Is being transgender a mental illness?

[blissinanarchy1]

So, recently, I've been thinking abiut this a lot and it got pretty political. The usual happened on the political spectrum of ideas. The left wing will call you intolerant or transphobic if you disagree, but on the other hand the right wing will say geniunely transphobic intolerant shit and call you a snowflake if you got a problem with their mistreatment. Not many people are open minded enough to think "Disagreeing doesn't make me intolerant, but there's no need for me to be offensive and disregard people's feelings." So let's think like that, shall we? So gender dysphoria was taken off the DSM list of diagnosable mental health issues. Why? The label "mental illness" is understood by pretty much everyone as "Something that's wrong and needs to be fixed." So that translates to individuals with gender dysphoria, that basically they're nuts and need to stop believing they're another gender. I can see why it's offensive. I don't believe that believing you're another gender is harmful to your mental well being, but the associated symptoms obviously are. That being said, I do believe gender dysphoria is a mental illness.

[OpenClose]

I didn't know Gender Dysphoria was taken off the DSM but I totally disagree. I think it's just over-sensitive people who are itching to jump to a conclusion.

It's as simple as this: Gender Dysphoria IS a mental illness. Gender transition is the treatment. It's literally creating a diagnosis on which to prescribe transition therapies.

I have a few friends who got this diagnosis, started on transitional hormone therapies, and are now much happier during and post-transition.

And on the scientific nature of the issue as a whole, a lot of older people will say "OMG didn't you learn as a kid that there is X and Y? X is female. Y is male." But we've made a ton of discoveries since then, and especially since mapping the human genome. Most gendered traits aren't created by the X/Y chromosomes themselves. Basically the X chromosome already has the information to create both a male and a female. It programs in responses to certain hormone levels and sets a baseline hormone level at female levels. The Y chromosome makes some changes, like dropping the balls, to change hormone levels and set off the transition process from female to male.

It's why the FtM transition generally goes a lot better than a MtF transition. You can largely kick off a FtM transition at any time, but for MtF transitions, there are a lot of structural changes that are irreversible depending on when you transition.

It's also one theory as to why the Y chromosome is shrinking: It doesn't need to do much on its own, just trigger stuff in the X chromosome.

I haven't read TOO deeply into this, but my understanding is with gender dysphoria, the brain basically responded differently during development than the rest of the body did, so different sequences were triggered, and the brain and body go out of sync in terms of sexual development.

[blissinanarchy1]

There's like 26 different X and Y combinations. Xx, Xy, and combinations with multiple x's and y's

[Кураж]

"Gender dysphoria" is the psychological distress caused by conflict between one's intrinsic gender identity and the sex assigned at birth.
Transgenderism itself is not considered a mental health disorder by any modern psychiatric organization, nor is it what "Gender Dysphoria" actually refers to.

The thing that "is wrong and needs to be fixed" in case of Gender Dysphoria is merely the dysphoria- the state of distress, stress and anxiety that transgender individuals may experience.

Plenty of transgender individuals do NOT suffer gender dysphoria, and as such aren't diagnosed with any mental health disorder.

[blissinanarchy1]

You know what? I didn't really take into account much the word "dysphoria" it's self, which I'll give that to you, you got that on me. Dysphoria obviously refers to the mood you're in which you explained. Now, what do you think could cause being transgender? I got an idea but I'll wait for a reply to this first to keep it organized.

[Кураж]

Transsexuality is caused by brain anatomy that does not match the sexual development of the fetus from the earlier stages of prenatal development.
Basically, transgender individuals have developed a brain that does not match the rest of their sexual traits.

The reasons why this happens are varied, but in general they have to do with disruption of sexual hormones or their function during different stages of prenatal development.

For example, rapid masculinization of the genitalia at an early stage followed by male hormone deficiency at later stages will result in male-to-female transsexuality.
Whereas an early deficiency in dihydrotestosterone conversion will cause masculinization of the genitalia to never take place, resulting in female-to-male transsexuality instead.

[blissinanarchy1]

You explained transsexuality, but used the noun transgender to refer to the individual. Are you using them synonymously? I typically think of transexual as a person with traits of one sex, that only differs in the reproductive system. "Females with breasts, feminine figure, voice, etc, but with male sex organs, or vice versa." That's the only reason it was difficult to follow what you were saying.

[blissinanarchy1]

Basically, to me the difference is whether the traits of another gender are physical or psychological. Personality doesn't match sex, transgender. If the sex organs don't match the rest of the body's traits, transsexual

[Кураж]

Transgender is just an umbrella term for all individuals whose gender identity does not match the gender typically associated with their biological sex.
But not all transgender individuals feel like the opposite sex as per the binary definition of the biological sex, some transgender individuals identify as non-binary/genderqueer and others.
Those do not count as "transsexual", since they don't have the desire to transition to a different sex.

