Trans and mental illness (possible trigger warning)

[Kevin Peña]

Some people say that I have ADHD simply because I like to do things fact and get bored easily, but I frankly don't even believe that such a thing exists. I just don't take the effort to focus on things that don't stimulate me. 

I know I might take some heat for this, but I think that by a technicality, being trans is a mental disorder. Once again, only by a TECHNICALITY. We are "abnormal" in our minds, so we could be said to technically have a mental disorder, even though I don't care of what such people have to say. 

[unknown]

I think I might have PTSD if that counts.

[Natkat]

Once again, only by a TECHNICALITY. We are "abnormal" in our minds, so we could be said to technically have a mental disorder, even though I don't care of what such people have to say. 

everyone is a little f* up in there head, but usunally they dont wanna show it,
I guess thats why drinking partys and soccer is so popular, your actually allowed to be mad XD

[AlexD]

everyone is a little f* up in there head

Truth. That's why I think the "it's only an illness if it makes you miserable" model is useful for mental illness. If you're crazy, but you're surviving happily and you're not hurting anyone, there's no problem.

[unknown]

Truth. That's why I think the "it's only an illness if it makes you miserable" model is useful for mental illness. If you're crazy, but you're surviving happily and you're not hurting anyone, there's no problem.

So true. I would even go as far as to say that I need craziness to live.  Life would just be boring without it.

[Liminal Stranger]

Long pedigree of the crazies, and I've already had ADD slapped on me. I tend towards anger and sadness, but even my mother who is always screaming that she's going to put me away in a mental institution agrees that my negativity is justified. But she won't do anything to help ease my stress ;-;

I don't think of ->-bleeped-<- is an illness of the mind, but more an illness arising from the non-congruence between body and mind. As such, it's neither mental nor physical, but only exists as a relative condition. Living with it, however, can weaken the defenses of the mind and cause all kinds of instability. I've noticed a trend of AD(H)D, anxiety, and depression among respondents; I can only wonder how being trans can do that to a person 

[eli77]

Some people say that I have ADHD simply because I like to do things fact and get bored easily, but I frankly don't even believe that such a thing exists. I just don't take the effort to focus on things that don't stimulate me. 

I know I might take some heat for this, but I think that by a technicality, being trans is a mental disorder. Once again, only by a TECHNICALITY. We are "abnormal" in our minds, so we could be said to technically have a mental disorder, even though I don't care of what such people have to say. 

That's not really where the division gets made. There are brain conditions, which are physiological. And mental conditions, which are psychological.

Otherwise migraines would be in the DSM. They aren't.

I would argue that dysphoria could be a mental disorder. But transsexualism probably isn't. And generally with mental disorders that are caused by physical disorders, they don't get classified as mental disorders. That's why intersex conditions used to preclude transsexualism, for example. Or why if you have a brain tumor making you crazy, you aren't generally diagnosed as mentally ill.

But then the DSM is like so broken at this point that I'm not sure there is even a reasonable argument to be made around classification anyway. Basically it's all arbitrary, politically and financially motivated nonsense.

[Darkflame]

I have Bipolar I, social anxiety disorder, and an eating disorder that's gone by many different names over the years. I was always a little off even as a kid, I've had panic attacks as long as I can remember and I was always really really shy around strangers, not to mention I hardly slept at all. But I was pretty well adjusted. It wasn't till around the time puberty started that I became really messed up. I think it was just the stress of it (and the crazy amounts of gender dysphoria) that really set me off. Anyone who has a genetic predisposition towards mental illness will most likely become ill when faced with something as stressful and painful as being transgendered. There's the chicken and egg scenario again. Well, statistically speaking, most people with a mental illness have a family history of it, espescially bipolar disorder. It can't come from nowhere. Like there's four people who I can think of off the top of my head who obviously have an undiagnosed form of bipolar in my family. Nobody has it as badly as I do.

