people start becoming anorexic, then it becomes okay, and not such a distressing life event..? Obviously there are physical implications that are different here, nonetheless...there are physical manifestations of any mental illness.

Trying to wrap my head around all of this and come to grips with providing good care and good mental health if/when I run into this growing population (or growing vocal population I should say).

Also, want to add, I am open to all sides of this. I do not judge people for the way they want to live. That is not my intent here at all. My goal is to provide the best care possible, but is it, or is it not a mental health issue..??

[deliriumtrigg3r]

Oh, I'm aware. People can be "distressed" about many things, but rarely is it acceptable to cut off body parts and take hormones to deal with their feelings.

[deliriumtrigg3r]

I have to say, these are my own personal convictions and you can have yours. I think at this point, the discussion has gone off track.

[elkpark]

I have to say, these are my own personal convictions and you can have yours. I think at this point, the discussion has gone off track.

Well, we finally agree about something.

[JonathanClouse]

Speaking for myself and of my experience, when I was younger, I really believed that I was a MTF Transsexual. I actually even convinced some medical doctors to the point where I had been prescribed Testosterone blockers and Estrogen. It really took years of soul searching for me to finally realize that I was not Trans, but that my feelings originated from when I was 7-8 years old, and my Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. At that time, I seriously thought people only died from cancer, and to cope with her possible death, I began sneaking into her closet and putting on her clothes. Now, thruth be told, I am glad that I came to that realization...because the way I look now, I would have made a REALLY UGLY woman. Again, this is just my life. That being said, I must agree that the best expert on a person's own gender identity is the individual themselves.

[mrc1991]

Hi rac1,

Full disclosure, I am a cis woman who happens to be passionate about trans rights, so I actively seek out information on gender identity; if you think that makes me too biased to be trusted, oh well.

As someone who is fine with the gender identity I was assigned at birth, I can understand how it might not come naturally to understand trans issues. It does seem like you are genuinely trying to learn what the truth of the matter is, no matter what that ends up being, and I see how from the outside trans issues can look similar to the mental disorders/delusions that many on this thread have already listed as examples (believing you are dead, or a doctor, or missing organs, etc).

I actually really liked Julius' point about how a trans gender identity is different from having anorexia - that the latter will literally kill you but the former will not. I hadn't thought of that before. So thank you Julius. The comparisons of gender identity vs a delusion that one is a doctor are also good in that one can cause harm to others (fake doctor isn't qualified) and is clearly defined based on years of training and testing resulting in a fancy piece of paper. Most people don't actually know their chromosomal type for sure anyway, as it doesn't get tested in the majority of people. More on that later...

5HT123 had good suggestions, IMO. If you really are open, learning from experts on the topic and treating everyone with respect in the meanwhile is a great start. If you would want people to believe

You ask why it isn't a psychiatric illness, when their gender identity contradicts their DNA. But I've read several fascinating studies that add more information to the pool, and everything points to biology and gender both being more complicated than society had previously assumed.

This next part is going to get link-heavy, but I am including my references both so you can read for yourself and so you know that I'm relying on pretty good information myself.

Genes are a bit more complicated than just XX vs XY:

“I’m XY and I Know It”: Sex Determination Systems 1