I recently came across this article
http://mindhacks.com/2013/05/03/national-institute-of-mental-health-abandoning-the-dsm/ about the National Institute of Metal Health announcing, just 2 weeks before the release of the DSM-V, that they're going to be, "re-orienting it's research away from DSM categories." Earlier that same day, I also found another article
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/05/the-real-problems-with-psychiatry/275371/ that discusses problems with psychiatric diagnosis based on the DSM.
Even though the second one in particular was long, I read the whole thing, and I actually agree with a large portion of it. I found the first article interesting as well.
I know it's been a topic on the boards before of how the DSM relates to trans issues. I know it's also been a topic on the boards before of how many trans people have been diagnosed with additional disorders. My issue with the field of psychiatry pretty much always has been with the diagnosis – and the inconsistency between therapists and psychiatrists themselves. Witness how many folks just on this board talk about experiences with their particular therapist or psychiatrist and how much those experiences vary. One person may be diagnosed within a short amount of time and get their letter for HRT, while another may spend a year or more in therapy before that happens.
Additionally, I appreciated that the second article link addresses the negative effect of being diagnosed with a mental disorder. For instance, a therapist giving me the GID diagnosis when I was a teenager basically ruined years of my life. What that did in my teenage mind was solidify that I was completely screwed up and that no one actually believed that I was really male (that it was just this mental disorder I had). So because of personal experience, I'm not a fan of the field in general, but that's my opinion. That article also pointed out some positive things about diagnosis (ex. Asperger's syndrome). So it's not like I believe that all of psychology should be thrown under the bus, but I'm all for throwing out the DSM and approaching things differently.
I'm not on HRT and not transitioning, but I am curious about how trans issues are going to be approached in a therapeutic capacity if there's a shift away from the DSM. I'm wondering if people like me (definitely trans, but have found my own way of dealing with it) would be treated differently? Previously, my treatment (besides the original GID diagnosis) by therapists has been along the lines of, "well if you don't want to transition, maybe you're not trans at all and you really do have a mental disorder." So again, my viewpoint has been colored by past experience, but nevertheless, I'm interested in what will happen with the treatment of other trans people. I'm also interested to see if there will be less diagnosis will happen across the board or what.
Feel free to discuss.
