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Talk:Gender identity disorder (view source)
Revision as of 23:04, August 15, 2007
, 23:04, August 15, 2007GID is not sex reassignment surgery, and does not always indicate surgery, other factors may contraindicate surgery
And please choose scientific sources, rather than popular news articles or "Aphrodite" web sites. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] <sup>[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]</sup> 16:21, 15 August 2007 (EDT)
And please choose scientific sources, rather than popular news articles or "Aphrodite" web sites. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] <sup>[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]</sup> 16:21, 15 August 2007 (EDT)
:I'm sorry, I don't know where the proper place to debate this issue would be, except in the talk page. Also, as GID is a current DSM disorder, the original introductory paragraph of this article remained appropriate.
:Modern medicine, both internationally and domestically, has in general conceded that the most beneficial course of treatment for someone with GID is by following the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care, which require extensive therapy, and further medical treatment only if absolutely necessary. It requires sufficient therapy before hormones (3 months) and it requires one year of living in the new gender full time, with two doctors signing off one of which must be a Ph.D. in order to aquire surgery. Both check points require the therapist to evaluate the reasons for the patient's issues, and to choose the least invasive change to their life possible.
:As such, not all individuals who are diagnosed with GID will have Sex Reassignment Surgery. Some are able to resolve their feelings sufficiently in therapy that they need no medical intervention, and can continue in their typical life before hand. Some necessitate going further, such that they would require hormone therapy, for many this alone is sufficient. Others find that they must go further, and the only way to be consistent with themselves is to have surgery in order to reassign their sex.
:The therapists are the greatest devil's advocate that an individual will meet against. These are the people who will either deny or allow you access to what you feel that you need. Their job is to ensure that there is not some other reason you're seeking this change. For instance, to evade police, to evade creditors, to evade prison, they're actually homosexual, (they usually either need reparative therapy (yes, sometimes it's appropriate!), or therapy towards acceptance, but certainly not a sex change), it does not stem from some other mental disorder, and it does not stem from a psychologically tramatic moment or abuse (e.g. a girl is visciously raped, and as a defense mechanism the only resolution she can see is to become a man and never be vulnerable again. Definitely a need for therapy, but certainly not a sex change)
:The therapists are also there to ensure that all therapy is towards the betterment of the patient, and that the patient isn't reaching further beyond what treatment would be beneficial to them. For instance, transvestites (heterosexual men who wear female clothing for erotic pleasure) may need therapy, and at most limited hormones, but it has been empirically shown by numerous bad results that a transvestite should not undergo sex change surgery. It's psychologically devastating to them, the rate of regret is enormous, and the results are tragic. To use fairly dramatic language here, hey typically enjoy their new "toy" for about a week or a month, and then their libido crashes and they find that they can no longer have a sexual response. They also find that people don't accept you as a woman just because you have the plumbing, they become socially astrocized, shunned, and become introverts and hermits.
:I invite you to compare and contrast that story, with the typical transsexual story. It's psychologically relieving, rate of regret is minimal, and results are typical of any beneficial surgery. Mortality rates of pre-op transsexuals is near 50%, and afterwards is only slightly higher than non-transsexual mortality rates (This is mostly due to suicides). The transsexual typically feels uncomfortable but relieved with their new parts, and then grows in sexual satisfaction from their new anatomy. They have also been accepted as female before they had surgery, and are already well aware of the social obstacles that they face after the surgery, because they experienced it.
:Ok, so I'm a bit off on a tangent. The purpose of this was to show that GID is not the same as sex reassignmenent surgery. Sex reassignment therapy (which does not necessarily include any physical intervention at all) is perscribed as appropriate, and as medical need dictates. Therefore, one person diagnosed with GID may simply attend a few therapy sessions, or they may be so fundamentally driven that the only reasonable medical course is to grant them sex reassignment surgery. Also noted, was that a source clearly indicated that Iran has a binding Fatwa that recognizes transsexuality as different from homosexuality, and in some cases declares it a legal behavior. --[[User:Puellanivis|Puellanivis]] 19:04, 15 August 2007 (EDT)