changes in DSM

[XchristineX]

Can any one please outline the changes ines  dsm-5 please?

And how it differs from dsm-4?

And lastly....how does this affect us?

[Sammy]

As far as I have read, the term "Gender Identity Disorder" has been replaced by "Gender Dysphoria", the main effect being to remove the stigmatizing effects, hence we are no more seen as people having "disorder" - like obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders etc. Also, many sexual paraphilia have been classified as disorders. This change, which from the first sight seems as purely cosmetic, at the same time has a huge effect as being the first step away from seeing transgender persons as having mental issues.
Perhaps, this could be compared with homosexuality being removed from DSM in 1973... I know that my analogy is quite rhetoric, because we actually need that therapy treatment -  unlike homosexual people -  but that was the closest thing I could come up with.

[Renee]

I can't see how a wording change is going to do much for us. People are still going to view us as they have for the most part and I include the medical and therapy professions in that as well. I think any changes in attitude towards us would have most likely happened anyway. After all, there are still plenty of people including professionals that think homosexuality is some sort of mental illness and we are way weirder than them gays, you know.