Hi girls.  I'm feeling a bit perplexed by something my therapist said today.  I'm pre-op and trying to decide between two Dr's. for SRS.  One is in the US, the other in Thailand.  Anyway, we were talking about who I should see for my second letter if I choose the US surgeon and she says, "oh, and we'll need to schedule you for the MMPI, too."  (I think that's the correct initials for it.)  It's a written psychological examination, or personality test.  So, after three years of therapy, why was that suddenly mentioned as a REQUIREMENT if I'm going to have SRS in the US?  I've never heard anyone say anything about having to take such a test.  Is it something most people consider insignificant so nobody really bothers to talk about it or is my therapist requiring something I really don't need at all for some mysterious reason.  I HATE tests like that.  I think they're demeaning.  Has anyone else been asked to take such a test???
Is it really a requirement?
Chrissy

I'd check directly with the surgeon's secretary as to what the referral requirements are.

Brassard was quite prescriptive of the referrer's qualifications an relationship with the patient, and what he wanted to see in the letters ... but certainly no written test had to be undergone !

Laura

I took an MMPI about 9 months ago, but it was part of a t-girl's doctorate thesis and was taken at a TG support group meeting.

This is the first I've heard that someone 'needs' an MMPI for SRS.  I await the outcome...

Karen

The MMPI is a personality inventory. It is a useful tool for therapists to help identify where you need help.  It is extremely useful in diagnosis of depression. I'm surprised you haven't encountered until now!  By the time I had my surgery, I'd taken it (or versions of it) at least 4 times.  I even had to take one for employment once.

I wouldn't worry about it.  It's not like you need to study for it or anything.  And there are no clear indicators to indicate or contraindicate the diagnosis for GID or the need for surgery.  Just be totally honest when you take it.  They'll be looking for signs that you are depressed constantly, have considered suicide, you know that sort of stuff.

Good luck with it!

Cindi

Quote from: Cindi Jones on May 15, 2007, 09:48:49 PM
They'll be looking for signs that you are depressed constantly, have considered suicide, you know that sort of stuff.

Are the above pro or contra indicators that you need SRS  ?

Laura

I don't believe that they are necessarily pro or contra.  They just want to look for them!

I think that it's just being thorough to make sure there are no surprises.... like this candidate is an axe murderer in hiding.



Cindi

Quote from: Chrissyts41 on May 15, 2007, 09:25:58 PM
she says, "oh, and we'll need to schedule you for the MMPI, too."

i don't what mmpi is.  i'm having my grs with dr. bowers in just a few months and all i had to obtain were two letters, one from my therapist and the other one from a licensed psychologist.

My therapist had mentioned something to similar to that but it was more of a history, I  think, after a couple sessions, and after she saw that I was fully adusted and read me as female, she wrote the letter without any hesitation. The bottom line is that once medical people see you as female they will pretty much give you what you want.

So, nobody seems to have ever heard a therapist or a surgeon say it's a requirement, right?  That's what bothers me about it.  She said I "had to" take it if I want surgery in the US.  I think three years of therapy, one year RLT, and two letters is plenty and it bothers me to think she might be throwing this into the "requirements" for some reason.  The ONLY good reason I can think of is that she assumes the results will show something she can then point out in her letter for me.  Still, I wonder why she didn't just tell me that instead of telling me its required.  It just seems deceitful to me.  I suppose I'll just need to ask her where she gets her "requirements", but you'd think after three years of therapy there'd be enough trust there already that she'd have told me the real motivation for having me take it.  Is it possible she might doubt me and is using the MMPI to supposedly "make sure" about me?  The other thing that bothers me about it is that I have this paranoia thing going on that somewhere someone deep in the bowels of some research facility someone is collecting all of these MMPI's and that they'll wind up being used against whoever takes one some day.
"Why am I being taken away in this padded truck?"
"Oh, don't worry.  We just need to take care of you for a while.  Your answer to question 254 makes you a terrorist threat to the United States of America."
"Oh, well if that's all..."
Hmmmm.  Maybe my therapist is just trying to figure out if I'm Trans or if I'm just plain nuts.
Chrissy
K, I'm going to answer my own question.  I called Dr. Meltzer's office and asked if psych tests are requirements of their office and was told "definitely not" BUT that "99% of the therapists who send patients to Dr. Meltzer for SRS DO require it" in order to cover themselves if the patient later regrets surgery and tries to blame the therapist for misdiagnosis.  In other words, my therapist is telling me it's required when it's really not - it's just that if I want my letter from her after three years of therapy, she won't provide it unless I take this test.  Seems I have little choice in the matter.  She'll probably charge me to take it now, too.

