Is being transgender a mental illness?

TheBirdman

As the title says. I recently had this debate with a friend and I'm interested in hearing other people's views.

Reply 1

Reality Check

It seems like more of a fad or fashion at the moment. Everyone's at it.

Reply 2

username943595

In some cases, I guess it could be regarded as one. For many generations, the standard norm of a family was mum dad and the kids. None of this silly monkey business like switching genders and homosexuality. Additionally, it could be as a result of peer pressure and wanting to fit into society and somehow wanting to stand out, therefore ending up as a mental illness.

Depends from what angle you approach it.

Reply 3

Izzie1234567

It's not classified as one by pretty intelligent people and if it's a fad it's a pretty stupid fad. Being transgender is hard. Someone on my course basically got cut off and kicked out by his parents because he told them. Also there are examples of transgender people throughout history and in a huge amount of different cultures. So no I don't think it's a mental illness or a fad.

Reply 4

TheBirdman

Original post by Reality Check

It seems like more of a fad or fashion at the moment. Everyone's at it.

It is becoming increasingly normalised which can be dangerous.

Reply 5

jambojim97

No. Being transgender is not merely a mental illness, as it has been proven that the chemical and physical structures of a trans person's brain are akin to the gender they identify with as opposed to their biological sex.

HOWEVER... At the moment the whole trans movement has become a messy labyrinth of identity politics and aggression against 'white cis males' which are giving trans people a bad name. I am also rather skeptical about non-binary gender identities, as no scientific studies have given them any credit. Moreover, it would seem that the majority of non-binary people are predominantly white and middle class - and are merely shrieking 'oppression' because they actually want to be oppressed.

But you will find plenty of trans people who act perfectly normally and don't let the fact they are trans define them - there's more to someone about their sexuality/ gender. People like Lewis Hancox and Blaire White (not saying I agree with her views, just a good example) are prime examples.

Reply 6

TheBirdman

Original post by jambojim97

I tend to agree with you, albeit still being an bit confused on the difference between gender dysphoria and transgenderism. I quite like Blaire.

No.

Original post by TheBirdman

I tend to agree with you, albeit still being an bit confused on the difference between gender dysphoria and transgenderism. I quite like Blaire.

Gender dysphoria is the condition which causes people to 'be' transgender.

Reply 9

Anonymous #1

Original post by TheBirdman

As the title says. I recently had this debate with a friend and I'm interested in hearing other people's views.

Ummm... It's difficult to say.

I personally believe that whatever causes it comes from the brain so would technically be a mental health issue and that the mental health side of things should be considered and adressed. I especially believe this to be true of transexualism (though I realise you asked about gender) as I think other potential options (reasignment surgery or feeling as though you are living a lie) are very serious, and therapy could be a better choice that avoids potential dangers.

I do however think that, despite being a mental health condition, transgenderism (I hope it is an ism and i'm not making up words) is something that doesn't necessarily need to be treated. In some cases it can be mixed up in other conditions and I believe that needs to be dealt with, but if the individual feels better by just identifying differently it is simpler and possibly better for them than trying to change their minds with therapy and cure them.

To be honest I find transgenderism stupid just because I find the concept of gender stupid. People treat it as some big deal and confuse it with sex (physical) when all it is is assuming characteristics based on if your organ goes in or out.
It's no different from saying people with "outie" bellybuttons should like blue, play with dolls, work in physical careers, drink fruity drinks, wear tight clothes and talk in verse. The only reason people see my example as crazy and gender as a real concept is becaus society has latched onto it and accepted it.

I personally don't see the point in identifying as any gender cos i'm me, not a vagina with feeling. Sure, identify me by my sex cos that actually has a physical impact, but socially I want to be known as me, not some generalised assumption.

I may not have stated my case perfectly, but I hope I at least go my point across in some veiguely leigable way. I'm tired, forgive me :P

Reply 10

Kindred

Original post by jambojim97

I can see the point you are trying to make in the first paragraph, but actuall it would mean the opposite if anything. Depressin is caused by chemicals in the brain as is OCD and any other mh condition. A mental health condition is brain structure and chemicals differences, that's why it's "mental".
If it was just down to personal preferance (like your favirote colour would be), it would be far harder to identify any differences with brain structure or composition. *See edit*

I agree with you on the whole though. I think "gender" as theme has been latched onto by people who feel marginalised or unaccepted by society and that's leading to a very confusing ane messy mix of new identities, when gender is really just meant to be how you feel based on if you have a penis or vagina (a silly concept in itself really).

To be honest if this whole big thing hadn't happened with gender, I would probably tend to identify as not having one purely cos I think the concept is silly and my personality shouldn't be assumed by my genitals. With this big new idea of gender I just try to avoid it and get secretly annoyed when places ask my gender when they really want to know if i have a penis or vagina just cos the're scared to say "sex".

Edit: sorry I missread your post :colondollar:

I apparently skipped the "as the gender they identify with" part or something which totally warped the meaning for me. Disregard what i've said concerning that. I apparently do not get the point you are trying to ake afterall.
That is really interesting now that i've read it properly. You wouldn't happen to know how brains differ from gender to gender or have a source would you? I'd be interested in looking into it more.

Although, I'm curious on where you stand on non-male/female genders. I'm not sure what all the genders are called, but I know there are a load that wouldn't fit into being male or female or even a mix of both so surely the brain structure argument wouldn't apply to them?
I guess there are kinda two types of transgenderism in a way, the more simple switch and them the more complex where there are loads of genders. I think they probablt work quite differently and I personally think the more complex is more of a mental illness where people struggle to identify who they are, while the more simple is like a case of mismatched bodies.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 11

bones-mccoy

Being transgender is neither a mental illness nor a fad

Reply 12

LancsLad

My girlfriend accused me of being transgendered....

So I packed her things and left.

Reply 13

Trapz99

I think it is. That's just my opinion.

Reply 14

btea

Original post by TheBirdman

It is becoming increasingly normalised which can be dangerous.

Original post by Reality Check

It seems like more of a fad or fashion at the moment. Everyone's at it.

Oh dear. Just as homosexuality was once a 'mental illness' and is now accepted as a very real thing, so will transgenderism. I doubt any of us that aren't transgender will ever have a small understanding of what it feels like, so we are in no position to label it as such.