Gender identity disorder

Gender identity disorder as identified by psychologistsmedical doctors iscondition whereperson who has been assigned one gender (usually onbasistheir sex, but compare intersexual) identifies themselfanother gender role, or do not conform withgender role their respective society prescribesthem.

This feeling usuallyreported as "having always been there", althoughmany casesseemsappearadolescence or evenadulthood,has been reported by some as intensifying over time. Since many cultures strongly disapprovecross-gender behaviour,often resultssignificant problems,examplesevere identity crisis. Also, social problemslikelyoccur ifsociety does not accept cross-gender behaviour. In many cases discomfortalso reported as stemming from feeling like one's body"wrong" or meantbe different.

See also Transgender.

Tablecontents

1 Diagnostic Criteria 1.1 DSM-IV 1.2 ICD-10 2 Controversy 3 Treatment 4 External links

Diagnostic Criteria

DSM-IV

The current edition ofDiagnosticStatistical ManualMental Disorders has five criteria that must be met beforediagnosisGender Identity Disorder can be given: [1]

1. There must be evidence ofstrongpersistent cross-gender identification.
2. This cross-gender identification must not merely bedesireany perceived cultural advantagesbeingother sex.
3. There must also be evidencepersistent discomfort about one's assigned sex orsenseinappropriateness ingender rolethat sex.
4. The individual must not haveconcurrent physical intersex condition (e.g., androgen insensitivity syndrome or congenital adrenal hyperplasia).
5. There must be evidenceclinically significant distress or impairmentsocial, occupational, or other important areasfunctioning.

The DSM-IV also providescodegender disorders that did not fall into these criteria. This diagnosisGender Identity Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (GIDNOS)similarother "NOS" diagnoses,can be given for,example: [1]

1. Intersex conditions (e.g., androgen insensitivity syndrome or congenital adrenal hyperplasia)accompanying gender dysphoria
2. Transient, stress-related cross-dressing behavior
3. Persistent preoccupationcastration or penectomy withoutdesireacquiresex characteristics ofother sex, whichknown as skoptic syndrome

GID inDSM-IVcomparabletranssexuality, whereas GIDNOSmore comparableother transgender behaviour that may be seen as disordered. However, transvestic fetishism has its own code, asparaphilia rather thangender identity disorder.

ICD-10

The current edition ofInternational Statistical ClassificationDiseasesRelated Health Problems has five different diagnosesgender identity disorder: transsexualism, Dual-role Transvestism, Gender Identity DisorderChildhood, Other Gender Identity Disorders,Gender Identity Disorder, Unspecified. [1]

Transsexualism hasfollowing criteria:

• The desirelivebe accepted asmember ofopposite sex, usually accompanied bywishmake his or her body as congruent as possible withpreferred sex through surgeryhormone treatment.
• The transsexual identity has been present persistentlyat least two years.
• The disordernotsymptomanother mental disorder orchromosomal abnormality.

Dual-role transvestism hasfollowing criteria:

• The individual wears clothes ofopposite sexorderexperience temporary membership inopposite sex.
• Thereno sexual motivation forcross-dressing.
• The individual has no desire forpermanent change toopposite sex.

Gender Identity DisorderChildhood has essentially four criteria, which may be summarised as:

• The individualpersistentlyintensely distressed about beinggirl/boy,desires (or claimsbe) ofopposite gender.
• The individualpreoccupied withclothing, roles or anatomy ofopposite sex/gender, or rejectsclothing, roles, or anatomyhis/her birth sex/gender.
• The individual has not yet reached puberty.
• The disorder must have been presentat least 6 months.

The remaining two classifications have no specific criteriamay be used as catch-all classifications insimilar wayGIDNOS.

Controversy

A lottransgender people do not regard their cross-gender feelingsbehaviours asdisorder. The question what"normal" gender identity or"normal" gender rolesupposedbe;sometimes evenexistence of"normal" gender identity or gender roleexaminedoften rejected by partsmodern gender studies.
Some people see "transgendering" asmeansdeconstructing gender. However, not all transgenders do wishor feel that theydeconstructing gender.
Other transgender people object toclassificationGID asmental disorder ongrounds that there may bephysical cause, as suggested by recent studies aboutbrainstranssexuals, also pointing out thattreatmentthis disorder consists primarilyphysical modificationsbringbody into harmonyone's mental (psychological, emotional) gender identity.

Even thoughpreponderenceevidence suggests that transsexualism hasneurological etiology, therenot yet clearconvincing evidence aswhetheretiologytranssexualismmental or physical. Thuspsychiatric diagnoses will continuebe carry authority andbe usefulmedical billing purposespotentially forclassificationresearch results until those diagnosesdebunked. However, little or no research into transsexualismactually being conducted, especiallyNorth America. The mental illness diagnosesalso enshrined inHBIGDA-SOCs,though clearly suspect, persist probably because no other medical diagnosesavailable.

Inlandmark publicationDecember 2002British Lord Chancellor's office publishedGovernment Policy concerning Transsexual People document that categorically states "What transsexualismnot...Itnotmental illness." It would appearbe likely that other countries will follow this lead. Nonetheless existing psychiatric diagnosesGender Identity Disorder ornow obsolete categoriesHomosexuality Disorder, Gender Dysphoria Syndrome, True Transsexual etc. continuebe accepted as formal evidencetranssexualityhistorical reasons.

The official politicsmany countries still interprets transgendertermsan undesireablethat hasbe prohibited orpsychiatric disorder, which hasbe cured. See Heteronormativity

Treatment

Medicinepsychology have triedcure gender identity disorder or transgender behaviour or feelings ever sincecametheir attention inmiddle of19th century. Only occasionally reports about "cures" can be found,almost allthem lackfollow-up. Also, allthose reports can be matched withstoriestransgender people who at one point lefttreatment as cured. (Some transgenders werefact "cured" several times.) It never worked, unlessreasontransgender behaviour could clearly be identified as laying outside ofperson showing this behaviour.

Medical treatmentchangingpersons sexual characteristics (see Sexual reassignment surgery)notcuretransgender feeling or behaviour, but can help transgender personslive ingender role thatmore appropriatetheir gender identity. But while there will most likely always be transgender people who will need this kindmedical treatment,best help transgender people can getsocial acceptance ingender role that fits their identity.

External links

• Gender Identity Disorder Criteria - according toDSM-IV
• StandardsCareGender Identity Disorders - The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association
• Health Law StandardsCareTranssexualism An alternative toBenjamin StandardsCare proposed byInternational Conference on Transgender LawEmployment Policy.
• Gender Identity Disorder - Christian psychiatrist, George A. Rekers, defendscontinued inclusionGender Identity Disorder inDSM.
• The BanalityInsensitivity: PortrayalsTransgenderismPsychopathology -transsexual psychologist discusses how researchersoften biased towardsnegative viewGID.
• THE LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT Government Policy concerning Transsexual People
• DSM-IV-TR Axis 1 conditions
• Diagnostic Criteria from DSM Gender Identity Disorders
• ICD-10 F64 Gender identity disorders
• ICD-10 Mentalbehavioural disorders