Psychiatric and other medical services constitute some of the few services that people have to pay for, up front, whether the service turns out to good or bad. It's tragic that people have to put up with this kind of thing. While there are wonderfully exceptional physicians, the medical community (psychiatrists hold joint MD and psychologist certifications) have set themselves up to have a very powerful position in society, many being narcissists (which some believe to be a moral disorder, not a psychological disorder). If you have any familiarity, at all, with narcissism, then you should know they look down on most people with repugnant indifference, they have no remorse either for who they harm or who they lie to, and it's axiomatic that they are always right, and the patient is always wrong when they disagree. Furthermore, it's apparently common practice for most physicians to say that something is wrong the patient, mentally, when they have no easy diagnosis, don't know what's medically wrong with a patient, or simply disagree with another diagnosis.
One thing that people are generally not aware of is that, within the medical community, it is considered exceptionally bad form (faux pas) to disagree with any doctor who has previously made a diagnosis. The net effect is that if a patient is seeking a second opinion because an earlier doctor has made a very bad call, that patient is highly likely to get the exact same diagnosis from any subsequent doctors they see. This is one of the 'tricks' used within the medical community to avoid malpractice suits. In many cases, people must educate themselves nearly to the point of being their own physician, and completely nip in the bud any interaction with such medical people, preferably before an appointment is ever scheduled (i.e. when, prior to scheduling an appointment, a physician is unwilling to talk with you to see if their skills match your needs, which is usually the case. I know this is difficult, but it can be done when the doctor is sensible and patient friendly).
Another thing to watch for is the popular 'multidisciplinary' clinic, which is a buzz-word meaning that the physicians at that clinic will refer you to their numerous friends and acquaintances in other specialties (especially psychiatry) so that, between them, they can rack up the fees billed to your insurance. After much experience, I've come to believe that people have no idea what a truly horrendous medical system exists, how bad the doctors really are, and to what money-bilking extent the health care community has evolved. This applies to all specialties in the medical field, psychiatry included, although I've seen very little of it among psychologists and therapist counselors, who I believe generally, but not always, have a truly sincere passion for helping people.
As this applies to the trans community, I think the examples posted so far bear this out. Fortunately, there are also examples of intelligent and compassionate treatment.