Transgederism is not an illness, but the stress of being transgendered will cause it in pretty much anyone with any vulnerability towards mental illness, which is most people. The same way someone who's been abused, or someone who's lived through war is more likely to develop an illness.  I think we all deserve a gold star for not being permanent members of psych wards with all the stress we go through on a daily basis 

[spacerace]

That's not really where the division gets made. There are brain conditions, which are physiological. And mental conditions, which are psychological.

Otherwise migraines would be in the DSM. They aren't.

I would argue that dysphoria could be a mental disorder. But transsexualism probably isn't. And generally with mental disorders that are caused by physical disorders, they don't get classified as mental disorders.

Mental illness is absolutely caused by physiological processes just as much as migraines or brain tumors, though of course given they are psychiatric issues they should be in the DSM while tumors and migraines are not as you say.  I  agree dysphoria is not a psychiatric problem.

Mental illness is not a psychological problem alone, however. There's a reason they can be treated with chemical pharmaceuticals  - mental illnesses are caused by structural brain problems laid out by genetic incongruities that cause chemical misfirings which can be exacerbated or sparked by environmental conditions.

[SunKat]

My question is, does anyone else have a mental illness (no, you don't have to say what it is if you're uncomfortable doing so) that is unrelated to being trans? If so, do you also think of being trans as another mental illness or something possibly effected by the mental illness you have?

I've had a number of issues over the years.  Depression, Bi-Polar disorder, Social Anxiety, PTSD, avoidant personality... but I feel like all of them are related to growing up trans in a society where that wasn't acceptable.  Most of my issues stem directly from social isolation and a lack of early childhood socialization.
In my mind I don't view any of these things as mental illness or something arising from a chemical imbalance.  Instead I see them as the leftover echoes of what were once essential coping mechanisms.  While I was growing up I had specific reasons to be depressed, socially anxious and avoidant.  They were rational reactions to my life.

The problem is that the ways you learn to behave or perceive the world at an early age are some of the hardest things to change.  Likewise it's hard to make up for normal childhood socialization that has passed you by.  It's hard to convince yourself that your world is a safer place than it was when you were 5.

In my case, I think all of the prescriptions and labels have not done a fraction of the good that that could have been accomplished with just a modicum of acceptance, belonging and a safe place to be myself.

[big kim]

Depression,anxiety,OCD,social anxiety,avoidant personality disorder,had issues with self harming and eating disorders.Probably agrophobic and bi polar too.To me it's part of my character like being tall and  having green eyes

[MattFlo]

Bipolar II (depressed, severe) and BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) I was also in the hospital several times from suicidal gestures/attempts & self harm. Since I've come out as trans to everyone I know I haven't self-harmed in almost 4 or 5 weeks and have had no signs of depression or hypomanic episodes. I have been SUPER happy. I do get some bouts of depression when I am faced with health care insurance policy difficulties. My therapist says during my transition she expects my mood to fluctuate  A LOT. Even though I have these underlying conditions they just seemed to be exacerbated by being trans.

[DriftingCrow]

I've never been diagnosed with anything but I think there's  going on in my brain.I used to have seizures as a toddler, and then I have had multiple smacks on the head,I was never taken to a doctor for any of them, but I had the symptoms of concussions for 11 of the times things went flying and hit my head. After my tenth or ninth (or was it 8th?) head injury I started having Trans feelings, as well as a noticeable lack of ability to remember things.

[chuck]

bipolar as well but i think that the fact my genitals dont match my brain is 100 percent a physical problem. I had a few other physical symptoms related to genital abnormalites so i lean towards an identidy of intersexed if i pushed to chose one.

[Darrin Scott]

I have bipolar type II as well. I as in and out of hospitals when I was 13-15 as well. At that time I was unaware of being trans, though.

[PixieBoy]

I have Asperger's syndrome coupled with depressive tendencies and anxiety attacks (sheer, irrational get-out-a-cave-lion-is-chasing-you fear, usually caused by pretty much anything; it's annoying when it happens while I'm having fun) and season-bound depression.

I don't see these problems as connected with my being trans, as life in general and my happiness has increased when starting transition. I may not be 100% sane, but it's far better than it has been and now I can look forward to the future and living life.

