What do we think of self-diagnosing gender dysphoria?

[Jen72]

I guess I was vague a bit in my previous post. Exactly what I meant was to get another opinion to weed out any other problems and protect yourself (big decision after all) as well of course against lawsuits.

Suzi that was a very clarifying outlook and yes it did make me think there are some that just know.

For some like myself I am still questioning this (less so as I learn) and that at least speaking to another person helps figure things out and that is the important part. A just to make sure measure besides the gatekeeping shizzle. It may not necessarily have to be a professional it could be your sibling/friend whomever you trust and even if they don't understand might be able to help you figure it out if indeed you need help figuring it out.

But having to see someone to at least make sure the choice is right it is good to find someone who know what they are talking about to figure out the next step. Disclaimer not all therapist know either.

For those that truly know it should be a just a speed bump however in reality it seems its more of a pain in the ... that isn't necessary. Really if a good therapist sees you are truly confident that you are indeed trans then they should be there to provide information on how to proceed without hinderances but that damn reality is that is not that case for some. But like I am saying a good therapist might help you discover that maybe you should think on it more.

[kittenpower]

In order to start HRT, I had to see a therapist, because informed consent did not exist then. Also, I don't think that someone else can tell you if you are transgender or not; it's something deeply personal that only you can determine. 

[suzifrommd]

Also, I don't think that someone else can tell you if you are transgender or not; it's something deeply personal that only you can determine.

I'm with you 100%, KP. I would take it further.

One of the most egregious examples of cisgender privilege is that cisgender people are assumed competent to choose their gender presentation.

No one says to a cisgender person they should see a therapist before deciding to live as the gender they know they are. That was the point of the ridiculous scenario I posted earlier in the thread.

However, transgender people are assumed to be unable to figure out how we want to live and to deal with living that way without clinical help.

The underlying assumption is that we are less competent than our cisgender counterparts and therefore need to be helped along and protected from making bad decisions.

I have no problem with a trans person (or cis person) seeing a therapist when they think they need one. But IMO the mindset that trans people in general should see a therapist before they transition is paternalistic and patronizing.

[Mariah]

That scenario is classic and was so well done you could literally see it happening. I agree we need to get to the point that they understand were competent to make decisions in regards to our gender too.
Mariah

I'm with you 100%, KP. I would take it further.

One of the most egregious examples of cisgender privilege is that cisgender people are assumed competent to choose their gender presentation.

No one says to a cisgender person they should see a therapist before deciding to live as the gender they know they are. That was the point of the ridiculous scenario I posted earlier in the thread.

However, transgender people are assumed to be unable to figure out how we want to live and to deal with living that way without clinical help.

The underlying assumption is that we are less competent than our cisgender counterparts and therefore need to be helped along and protected from making bad decisions.

I have no problem with a trans person (or cis person) seeing a therapist when they think they need one. But IMO the mindset that trans people in general should see a therapist before they transition is paternalistic and patronizing.

[jeni]

However, transgender people are assumed to be unable to figure out how we want to live and to deal with living that way without clinical help.

The underlying assumption is that we are less competent than our cisgender counterparts and therefore need to be helped along and protected from making bad decisions.

The thing that bugs me most about that is that the entire idea that the decision might be "bad" stems from everyone else being uncomfortable with our gender identity. If it weren't for that, speaking at least for myself, there would never have been any of the internal conflict that led to this being a difficult decision. It's always been really obvious to me what I wanted to be, but it was really really hard to face the prospect of telling that to other people because it's assumed they'll have a problem with it.

[Lady Smith]

Suzi, your scenario of Johnny and his doctor examining his cis-gender issues really made me smile.  Thanks for that

[awkward-shark]

When I started to question myself about my gender identity I was seeing a therapist, I talked about this with her but, since the reason of my therapy was other gender identity and we were already working on so many other issues, she said we could explore that later. Sadly she couldn't see me anymore and I couldn't bring up the topic again. My next therapist after her... I never really liked her and when I talked about gender matters to her she almost said to me "no, you're not trans!". I stoped seeing her after a few weeks and decided I would take care of this myself.
I have, I've done some research about what being ftm or transmasculine is, about gender dysphoria and all that. I'm sure now that I am non-binary and I did that with no help of therapy (at least not direct therapy as I read some articles wroten by certified gender therapists).
However, I would like to take therapy later on the future, it's scary since I don't want to face the same expirience with my other therapist and I don't think a lot of people know what non-binary is. One of the reasons why I think my last therapist discarded GID on me was because I said "I don't feel neither man or woman" and she probably had never heard of that before...
I don't think a professional diagnosis is as much as a requariment to be transgender, but for some people, like myself, maybe talking it outloud with a professional helps, if the professioal is actually good knows about the matter, of course!

[synesthetic]

With all of the information available on the internet nowadays, all of the people sharing their own personal stories about why they transitioned, being able to compare symptoms, compare life experiences, and test and test your own convictions on the matter based on those stories and experiences, I think it's pretty safe to say that someone with classic gender dysphoria could probably diagnose themselves pretty easily, and in fact most of us go into transition already knowing that we need to transition, need hormones, and know whether we need surgery or not. There are plenty who are more on the fence about it who probably could benefit from some guidance to sort out their doubts and uncertainties, but most of us, probably not.

I was going to say the same thing (thank you for managing to do it much more articulately than I ever could). I totally agree with you.