What does it mean be transgendered? Is it a “personal truth” one identities with or is a misunderstood metal disorder? In the past, being transgendered was identified as gender dysmorphic disorder by the American Psychological Association. Since then, ideology of transgendered and how it was treated has changed. Over time, the LGTB community has brought an awareness to the transgendered community. They started a movement that allows people to be their true self or become their true self with the option of reconstructive surgery. However not everyone agrees, in an article written in the Wall Street Journal Paul McHugh, former chief psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University, argues against allowing people to get transgendered surgery. He quotes
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Transgendered use to be classified as gender identity disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has published a new edition and replaced gender identity disorder changing it to gender dysphoria. The DSM states, “Gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder. The critical element of gender dysphoria is the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition. For a person to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria, there must be a marked difference between the individual’s expressed/experienced gender and the gender others would assign him or her, and it must continue for at least six months.” Meaning gender dysphoria does not look at the mental state of the individual rather looks into environmental stressors that cause the person to have psychological or social discomfort (France). In the field of Psychology, they embraced the notion that it is acceptable to have thoughts or desires to be the opposite sex. As of 2013 when the DSM-5 was published being transgendered is no longer viewed as a mental disorder. Paul McHugh is a psychiatrist which means he should be familiar with the DSM and the changes that were made. So, it would be erroneous to claim that gender identity disorder is to blame for the psychological and social problems transgendered …show more content…
Paul McHugh talked about the mortality rates of transgendered people after getting surgery. He quoted a research study that was conducted in Sweden by the Karolinska Institute as evidence to support his claim. However with further analyses for the research study, Paul misinterpreted the Sweden study and made a false assumption from what the research findings actually showed. The research study that was conducted at the Karolinska Institute looked over the course of 10 years at mortality rates of transgendered after getting reconstructive surgery and compare them to non-transgender males and females. The results showed that transgendered regardless of male-to-female or female-to-male of both had a three times higher risk of all-cause mortality than people who were not transgendered. The conclusion that was made was that, “sex reassignment, although alleviating gender dysphoria, may not suffice as treatment for transsexualism, and should inspire improved psychiatric and somatic care after sex reassignment for this patient group” (Dhejne). The research study draws no conclusion between the effectiveness of transgender surgery and transgendered morality rates. The study is simple comparing the health between transgendered and non-transgendered. However in the article, Paul McHugh makes his own conclusion stating “…the transgendered began to experience increasing mental
Transgendered use to be classified as gender identity disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has published a new edition and replaced gender identity disorder changing it to gender dysphoria. The DSM states, “Gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder. The critical element of gender dysphoria is the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition. For a person to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria, there must be a marked difference between the individual’s expressed/experienced gender and the gender others would assign him or her, and it must continue for at least six months.” Meaning gender dysphoria does not look at the mental state of the individual rather looks into environmental stressors that cause the person to have psychological or social discomfort (France). In the field of Psychology, they embraced the notion that it is acceptable to have thoughts or desires to be the opposite sex. As of 2013 when the DSM-5 was published being transgendered is no longer viewed as a mental disorder. Paul McHugh is a psychiatrist which means he should be familiar with the DSM and the changes that were made. So, it would be erroneous to claim that gender identity disorder is to blame for the psychological and social problems transgendered …show more content…
Paul McHugh talked about the mortality rates of transgendered people after getting surgery. He quoted a research study that was conducted in Sweden by the Karolinska Institute as evidence to support his claim. However with further analyses for the research study, Paul misinterpreted the Sweden study and made a false assumption from what the research findings actually showed. The research study that was conducted at the Karolinska Institute looked over the course of 10 years at mortality rates of transgendered after getting reconstructive surgery and compare them to non-transgender males and females. The results showed that transgendered regardless of male-to-female or female-to-male of both had a three times higher risk of all-cause mortality than people who were not transgendered. The conclusion that was made was that, “sex reassignment, although alleviating gender dysphoria, may not suffice as treatment for transsexualism, and should inspire improved psychiatric and somatic care after sex reassignment for this patient group” (Dhejne). The research study draws no conclusion between the effectiveness of transgender surgery and transgendered morality rates. The study is simple comparing the health between transgendered and non-transgendered. However in the article, Paul McHugh makes his own conclusion stating “…the transgendered began to experience increasing mental