Top Ten Problems with the Gender Identity Disorder Diagnosis

[Natasha]

Top Ten Problems with the Gender Identity Disorder Diagnosis

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/09/top_ten_problems_with_the_gender_identit.php
9/4/2008

Editors' note: Kelley Winters, Ph.D. is a writer on issues of transgender medical policy, founder of GID Reform Advocates and an Advisory Board Member for the Matthew Shepard Foundation and TransYouth Family Advocates. She has presented papers on the psychiatric classification of gender diversity at the annual conventions of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Counseling Association and the Association of Women in Psychology.

[Elwood]

4. Contradicts transition and access to hormonal and surgical treatments, which are well proven to relieve distress of gender dysphoria.

Social role transition, living and passing in our affirmed gender roles, and desiring congruent anatomic sex characteristics are listed as "manifestation" of mental pathology in criterion A of Gender Identity Disorder. Requests for hormonal or surgical treatment to relieve gender dysphoria are disparaged as "preoccupation" in criterion B and supporting text rather than medical necessity. Evidence of medical transition treatment, such as breast development for transwomen or chest reconstruction for transmen, are described in a negative context as "associated features and disorders" of mental illness in the supporting text.

Ooh, this definitely needs to be fixed.