Why do some people still say transgenderism is a mental illness?

[Anonymous]

World Health Organization removed being transgender from the mental illness list many years ago

Updates

8 mo

In 2023 currently and I have seen more than one user called transgender people “mentally ill” on this website before I posted this question

Transgender got removed from the mental illness list by WHO (world health organisation) in 2018 or 2019 I believe

[Anonymous]

Because that is their view and opinion.

People have different opinions on many things. Like if a movie was good, boring or bad or if a hairstyle is pretty or not.

[Opinion Owner]

I thought gender dysphoria is a mental illness

[EmmaMary]

Because it's everyone's prerogative to think and say as they feel.

[EmmaMary]

Thank you for the MHO.

[Asker]

Welcome

[OlderAndWiser]

The WHO has no authority granted by anyone other than itself. This matter is one that is part of a sociopolitical agenda which the UN and WHO endorse, and anything they pronouce is suspect. WHO lost further credibility during the covid-19 debacle.

You may believe whoever you want to believe, and you may convince yourself that you are absolutely right. . . but that doesn't mean that you are actually right, and it doesn't mean that we are wrong. Approach a subject like this with arrogance and you immediately lose any credibility that you may otherwise have had.

[Asker]

Do you still personally view it as a mental illness even after it was removed from the mental illness list by WHO in 2019?

It’s true you cannot change biological sex (XX) and (XY) chromosomes but gender and biological sex isn’t the same.
Gender is more of a social construct and behaviour.

[OlderAndWiser]

Yes, I think people who look at themselves and are so unhappy that they want to do horrible mutilations to themselves suffer the same type of illness as those with anorexia.

[Asker]

What would your reaction be if they started classifying transgenderism as a mental illness again?

[OlderAndWiser]

I wouldn't care. The WHO is just political activism masquerading as public health.

[Asker]

It’s true there are types of syndromes which can cause extra or missing chromosomes
but I believe most trans people don’t have these syndromes and still have the usual XX or XY chromosomes.

[OlderAndWiser]

And most of them don't want to confront that immutable truth.

[abc3643]

It's listed as a condition in DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition ed.)) as "Gender Dysphoria".

https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/gender-dysphoria-dsm--5-302.85-(f64.9)
Gender Dysphoria DSM-5 302.85 (F64.9)

It may not be a mental illness as we commonly think of them, but it is an abnormal condition that can lead to stress in the affected person to the point of requiring treatment.

That's important because, in the United States, if you want medical insurance to pay for treatment for a condition, then there needs to be a diagnosis.

The "F64.9" is the ICD-10 code for this.

ICD = International Classification of Diseases

https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/F01-F99/F60-F69/F64-/F64.9

2023 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F64.9
Gender identity disorder, unspecified

F64.9 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.
The 2023 edition of ICD-10-CM F64.9 became effective on October 1, 2022.
This is the American ICD-10-CM version of F64.9 - other international versions of ICD-10 F64.9 may differ.
Applicable To:
Gender dysphoria, unspecified
Gender-role disorder NOS

The following code (s) above F64.9 contain annotation back-references that may be applicable to F64.9:F01-F99 Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders

Approximate Synonyms
Gender dysphoria
Gender identity disorder

Clinical Information
A disorder characterized by a strong and persistent cross-gender identification (such as stating a desire to be the other sex or frequently passing as the other sex) coupled with persistent discomfort with his or her sex (manifested in adults, for example, as a preoccupation with altering primary and secondary sex characteristics through hormonal manipulation or surgery).
ICD-10-CM F64.9 is grouped within Diagnostic Related Group (s) (MS-DRG v40.0):887 Other mental disorder diagnoses

...

[Effably]

Because it used to be classified as such.

And even now, and I say this as someone very supportive of my transgender friends, while being transgender is not a mental illness it is probably impossible to be transgender and not having struggled with mental illness because of it.

Imagine for a moment being stuck in a body that isn't yours. It does not feel like you. It does not sound like you. Every moment you feel at odds with yourself. For 18 years. Maybe more. Maybe a lot more.