Had my first proper anxiety attack when I was 13; thought I was either going stark raving mad or that I was going to die from a heart attack. Started self-harming when I was about 8 or 9, just little things like scratching myself, tearing off my toenails or pinching myself. Started binge eating when I was about 11, tried to purge the food when I got into puberty since I connected puberty with becoming fat and food was part punishment, part reward (not a very healthy or reasonable mindset). Have been feeling down in the winter and spring pretty much since I started going to school, it got bad when I was 13 and got seriously depressed; suicidal episodes have happened as well. Currently I'm not doing too well as I've been having anxiety attacks more frequently and am in the middle of my depressive state.

Sorry for the whining, hope everyone's doing alright today. If not, I send you a support hug and a cuppa tea.

[Mosaic dude]

Depression.  It's not related to being trans as such - everyone in my family has Prozac in the medicine cabinet - but it's triggered by stress and dysphoria is stressful.

I see being trans as a physical illness.  My hormone levels are screwy, which is a physical condition.  QED.

[insideontheoutside]

Reading through all of these makes me a little sad.

I know this might be an unpopular opinion but I think heavily medicating children causes a lot of damage. Many people start being diagnosed with things in the early teens – very formative years as it is, especially in the brain (science has shown that teenager's brains are not fully developed). Throw in raging hormones and social pressures and school, etc. it's enough to break plenty of people down. I think that's natural. What's unnatural is diagnosing kids with sever mental disorders/illnesses, shutting them up in hospitals, and pumping them full of chemicals. What's crazy to me is how many more of these mental disorders and illnesses are being diagnosed now as opposed to even 20 years ago (when I was going to high school for instance there just weren't any kids on anti-depressants/anti-anxiety meds ... everyone didn't have ADD/ADHD, etc.). I had a school psychologist tell me I had "gender identity disorder" and told me I had a mental illness. That totally screwed me up and freaked my parents out and basically made the next 10+ years of my life hell. Up until that point I just considered myself "different" from other kids (still never considered myself female in any way) and I was relatively happy. I wonder how many other cases happen where the diagnosis screws someone up like that?

In my mid 20's I'd been diagnosed with anxiety disorder. When that happened, I thought, oh here we go again ... I'm mentally ill again. I was having panic attacks every day (severe enough that I ended up in the emergency room thinking I was having a heart attack or just generally dying). I didn't leave my house for 8 weeks straight. I lived off a meager unemployment check (which turned into disability for a year). When I'd try to leave the house I would panic. I'd go to the grocery store and leave a basket full of groceries in the aisle and run out. Basically I was a mess for 2 solid years. At the advice of my dad I went to see my uncle (who was a Psychology instructor at a community college) who had been working on a system with a partner that was rooted in kinesiology and combined with kind of a modified form of EFT and some psychological aspects. Of course it took me a couple months just to go visit him but he tried the system on me and within a few weeks I was actually NOT having a panic attack every day. Then he recommended I go down to China Town and see an old Chinese herbalist that he used to go to. Well that took me another month or so to do that but I did. That worked even faster. After the first dose I felt better. Within a couple weeks the improvement was night and day. I knew I could not go the pharmaceutical route (had a short stint of that that nearly killed me). I knew I had to beat the anxiety myself so I tried these alternate methods and they worked for me. I'm not saying they could work for everyone but there's alternatives out there. A lot of the disorders/illnesses (anxiety, bipolar, etc. etc.) occur when there are chemical imbalances in the body (not just brain). The drugs doctors prescribe, in theory, "correct" those imbalances. I just don't buy that. I'm not just going on my own experience but the experiences of plenty of my friends over the years as they were on one or more drugs to supposedly correct their depression, their anxiety, their bipolar disorders, etc. I don't know a single long term success story. I have one friend who gave up and stepped down off all her pills, went to a nutritionist and started going the all natural route. She's fine today. Everyone else? Still struggling. So I may not have a degree in medicine but I'm observant and I've got my own experiences. Everyone is basically responsible for their own health. Too many of us rely 100% on doctors who don't know our bodies and minds and treat us all one in the same or try a variety of pills that may hurt us more than help us. Yes, this is my opinion, and you're free to disagree, but I was not helped by the medical world and basically "cured" myself by looking at alternative methods (and I know others who have too) so my experience differs, but I'm glad I did it. I'd most likely be dead if I hadn't.

