So my brother and Mom have been busy diagnosing me with bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia, and the issue finally came to a head. I should note that both family members mentioned above have been on SSRI antidepressants off and on for a while now. They're fragile to begin with, so I'm not too concerned with their acceptance.
I told my Dad this evening, and surprisingly, it went very, very smoothly relative to my other two immediate family members.
There's still the "how do you know?" questions and the "a gender specific therapist will convince you that you're trans" bit, but yeah, he's being great about it all things considered.
He did make a good point that I hadn't considered: I've done a great deal of research since I figured this stuff out- but conveniently I seem to have left a gap in my review. How often to people come to realize they're trans, then "change their minds?" I know that seems ludicrous, but I need to give it a quick rundown to prove that that sort of thing generally happens only to trans children of evangelical Christians, nahmeen?
Does anyone know of a contingency in psychotherapy where the patient, believing that they're trans going in, walks out after figuring out that they're not?
Obviously these questions stem from the early stage of denial in my family, but I figure I'd give it a go. I really don't expect to find any legitimate study that demonstrates such occurrences. "(s)he who submits, rules," the saying goes.
Amazing how people will surprise you! He seemed willing to at least accept the fact that I truly believe this about myself. Of course, like all socially conservative oldheads, he's in a state of total doubt and denial, but his acceptance that this is probably actually happening to me, and isn't some sort of crazy dream gives me hope.
Sorry that was so poorly written! I'm super tired.
'Night ladies.
Alia