You're not going to be mentally healthy at the end of that. You will need help. Mental illness is always going to have a close tie to transgenderism whether we regard it as justified or not. Perhaps we could call it a bodily illness affecting the mind. One way or the other the classification should be one that enables treatment - because you need counseling and support in that situation and that often rides on it being a verified condition - and it very much is a condition of some sort, saying otherwise is disrespectful to what people go through.

Of course most people say it is one because they think it is. Reality, we don't really know. It probably is sometimes justified and sometimes not.

[DaveJord]

That because they do not consider it a mental illness, it's now considered a disorder. So, in laymen terms, mental illness is a collective term that combines all the underlining disorders into a mental illness.

So correct transgenderism is not a standalone illness, but the new term is now gender dysphoria, which is a mental disorder. And Gender Dysphoria, can be one of many other factors that that contribute to an overarching mental illness... but Transgenderism in no long a stand along cause of a mental illness, it is considered to be an underlying symptom of a potential overarching illness.

So can technically say it is not an illness... but it is definitely a disorder call by a new name... Gender Dysphoria. And that can be cause by a variety of factors.

[Miah05]

I think people who want to be transgender can do what they want and i would never shame them but I'm gonna speak my opinion on here for you.

I think we don't want to offend anyone anymore but let's be honest this is a form of body dysmorphia.

Body dysmorphic disorder

Also called: BDD, body dysmorphia

"A mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.

The flaw may be minor or imagined. But the person may spend hours a day trying to fix it. The person may try many cosmetic procedures or exercise to excess."

The truth is they are born a gender and being that gender has created a imagined flaw in their minds, and they obess over it until finally going through many cosmetic procedures in hopes of fixing the imagined flaw. I have seen the results and scares left on a woman who got the surgery.

The 2 hideous scares understand her chest. The nipples deformed as they were removed and reattached. Now under the pants i did not see that.

But her chest looked like and the recovery process to fix something that wasn't a true flaw.

[heather21cute]

Nobody wants to be trans. It's not a choice.

[Miah05]

@heather21cute true because they mostly suffer from gender dysphoria which is a Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria occurs when there is a conflict between the sex you were assigned at birth and the gender with which you identify. This can create significant distress and can make you feel uncomfortable in your body. People with gender dysphoria may want to change the way that they express their gender.
People also ask
Is gender dysphoria a mental disorder?
A diagnosis for gender dysphoria is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association. The diagnosis was created to help people with gender dysphoria get access to necessary health care and effective treatment.
Now what is the difference between a mental disorder and mental illness?

Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.
(Short answer nothing)

[Miah05]

So transgender it not 1 single mental illness, but multiple mental illnesses that leads someone to feel the need to become transgender.
And i said I completely support it

[Miah05]

I would also like to say one final thing. Being diagonsed with a mental illness doesn't make you crazy, or in anyway a way to shame someone. It means there is something in your life mentally that you need help with, and getting the necessary treatment can help that person live a healthy and full life, whether it's medicines, or therapy, or gender reassignment surgery.

[heather21cute]

Mental illness is used as insult. Its a terrible way for anyone to argue of trans people.

[Miah05]

@heather21cute actual it's not.
The word disorder was replaced with illness because licensed professionals said disorder means a disease and is more disrespectful to tell someone they have a mental disease, so Instead of saying you are diseased saying illness means yes you suffer with something but it can be properly healed with treatment. And they feel helping people with and without the mental illness understand that the person is suffering.
So actually saying mental illness is the politically correct way to put it

[heather21cute]

To people suffering it is.

[Miah05]

@heather21cute well than i would suggest people suffering petition to ask licensed professionals to change the term used.
But people with bipolar disorder are diagnosed with mental illnesses and just because they don't like the term doesn't change the fact it isn't a mental illness.
Just like a person diagnosed with cancer may not wish to have there diagnosis be called a illness, but it does not change the fact that they have a illness.
I'm sorry that reality may offend you, but it does not change reality.
People who think the world is flat find it offensive when people say they are wrong, so should we tell them the world is flat? To make them feel better?

[heather21cute]

I feel non trans people spend time on trans people for someone reason choosing to for some reason to talk lots about it.

