News from The WPATH International Symposium

Comment by Rachel King on September 27, 2011 at 6:12am

More's the pity, none of the pics? appeared in your blog, but I would like to say, I am very impressed with what can only be described as a very sympathetic and empathetic view of we as people by WPATH.

My congratulations to them.

Now all we need is for the penny to drop for those who make up the DSM-V heirachy.

Sorry, that was my joke for the week.

 

Comment by Marsha M. Marsha on September 27, 2011 at 7:19am

Ditto Rachel's comment about pics

Come to think of it, ditto on her comment about the DSM-V because I wonder how much impact the WPATH will have on moving other professionals in the APA to start formulating new care criteria and definitions for gender incongruent individuals.

As Cerise mentioned not long ago, we have dilemmas which seem to conflict with sound care whether we are defined with a disorder or whether we are not.

Anyway, thank you very much, my dear friend, for the tireless efforts you are making to be involved with positive change from the therapuetic side of the transgender community.

Hugs

Comment by Lauren Elisabeth Tancyus on September 27, 2011 at 12:00pm

There will always be more to do and while not perfect, the change to the Diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria is a huge step. It reflects that some of us such as myself experience a significant level of distress over having the wrong body for my identity and the ensuing psychosocial distress relating to a world that doesn't recognize my feminine identity. I like it too because not all of us have gender dysphoria and  therefore do not have a diagnosis based on having a transgender identity. They are not being pathologized.

 

I try to look at the positive and build on that!

Comment by Traci O'Gara on September 27, 2011 at 5:26pm

I do like the term "radical reversal" that you used.  Instead of pigeon holing us into prefabricated molds, they now appear to be looking at how they can help us!  So it is a start...hope they can build on it from there and pull the DSM-V people with them!

Comment by Caroline Grace on September 28, 2011 at 6:29am

WPATH is an awesome organization that is well informed,thoughtful, and truly helping forge the future for transgender people.  I remember once being shocked when told by a professor that most information in text books is 15 years old and probably outdated.  The folks working on the DSM in sections pertinent to us seem to be in that slow-to-pick-up-on-reality category. Hopefully WPATH experts will impact their thinking...

 

Thanks, Sherri, for participating down there and helping to improve our lives.

 

Hugs to all, Caroline

Comment by Lauren Elisabeth Tancyus on September 29, 2011 at 9:11pm

It's all collaborative, Caroline. unfortunately revising either the SOC or DSM is an extremely massive undertaking that incorporates the most current research and clinical experiences available. I would be nice if it could be done every 4 years max, but when changes are proposed, they have to be tested in the field for validity and reliability. That takes time as well as internal debate about what constitutes valid and relaible diagnostic criteria. there are many modalities of treatment availble by at least 9 professions (off the top of my head) that have input into the standards of care. You can see what kind of an undertaking this becomes.

 

Comment by Lauren Elisabeth Tancyus on September 30, 2011 at 9:51pm

Cerise, you know I have tremendous respect for you and your contributions to our progress are not appreciated enougfh. When I am done in my active career if I get anywhere near what you have done, I'll have done a good job. I guess I'm a half generation behind you, in the dark days there was no one for me to talk to. I never even spoke to someone like me or you until I was 31 or 32. Then after seeing Marsha Botzer on a day time talk show I called her the next day and that gave me my first glimpse of hope. then it wasn't until I met Christina Lang on IRC in 1995 that I began to be able to see a future for myself (Thank you SO much Christina, you gave me the courage to become myself!!) I've seen in my lifetime so much progress,not only for myself but for the people I work with to help them realize their own selves and become the best they can be.

In 4 weeks, I will speak with my department head about transitioniong full time at work. She has supported me every step of the way in developing a cutting edge program here out in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the hospital has as well. I never ever dreamed I would be doing what I am for transgender people, nor could I ever have envisioned myself self actualizing as a person and as someone who is making life better for transgender people in a rural environment. The mythology we have surrounded ourselves with says what I am doing is not possible. My patients and I have never experienced a physical assault, nor extreme discrimination, though I and in a few instances my patients have experienced some unpleasant events. Looks to me like we are a whole lot safer down here in the rural south than we would be in a big metro northern area.

DSM is not perfect nor will it ever be. However, I don't see any evidence that the flaws that remain evident in the DSM have anything to do with Christianity. Not all Christians are bigoted nor do they hate us. In fact I would be willing to wager that many of us in the community are finding solice in our own church communities. I will be the first to step up to say I have had some hurtful experiences in the church. But ask Marsha what it was like for me to worship openly in her church and take communion for the first time. I felt welcomed and loved. Nlow I have a large mainstream denomination that wants me and ministers to me, not only participating in the worship, but getting the individual fellowship with the pastor and members that contribute to my sense of well being and spiritual as well as Christian growth.

I do hope you wouldn't portray the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, The American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Work, or even WPATH as being apolitical. Of course they are, just as any other professional association is. So the "friendly folks" who bring us the DSM have their own political agenda too.

I accept the concept of gender dysphoria because I experience to some degree every day of my existance. It hurts. I suffer. There, I said it. I am so glad that there is something in the DSM, although it isn't perfect. At least there has been something there in my adult life that legitimizes my suffering and offers an avenue of help. And, yes, I'm not especially proud to admit that I have needed competent mental health help beyond the scope of what a PCP can offer. They do not want to handle mental health issues that require more than a minimal dose of an antidepressant. They will not treat mental health symptoms aggressively because they don't want to take on the liability in our litigious society. So a partially treated depression or anxiety problem is no better than an untreated depression or anxiety disorder. This I know personally and professionally. You are well enough versed in the diagnostic criteria of the various disorders of the DSM to know that not all mental health issues are endogenous in nature. I would point to the substance abuse diso

Comment by Lauren Elisabeth Tancyus on September 30, 2011 at 10:05pm

Man, I hate it when I get cut off in the middle of a good roll! Now I need to try to reconstruct what was lost.

 

as I was saying I can point to substance abuse disorders, some depressions, some anxiety disorders, PTSD, and adjustment disorders in the DSM as diagnoses with exogenous causes. The progress in renaming GID to Gender Dysphoria is now a diagnosis that indicates there is nothing pathological about having a cross gender identity, but the ensuing distress and suffering is truly worthy of treatment. It recognizes that some of us, such as yourself do not experience this distress. Therefore, you have no diagnosis. I on the other hand, do suffer to varying degrees at different times in my life and I am glad there is an avenue that recognizes the profound distress and suffering people such as myself experience and that because of a diagnosis in the DSM, help is available.

Is it perfect, no. Is it better than it was, yes. I would rather light a single candle than sit and curse the darkeness.

 

 

 

Comment by Lauren Elisabeth Tancyus on October 2, 2011 at 7:09pm

Wow! I have to laugh at myself! I saw the reference to the Bible and was wondering myself how Christianity got mixed into this.How obtuse I become when I'm exhausted! I'll try again when I'm better rested.

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