Mental health problems and the future for a FTM?

[Joe.]

Firstly, sorry about all the posts today, having lots going through my mind. I've read on several of the posts on here that if you have mental health problems you can't start T or have top surgery etc. This worries me. I suffer from depression and anxiety and am currently working with people from CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services for those outside of the UK who don't know what it stands for). Can somebody please clarify if this will affect my chances of starting T or getting top surgery in the future? I'm really worried now.
Joey

[Shawn Sunshine]

That's not entirely true, I am Bi Polar and my doctor and psychologist/therapist are trying to help me and show that my gid is serious and not a by product of being bi polar, she is trying to find the patterns for me and help me out. It is important to find one that wants to treat the whole person.

[Joe.]

Ah right. My mental health problems stemmed from other factors I think and I had feelings of being the wrong sex long before my mental health problems occured. I will discuss this with my psychiatrist after Christmas goes.
Joey

[Shawn Sunshine]

yeah you will want your doctor to emphasize that your mental problems do not disqualify you, they will have to show a surgeon on paper that you have a real need.

[Simon]

No, the discussion was relating to someone trying to do self harm. If you're cutting or attempting/threatening suicide then no doctor is going to ok any transition.

A lot of people have clinical depression. That shouldn't bar anyone from proceeding with transition. A lot of the time a trans person is depressed because of not transitioning. Starting transition can ease depression in some cases.

[Devlyn]

Quick derailment, I've never seen an alien on a treadmill play Hangman before!

[Shawn Sunshine]

Another Quick De-Railment, Simon did my thread on aliens, awaken some subconscious entity in you?

[Simon]

Quick derailment, I've never seen an alien on a treadmill play Hangman before!

There is a first time for everything and in the age of the interwebs that is saying something, lol. 

Another Quick De-Railment, Simon did my thread on aliens, awaken some subconscious entity in you?

I should go read and respond to that, lol. I'm just a big Sci Fi geek. I was going to do a Star Wars theme but didn't come across much I liked.

[tekla]

What this person needs is someone with experience with the UK system to answer.  Experience in the American system is not the same, nor is it equivalent. 

[ozoozol]

What Tekla said.

But in the US, at least, it's not accurate -- not for depression, and not for self-injury.  Neither of them is an absolute bar to any transition.

[AdamMLP]

My doctor never mentioned that it would be a problem when I spoke to him once or twice last year and he knows about my history of self harm, depression and suicide attempts. Actually, the suicide attempts might throw up their own problems as I recently found out that my father believed that I was faking it even though I was in hospital, so my notes are going to be full of him saying I'm a liar and an attention-seeker. I refuse to let that stop me though.

I follow one guy on tumblr who has self harmed and gotten on T with the NHS so I doubt it's a problem. depression and things like that are so common in trans people because of our dysphoria if they stopped everyone who's ever felt like that then there would be no one transitioning.

oh and I'm a UK guy

[Jeatyn]

I have a lot of experience with the UK mental health system (through myself, my mother, and several other members of my family) and I'm going to give you an annoying answer....it depends on which psychiatrist you talk to....and it greatly helps to have one with experience treating trans patients.

What is "supposed" to happen is that they need to determine whether or not your issues are causing your GID. Now it seems common sense that a large proportion of trans people have anxiety and depression BECAUSE they have GID and that transitioning would help.

I'm not sure that makes sense so I'm going to try and summarize it

If they believe your anxiety and depression are causing your GID, they will want to "cure" the former before even looking at the latter
If they believe your GID is causing your depression and anxiety, then you're good to go

If they believe your GID and depression/anxiety are totally separate to one another...then things may get complicated. They may want to tackle both at the same time, which might include various types of meds on top of taking T or it may just involve continuing to see someone to talk about how things are going. Or they could decide they want to tackle one thing at a time - a psychiatrist not familiar with trans people is more likely to opt for tackling the things they are more familiar with.

Now CAMHS specifically...I'm not 100% sure...I've only been on the "adult" side of things. From what I've read though it seems really hard to get T if you're under 18, regardless of mental health issues - so I can only assume that having mental health issues and being under 18 is going to make it harder. It's certainly not impossible because I've seen it happen but I don't know how they did it.