"Transsexual" is a subset of transgenderism, transsexual people identify with a different gender on the basis that they ALSO feel like they should be of different sex, in spite of what their physical traits indicate.
Transsexual people wish to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

Yeah, I've used the the term "transgender" incorrectly in the above, I should have specified "transsexual".
"Transsexual" individuals are the typically the ones who suffer from gender dysphoria, due to those biological reasons I've described.

[kitkills]

What you said is correct, however "transgenderism" is not a word. A person is transgender, "ism" is then used for belief systems, which it is not.

[Кураж]

@kitkills
Both transsexualism and transgenderism are words: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/transgenderism

The suffix -ism doesn't strictly have to do with "belief systems", it's a generic suffix used to form nouns, and it's also used in words describing states or actions, as in "magnetism".

Transgenderism is a state, hence the "ism".

[kitkills]

Those are only written down as words because of the people who used them with negative connotations. Ask people who identify with those kinds of labels and I assure you the preference is to NOT call them the variations of the original word.

[OlderAndWiser]

Yes, a guy who thinks he should be a girl is mentally ill.

[WalkingInTheRain7]

Yes, it is. Truly, it's a spiritual issue, which is completely unnatural, and really causes vast damage to a person's wellbeing if they go through with these surgeries that cause them to try and become what they are not. It generally disfigures them, that is, makes them look half what they are supposed to, and half what they are not. Those who go the full gambit, get fake reproductive organs and the other removed, I hope they realize what they've done to themselves soon. Since, continuing down that road only leads to destruction in the end.

[kitkills]

It is not. But for the people who think that it is, should you not be treating people with mental illnesses with care and understanding? Just as you do with depression or anxiety? Maybe instead of calling it a mental illness and being a dick about it, if you MUST take that stance, at least follow through in the way that you would treat someone if it WAS an illness.

[blissinanarchy1]

See, I don't put people on a throne or treat them with extra care. With all good intentions, that can make somebody feel pitied and even worse about themselves. But I'm not a dick to anyone. No reason to be. I'm one of those most respectful people you'll meet until you disresprect me.

[jahaims]

It can be. There is a percentage of people with mental illness that turn to transitioning for whatever reason but there are definitely people who identify as the opposite of their biological gender. Basically mentally ill muddy the water and make others loose validity in there gender identity.

[Berethor]

Yea, and believing that you a cat is a mental illness too.

[Prg11]

It is a physical condition that also causes severe mental health problems.
Imagine having no genitals - those give us the sense of 'normal' that people without them simply cannot find (their inner compass is wrecked)

[FunkyMonkee]

Of course not!!
THINKING that it is, IS a mental illness!!

[blissinanarchy1]

Even if I disagree strongly with someone I don't think their viewpoint is a mental illness. I might think they're stupid. Not mentally ill. Unless they're clinically delusional.

[FunkyMonkee]

Well, they think that something that can't POSSIBLY be helped and started before someone was born is a mental illness! THAT'S not clear thinking!! That's not thinking at all!! It's no better than dressing up in a white sheet and hood and burning a cross on someone's lawn just because you think the colour of their skin is, in some way, tainting. Only a sick, twisted, mental case would do that to someone else or believe in such bullshit nonsense!
If it ain't hurting you, why let it bother you so much?

[blissinanarchy1]

You know most mental illnesses are started from before you were born as well, and can't be cured either? Like Bipolar. When it's a genetic situation and not trauma, it started before you were born. The symptoms can be allieved but you're not cured of mental illness. Just like how you can alieve symptoms of anxiety or depression that comes with being transgender but you can't cure it. And this isn't about hating on trans people.

[FunkyMonkee]

So? This isn't a mental illness!! It's got to do with genetics!!

[TheSpaceGnome]

Thinking that a gender stereotype is a reason to have a sex change operation is indeed a sign of mental decline/illness.

[Juxtapose]

Come on, just look at these fucking fruit cakes. Are you going to tell me they are not mentally ill?

😂

[Dchrls78104]

Not mental illness; just deliberate fraud, dishonesty, and perversion.

[007kingifrit]

yes. they believe something untrue and harmful to themselves

[OddBeMe]

Not an illness. It’s mental like most things are. Being hetero is mental.

[Logan_V96]

Yes, it’s a mental health disorder

[Anonymous]

Yes, we have gender dysphoria.

[joeldalton]

Of course it is.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Yes it is. 100%