As for being trans, I don't consider that a mental illness. For me it's something physical. My brain was undeniably bathed in testosterone while I was in the womb. Because of my ultrasound everyone thought my mom was having a boy. Well, big surprise they all got. But seriously, I absolutely don't think I'm some exception to the rule. I may have popped out the shoot with larger than average junk but for the most part I'm stuck in a "female" body just like every other trans guy who doesn't have a diagnosed intersex condition. But having a larger amount of testosterone hit you, especially in the womb, changes things. I think we all have normal brains, we just don't have the bodies that match up with those brains. That to me is not a mental illness.

[spacerace]

A lot of the disorders/illnesses (anxiety, bipolar, etc. etc.) occur when there are chemical imbalances in the body (not just brain). The drugs doctors prescribe, in theory, "correct" those imbalances. I just don't buy that. I'm not just going on my own experience but the experiences of plenty of my friends over the years as they were on one or more drugs to supposedly correct their depression, their anxiety, their bipolar disorders, etc. I don't know a single long term success story. I have one friend who gave up and stepped down off all her pills, went to a nutritionist and started going the all natural route. She's fine today. Everyone else? Still struggling. So I may not have a degree in medicine but I'm observant and I've got my own experiences. Everyone is basically responsible for their own health. Too many of us rely 100% on doctors who don't know our bodies and minds and treat us all one in the same or try a variety of pills that may hurt us more than help us. Yes, this is my opinion, and you're free to disagree, but I was not helped by the medical world and basically "cured" myself by looking at alternative methods (and I know others who have too) so my experience differs, but I'm glad I did it. I'd most likely be dead if I hadn't.

I completely agree that we are an overmedicated culture that uses pharmaceuticals as an excuse in an infinite number of ways.

However -You can't cure severe psychosis with better nutrition. Sometimes you need to be snapped back to reality.  Medication does it. Side effects may suck - but it is a lot better than being so crazy you aren't able to stay in touch with the rest of the world.  True mental illness is chemical and debilitating just like any other physical problem, and we can't make some things better just by talking about them and drinking herbal tea.

You are 100% correct that physical health is of critical importance to mental health. But if you don't know what is real and what is not, current medication can snap you back into sanity almost instantly. Sometimes people are just really mentally broken and the only way they can even attempt a normal life is through the assistance of an ever-changing cornucopia of pharmaceuticals.

You can't think your way out of true crazy. 

[AlexD]

Then he recommended I go down to China Town and see an old Chinese herbalist that he used to go to. Well that took me another month or so to do that but I did. That worked even faster. After the first dose I felt better. Within a couple weeks the improvement was night and day.

A lot of the disorders/illnesses (anxiety, bipolar, etc. etc.) occur when there are chemical imbalances in the body (not just brain). The drugs doctors prescribe, in theory, "correct" those imbalances. I just don't buy that.

Let me see if I understand you correctly... you believe that doctor-prescribed drugs don't correct chemical imbalances, but that herbalist-prescribed drugs do correct chemical imbalances, and therefore drugs are bad? Huh? Why do you think that is? Because of your own personal experiences and a handful of anecdotes? Do you really think that the experiences of, what, five, ten people is superior to a double-blind clinical trial on hundreds of patients? Or that some guy who once read a book on herbs knows better than an entire community of professional scientists who devote their lives to carefully studying the effects of chemicals on the human body?

There is no such thing as "alternative medicine": there is only stuff that works, and bull->-bleeped-<-. I'm sorry that you and your friends have had poor experiences with medication, but please, don't fall into the trap of thinking that "alternative" therapy works just because you got lucky with it, or that real medicine is bad because it has flaws.