[chuck]

Hi there,


I only have experience with the American health care system - yI have a history of self harm and suicide attempts. I am also bipolar. I've been on testosterone for about 10 years, had top surgery in 2006 and had phallo this year. So no, having mental health issues or diseases do not have to prevent you from continuing with your goals. For the record, I have not self harmed since I started testosterone (unless you consider my heavy-ass work outs a form of self harm) and as far as being bipolar, that is someting that I will have to live with and has zero bearing on whether or not I am a man or woman. I dont really buy into my diagnosis so much though, I just see myself as being extra moody.

I think experiences with the American health system ARE relevant. If my country barred me from transitioning, I would be looking elsewhere very quickly.

[Natkat]

Mental problems is very normal for transgenders, I don't think I know many  trans people who haven't had depression, addiction, suicide attemtion, cutting, or something ells, yet is on transition
manly Alot of those facts have been caused of the pressure and stress to be trans, Not nessesarry but I feel in many caise and for some transition have cured certain of those problems.

as I say, transgender isn't an mentall illness, but you can get mental ill from being trans*
meaning, im agenst the label of us being ill because we are trans, but alot of transfolks are threatned so badly that it somehow or another infect there mental health sooner or later, like any other person.

[Joe.]

Thank you for such detailed responses. I'm now a little clearer on the subject. I believe that my mental health problems stemmed from other issues rather than being trans, although my issues with my gender does contribute to it significantly. I have anger problems as well as depression and anxiety and I just don't want this to stop me from transitioning when I choose to as these problems were caused by issues totally irrelevant (I think anyway). I too have problems with self harm. My medical notes are full of so many problems it scares me to think that people will read them and determine whether or not I can start to transition because of my mental health problems. I'm also currently on anti depressants although I don't think they're working so I may need the dose to be increased.
Joey

[GentlemanRDP]

It probably depends on the laws of where you live.
It was no issue for me; even though I have minor depression and severe social anxiety, and a very LARGE history of mental health issues in my family.
Also, I find it strange that someone would say that, because someone who gets on T usually has to be diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder,
and have this written in a letter before you take it to an endo. Huh...Now I'm curious though.

[Joe.]

I'm from the UK and have no idea what the laws are for it here. I don't understand laws that much, or anything to do with the government for that matter haha. I'll see what happens when I talk to my psychiatrist after Christmas.
Joey

[GentlemanRDP]

I'm from the UK and have no idea what the laws are for it here. I don't understand laws that much, or anything to do with the government for that matter haha. I'll see what happens when I talk to my psychiatrist after Christmas.
Joey

Have you tried doing any research on your local laws at all?

[Joe.]

I have, but I don't understand it. I probably sound really stupid but I just don't understand laws, I never have.
Joey

[AdamMLP]

Joey, can you get a link to the laws you've found?  I've just been trying to look for you -- and me because I'm in the UK with a similar history -- and can't find anything on it.  As far as I'm aware all CAMHS have to do is to say that you've not got any other condition, (for example, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder or Schizophrenia) that might cause you to believe that you're transgender.  It's not CAMHS place to say whether or not you're trans, but they might want to work through other things with you first to make sure that this is the right path for you.  Basically, just remember that everyone wants to cover their own backs now that suing is so socially acceptable, and the NHS is very good at doing that.  My CAMHS shrink wouldn't let me stop seeing him even though everyone was telling him that he was making me more depressed because it would look bad if I went and did something after he let me leave, and he wouldn't let anyone else see me because they were all junior to him and he couldn't find a way to help me.  So I really hope you're not in Suffolk because I'd not want anyone to suffer him, he's the reason I'm putting off going to see my GP about this again.

Interestingly on the NHS website they say that one of the symptoms for being trans can be anxiety.

The Portman and Travistock GIC will accept self-referrals, so if everything else fails that might be something to look into.  As you're under 18 that's where you'd get referred to anyway, but apparently they can sometimes be difficult about accepting self-referrals.