Psychiatrists, 'sissies' and the schoolyard
February 23, 2010 | 7:08 am
--Michael McGough
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2010/02/psychiatrists-sissies-and-the-schoolyard.htmlWith no input from Sarah Palin (as far as we know), the American Psychiatric Assn., in its new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, has replaced the term "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability." Whether this will stop schoolyard taunts of "retard" is another matter.
Speaking of schoolyard taunts, the draft manual employs new terminology for another condition that gives rise to childhood teasing. What used to be called childhood "gender identity disorder" is now also referred to as "gender incongruence." The definition of this syndrome is "a marked incongruence between one's experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender." Indicators include "a strong preference for the toys, games, or activities typical of the other gender." In popular parlance, a boy who prefers fashion to football is called "sissy," a taunt that's a lot older than "retard."