Chrissy

Yes, she will charge you to take it.  I'm surprised that she didn't have you take one in the beginning.  If she is using it as a diagnostic tool, it would make sense to see the things she needs to work on.  Perhaps she wants to make sure there are no outstanding issues before she grants you her permission.  I doubt seriously that it is to cover herself in a legal sense.

Cindi

Hmmmmm...I'm sorry but I'm afraid that I don't know what MMPI stands for either.  When I had SRS, all I had to provide my surgeon was my medical history along with two SRS recommendation letters and a certified diagnosis of transsexualism by my gender therapist.  Strange how some therapists work!

tink

Here's a URL with a brief history of the test:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Multiphasic_Personality_Inventory

Quote from: Chrissyts41 on May 15, 2007, 09:25:58 PM
"oh, and we'll need to schedule you for the MMPI, too."  (I think that's the correct initials for it.)  It's a written psychological examination, or personality test.   Has anyone else been asked to take such a test???
Is it really a requirement?
Chrissy

I didn't.  That's a bunch of tripe! what will happen if you tell her that you don't want to take it?

yeah if you're transsexual, having one of *those* is a no-no. eeeeeekkkk!!

QuoteThey'll be looking for signs that you are depressed constantly, have considered suicide, you know that sort of stuff.

Are the above pro or contra indicators that you need SRS   ?

Laura

In the UK on the NHS no psychiatrist will intiate TS treatment before a patient has dealt with non tg related issues.

What if its TG issues that depress you and make you unable to deal with life in general? which from my own experience is the norm!!

If you are a TS pre threatment, there is no way to distinguish to so called non TS issues because that unresolved disphoria has messed up all aspects of you life: social, professional, familial, etc.

I agree, that they should pull you off the ledge, probably through medication, so you can think straight. But, going beyond that is just adding to the suffering of the TS. Maybe that's why NHS has such a low reputation amongst TS and people went to Reid for a quicker resolution.

QuoteMaybe that's why NHS has such a low reputation amongst TS and people went to Reid for a quicker resolution.

Russel Reid was sometimes to easy and his mistakes are well documented. the most famous one was when he allowed a patient to transition in 6 months which included SRS with out even trying to find out if the patient had other issues. That patient subsequently complained to NHS doctors who then made a complaint to the General Medical council.

I didn't say that what Reid did was the best in all cases, yet the NHS forced people to find other ways and they should also examine their own practice.

Having other issues is a given seeing as what impact not being able to affirm ones identity can have on all aspects of life. For example, if your on the street ekking a living because you've been kicked out by your parents, what kind of issues do you have? A bundle! including feelings of abandonment by your family, friends... You self-esteem's probably in the dump.

Should they wait till they've resolved this before moving forward? Should just the TS who have had it easiest (say started having a significant disphoria later which allowed them to get a good education and job before their life was turned upside down)  be allowed to move forward? That seems counterintuitive.

For me, one size fits all approach is never right in such complex cases as ours. It only leads to much suffering to "save" 0.1% from themselves. And even there, if you want to mess up your life, you don't need the government's help to do it.

Yeah, I never heard that someone had to take the MMPI or something like that for a surgery requirement. The MMPI is out-dated and stupid.

The church made me take it -- it took me almost 3 hours to finish. Afterwards, the test just showed that I have a "gender issue." Next, they counseled me and tried to make me more "guy like." The experienced messed me up pretty good. On top of that the doc working for the church prescribed me all kinds of crazy drugs to "help me," both to make me a so-called "man" and to bring my faith back into the church. At the end of it I was taking a cocktail of 32 pills a day.

It took me years to recover from that damage and abuse -- but I'm here now, going along with my transition and I'm happier than ever.

The doctor that I plan to have my GRS with in the States does not require this test.  The pre-requisites, I was told to gather, are two letters from two different gender specialists or a gender clinic.