Can/will a psychologist make a diagnosis of GID if the patient has existing mental health problems?  For example, I have moderate combat-related PTSD, for which I receive medication and attend group therapy.

Could/would that effect a shrinks ability or willingness to objectively diagnose GID?  Might a Dr consider my symptoms as some bizarre fallout of PTSD, rather than GID, as I believe them to be?

A diagnosis can be made regardless of any other MH conditions.  GID can present as other things to the untrained therapist and be incorrectly diagnosed as a few different personality disorders.  Try to find yourself a gender therapist.  If you can't, there are many resources available to educate MH professionals on treating transgender patients.

I'm going to be the worlds sanest person!
Multiple therapists, two-three times a week!

Either that, or I'll really fly off the handle.



Maybe addressing my gender issues will help somewhat with my PTSD...

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,58994.msg374974.html#new

Hi Muddy,

Follow the above link. The FFS surgeon named that their discussing is a former military doctor/plas. surg. His contact info is on his website...I'm willing to bet that a call to his office or a few emails will avail your concerns.

Mich'

That'd be AWESOME!

Thanks for the nudge in the right direction.

your welcome... happy I could help.

I just had an awful thought...  Half-crazed war Vet, flipping out, whilst on Testosterone.  Like I don't have anger issues now...

Scary.   

As I recall OCD can raise a few flags for a therapist. Can anyone confirm/deny?

Quote from: Mister on April 25, 2009, 11:55:23 PM
A diagnosis can be made regardless of any other MH conditions.  GID can present as other things to the untrained therapist and be incorrectly diagnosed as a few different personality disorders.  Try to find yourself a gender therapist.  If you can't, there are many resources available to educate MH professionals on treating transgender patients.

While in some senses and cases this is true, at least the first sentence. I'm afraid it's true, like so much, with footnotes.

There are times when a two or more disorders occurring simultaneously can very much mask one another. And, tbh, practitioners whose sole purview is gender may well not be able to see that.

The important thing here is to get a "mental health" practitioner who also has some experience with gender concerns. There are a number of conditions that may exist which would tend to "hide" other conditions or to "skew" them. Just to name one: an addiction. (Not a thing uncommon amongst TG people.)

While conditions can be sorted the rather certain way described in this paragraph is never quite as certain in practice ofttimes.

The intensity of your PTSD and how it reveals itself might well leave some doubt in a practitioner's ability and willingness to grant your "gender disorder" a place as something to be "worked on first."

Anything we tell you at this point is subject to a lot of speculation. Find a mental health therapist and work with them. Try to be as open as possible about your situation/s. Hopefully all will work out positively for both your PTSD and your gender dissonance.

Nichole

Muddy- I was also concerned but it has not been an issue. I was seeing someone else for my PTSD-Combat related. It's a separate issue. I should add though I am pretty far along in  my battle literally and figuratively (First Persian Gulf War) so it doesn't really come up with my gender therapist, I did tell him about it. A good gender therapist can separate (when they truly are separate issues) GID from other mental issues IMHO.
Myles

Two things really
First:
GID can present as other things to the untrained therapist and be incorrectly diagnosed as a few different personality disorders
Accepting that as true, could it not be also true that ipso facto the reverse is also possible. 

Second:
there are many resources available to educate MH professionals on treating transgender patients.
If your pre-screening those materials, aren't you just teaching them to say what you want them to hear?

Quote from: tekla on April 27, 2009, 10:30:47 AM
Two things really
First:
GID can present as other things to the untrained therapist and be incorrectly diagnosed as a few different personality disorders
Accepting that as true, could it not be also true that ipso facto the reverse is also possible. 

Second:
there are many resources available to educate MH professionals on treating transgender patients.
If your pre-screening those materials, aren't you just teaching them to say what you want them to hear?

First-  yes, this is of course possible.  It seems much more likely that an adolescent acting out due to GID will be labelled as BPD than your average BPD patient being labelled as having GID.

Second-  Having resources available for your therapist that include how to respect the identity of a TG/TS person (i.e. use preferred pronouns, don't refer to a MTF's childhood with statements like "when you were a boy...") is much different than a book that does nothing but summarize letter-writing requirements for hormones and surgery.

It is possible to start treatment and whatnot with other disorders.  I have:

Bipolar I Affective Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder (even known for identity issues, though not necessarily gender related)

However, prior to starting transition and seeing a therapist about my gender, I was pretty stable in all of the above conditions and in regular group therapy for Borderline.  The key is already having all the other stuff under moderate control (in my experience).

It can depend on the doctor, but most experienced GID specialists are able to work with any pre-existing mental health conditions you have. I know that it's a fear among many trans folk who have a pre-existing mental illness that they will be denied. In most cases, with a good, experienced doctor, you're not denied. My doctor put it this way: GID most often manifests when you're young 5-8 average, meanwhile most mental health issues don't show up until your teens, or even much later in life. Having GID all your life can also provoke mental heath issues.

Hey, I'm "crazy" and I'm now a year post-op. I'm doing great in the GID front, and not to bad with other mental health issues. I have issues from time to time, because surgery and transition don't cure everything, and you may still require treatment and therapy for a long time and perhaps your whole life. I think over all, taking care of my transition has helped my other issues.

I know a lot of trans folk who have existing mental disorders, and are able to go through transition fine. It's just about working with your doctors through the process.

I have PTSD and have transitioned without any issues (with the medical front). That is even though my first therapist came close to having me committed but did not because she feared for the safety of the police / mental health personnel who would have responded.

It comes on really sudden and not 100% sure what all of the triggers are at the moment. I do have it under control most of the time so I do not worry about it. If it ever impacts my day to day functioning (longest has been about a month, years ago).

Dealing with the GID did help me because it reduced the amount of stress in my life.

Be honest, be open, and learn how to manage it. It can take years but you can get there.

YMMV, my GID onset was very, very early in my life and I had a few sessions under my belt before a Dr brought up the PTSD thing.