[Miah05]

@heather21cute there are a lot of horrible homophobic, and transphobic people who use the term to hurt people, and that is too me the real reason it is offensive to transgender, because they took the legitimate term to diagnose people who's mental health suffers, to make them feel crazy and ashamed.
But to me, no mental illness is something to be ashamed of. We all have mental struggles everyday.
Many of us are so angry because admitting we need help is a bad thing, that it eats away at us. There are millions of people in this country who need therapy, but refuse it, because they feel it makes them look crazy. When it doesn't.

[heather21cute]

Except I dont need someone's help. I don't need government intrusion on trans stuff who know nothing about it nor the mental illness hateful label but compassion and people treating others as they want to be treated. I'm not mentally ill.

[Miah05]

@heather21cute if that makes you happy. 👍🏽

[heather21cute]

To me mentally ill are like sociopaths or stuff like that.

[Miah05]

@heather21cute because that's what the people not properly oeducated has spread.
If you become depressed because a loved one dies or life isn't going well. and you need therapy it's a mental illness. If you have anxiety. It's a mental illness.
A person becomes insecure because they feel their breasts or penis is too small, that's a type of mental illness. It doesn't mean crazy or psychopath. It means your mental health is struggling and you need some help.
Sometimes the help needed is as a minor as talking to someone to help you feel better about your situation.

I had a traumatic experience in my life when i was 15. It affected me and i need to talk to someone about it, and a part of my personality has changed because of it, and I have anxiety about certain things. That is a type of mental illness eventhough 99.9% of my day, and personality is fine, that 0.1% is hurting, and suffering.
But pretending and denying things because people are uncomfortable doesn't help anyone because we can't understand if we try to hide things.
Going this is normal or this is natural is a lie.
Saying this is normal and this is natural considering "your" situation or "my" situaton makes more sense because we can come to terms with what is actually happening with us. Our situation are different but the same. You didn't choose to be trans, but you are, so now you have to talk about how to deal with it, what caused, the impact on your life to feel better and mentally heal.
I didn't choose what happened to me and what it did to me, but I need to accept what happened, and the impact on my life to mentally heal.

[heather21cute]

To me, if say I'm to be called such a label, than it should be applied to all women. But it's not so don't apply it to me.

[Anonymous]

Well everyone has a difference of opinion and can believe what they want as adults.

However, I believe the reason it is called a mental illness is that many people believe it was remove from that list for social and political reasons not genuine scientific reasons.

In fact looking further I recently discovered a year or so back that the Male to Female surgery is very imperfect apparently that opening they create needs to be regularly stimulated or one's own body will recognize it as an actual wound and try to heal and seal itself off. Does that sound like a medical procedure that has reached its maximum effectiveness no it sounds like a trial run that shouldn't be utilized on humans yet.

A person before transitioning in the past used to take years to go through extensive psychological processes to ensure this is what they truly wanted now that barrier of safety is gone. People of all ages rush into choices they later regret but can take steps to make up for them and heal from those mistakes but this is a choice that is so damaging it can't really be walked back or undone it is one that will have rippling effects for the rest of their days.

Plus if you dive into detransitioner stories you see this shed a whole new light on this subject it is worth looking into. Anyway that is my two cents in my opinion if an adult wants to transition and has taken time to really think it over they can I don't even mind calling someone a man or a woman if I know them personally I won't do it for everyone but those who don't care one way or the other I don't mind putting in the effort. But, people lose my sympathy when they try to force someone who doesn't agree to say it but anyway hope this helps to some degree to answer your question.

[BeetleBro2000]

No serious people think that. The people who think being trans is a mental illness are the same people who don't take actual mental health or actual mental illnesses seriously, and think mentally ill people are just inferior mentally and morally. That's the only ones I've met who say that, anyway.

[Staximus]

It is 100% a mental illness. If you were born with a dick you're male or a man. If you're born with a vagina you're female or a woman. Just because you want to call yourself something or pretend you are something doesn't make you that thing. I can call myself a tree and pretend I'm a tree, but that doesn't make me a tree. It just means I'm bat shit crazy.

[Anonymous]

WHO is one of a number of self appointed saviours of the human race. I'm not sure we can learn too much from their view of what transgenderism is.

