Does suffering from depression/anxiety etc. make it harder to get letters for surgery?  Do you usually have to have recovered from those conditions before therapists will recommend you for srs?

Way back in the dark ages (1970's) I was SERIOUSLY suicidal and it was concern for my mental state that got surgery for me. The doctors knew I wasn't going to last much longer and Dr. Biber waived his fee so I could afford surgery. They felt that the "complete psycho-sexual inversion" was the major source of my depression - they were right!

Whether or not depression will be a hindrance will depend on what the doctor perceives the cause to be.

I'm guessing most therapists want a patient to be stable enough to handle the additional stresses of SRS before writing a recommendation.

But it can become a catch-22. I got pretty desperate when my therapist kept refusing me my HRT (and later SRS) letter, which she saw as a sign that I wasn't "ready" for it... which made me more frustrated and desperate... which meant I REALLY wasn't ready... which... you get the idea.

~Kate~

hi jenny.  i'm with kate on this one.  i think stable is the key word.  if there are any of us who don't suffer from depression, i haven't met her.

i consider myself a very happy person but i still suffer with bouts of depression.  my therapist tells me that all the years of chemical inducments toward that end can take a very long time to change.  the good thing is that i've come to a place where i can recognize symptons of an outbreak and have gotten pretty good at wallowing some in the warm and fuzzy melancholy without allowing a full blown depression to take over.  there are tools for this....again..my most wonderful therapist has taught me alot of useful ones for me.

jane.  you are so lucky to have met dr biber.  if there is such a thing as a hero...it's him.  closest i ever came was the nice pic they have of him in one of the hallways at msrh.  it must have been wonderful to have met him and talked with him....and had him as a surgeon...and at no charge!  sounds like the good doctor biber to me.  God bless.

Quote from: pennyjane on July 17, 2008, 09:02:54 PM
hi jenny.  i'm with kate on this one.  i think stable is the key word.  if there are any of us who don't suffer from depression, i haven't met her.

My psychological assessment the year prior to surgery was "remarkably well adjusted under the circumstances" LOL! I think that's as good as it gets! "Depression" is to be expected under some circumstances!

Quoteyou are so lucky to have met dr biber.  if there is such a thing as a hero...it's him.

To me, he was a saint! I owed my life to Dr. Stanley Biber. Every year, on the anniversary of my surgery, I wrote a thank you note and a little update on how my life was going. When he passed, I felt like I lost my father.

Approximately 30% of SRS patients gain some form of depression after SRS.  This number may not be documented well, but the fact at hand has been.  It's important to be in good mental health (besides stress from being transgender) before surgery.  Most if not all surgeons I know of require stability.

jeezzz...i'm tearing up.  it just dawned on me to count...not just the lives he made livable....but, like you say...he acutally..physically saved.  saint is not too much a word.  God bless him in his new home.

Mental stability is important & what most surgeons require along with the rest of the pre-requisites.  I had my GRS with Dr. Bowers & she's quite clear on the requirements you've got to have to have surgery.  If depression is severe & you've got concerns, I presume your therapist can guarantee your stability thru a medical certificate or a letter.

dr bower's is a stickler.  i've even heard her refered to as a "nutrinazi" and i can see where that comes from.  but, being ts herself, having gone through what most of us were, i took her advice and concerns very seriously.  in fact, i found it somewhat comforting that she paid so much attention to detail.

i'm also a bower's girl & all i'm going say is that she adheres to the soc like every s.a.s surgeon should.  her requirements - prior to surgery

http://www.marcibowers.com/grs/surgery.html

see? basic, basic stuff.

Quote from: Kate on July 17, 2008, 07:00:24 PM
I'm guessing most therapists want a patient to be stable enough to handle the additional stresses of SRS before writing a recommendation.

But it can become a catch-22. I got pretty desperate when my therapist kept refusing me my HRT (and later SRS) letter, which she saw as a sign that I wasn't "ready" for it... which made me more frustrated and desperate... which meant I REALLY wasn't ready... which... you get the idea.

~Kate~

Thankyou to everyone who replied to my question.  I had an appointment with my psychiatrist yesterday, and was way too emotional last night.  But I'm calmer today and yeah i know theres lots of stuff that i have to deal with before i'm ready for surgery.

I think theres an element of that catch-22 that you describe Kate, thats contributing to my recent setbacks.  But on reflection i don't think that its my mental health that is the main problem with making progress.  I think the real problem is that i don't get on with my psychiatrist at all, i'm not comfortable talking to him particularly about how i'm feeling.  And that probably is why his assessment of my mental health is completely different to that of my counsellor's who actually knows me a lot better.

He thinks that my recent depression is because i can't cope with living as a woman.  I disagree with him and think my counsellor has a better understanding of it.  Thats the actual problem, he thinks i'm less stable than others think i am.

none of my business, jenny, but i'd lose the guy.  if you aren't comfortable with him then for all intents and purposes he is useless as any more then ink on stationary.

glad you're feeling better, God bless with...

Hi, Jenny,

I posted my thoughts on this on another thread of yours.

IMO, this is not your problem. But it becomes your problem when you have to react to him. Not much of a therapeutic relationship. Save yourself, luv.



Nichole

I'm with Pennyjane on this one:

Gatekeeper alert.

The gatekeeper is making you crazy, you are NOT crazy.