But then I hear masculinity is now in the DSM so you'd be right to question my view as well. ;-)

[TheSpaceGnome]

Because it is a mental illness to let stereotypes control you, let alone stereotype to the point of wanting to mutilate your own body to fit said stereotype.

The people in charge of WHO should be ashamed of themselves.

[Asker]

WHO used to class it as a mental illness but not anymore it was removed from the list in 2018 or 2019 I think

[TheSpaceGnome]

It should not have been removed, it is a mental illness.

[DarkWinterNights]

Because there is nothing physically wrong with the overwhelming majority of those who identify as transgender. Transitioning, hormones and surgery is a significant outlier as “treatment” for a condition that is strictly mental.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

The WHO removed it as a mental illness but that doesn’t mean people believe they’re an authority on the matter, or they don’t still hate anything “other.”

[Shamalien]

Believing someone is mentally ill is totally different than hating them. I don’t hate trans people, but I do believe they are suffering from a terrible mental illness

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

I agree it’s not abject hatred, but it’s “other”-ing that group of people, making it a form of discrimination. There’s a reason conversion camps made to “cure” transgenderism has such a high rate of suicide, their method makes it so that they not only despise that othering, but themselves in the process. According to most professionals, the best treatment for transgenderism is to allow them to transition. All other options lead to very poor qualities of life in terms of mental health, with suicide being an expectation.

[Shamalien]

Fuck most professionals straight to hell all they care about is money. Transgender surgery is extremely profitable

[Shamalien]

And just because I think it’s a mental illness doesn’t mean I’m running a fkn conversion camp XD

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Conversion camps exist because people assume it’s a mental illness, meaning it can “go away” with their “treatment”

[Shamalien]

Just because someone is ill doesn’t mean I know how to cure them or that it even can be cured by anything other than self discovery

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Exactly, the proper “treatment” for being trans or for specifically their gender dysmorphia, is to transition and discover themselves

[Shamalien]

Take out “to transition” and we are in agreement. If you truly discover yourself and are honest with yourself you’ll realize that you are what you are and drop the fantasy

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

You’re so close. Transitioning IS who they are, they need to present as their gender and not their sex and you don’t have to like that but at the very least you can shut your mouth about it. Why are you bringing this up after almost a week anyway? Don’t you have things to do? I don’t work until the afternoon so I have that excuse at least

[Shamalien]

I had things to do yeah I’ve been busy. Transitioning is NOT who they are, transitioning is a shitty expensive big pharma style “cure” which doesn’t actually cure shit.

[Shamalien]

The real cure is in your mind. When you learn to accept who you were born as, you are cured, and that’s a personal journey of self discovery

[Shamalien]

If I was born as a woman I’d be a woman. There are perks to both sexes just be happy you are healthy and learn to live with your body

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Transitioning is their way of learning to be happy and live with their body. Do you really think they would do this if they genuinely thought living as their assigned sex was a choice? Chill out, get off your high horse, recognize that you can’t empathize with these people and have no right to dictate their lives

[normalice]

Because they want to bully people who they want to bang but turn out to be dudes so no one thinks they are into dudes.

[AngryCarl2]

Some people think the WHO is a global conspiracy to control their minds by injecting nanobots into their bloodstream in the guise of a vaccination. If you can believe that you can believe anything. You could even believe Trump won in 2020.

[Anonymous]

Because it is, and it was artificially made to be normal and forced on us by political organizations.

[Shamalien]

Because it is a mental illness. I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone says; when you mutilate your healthy body to fit some mental image of what you WRONGLY believe you SHOULD be instead of accepting who you ARE, that is mental illness.

[slatyb]

Because it terrifies them. Basically anyone who isn't like them frightens them.

[Astarlessnightsky]

They don't understand it and thats the easiest explanation.

[jjj101010]

I would suggest that anyone who believes that they r something they are not would fall into the same category, doesn’t effect me though, l’m an oven.

[Asker]

Do you believe it was the right thing to do to remove it from the list or a mistake?

[jjj101010]

I think it’s a mistake, I’m all for them getting what help they need but it is needed

[Anonymous]

It's not a mental illness. Not like having schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. So I see why they removed it.