Influencing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

[boudiceaborn]

Professionals Concerned with Gender Diagnoses in the DSM

The current diagnostic categories of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and Transvestic Fetishism (TF) have long raised concern within the transgender community. Those who are distressed by their physical sex characteristics or ascribed social gender roles often need access to medically necessary

Comments

[woland]

I don't know anything about this topic, but I wonder if part of that difference in cancer is due to the fact that transmen don't really want to go to a gynecologist. In any case, it's a problem, but I feel like doctors see a lot crazier stuff than people transitioning gender....

[boudiceaborn]

I'm sure that's a part of it, but I think especially in rural areas it can be hard for trans patiens to get the appropriate care - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Eads

The friend who mentioned this was talking specifically about rural Canada, which I imagine might be similar to Georgia...

Another thing that I've read is that insurance will decline coverage of prostate/ovarian/cervical cancers in people who have transitioned with hormones, on the grounds that hormones affected their cancer rate (there doesn't seem to be evidence that the hormones do affect cancer transmission).

[woland]

Yeah, I guess I was just assuming that most people who transition genders probably just move to larger metropolitan areas which can be more accepting. Of course, that's definitely not the case for everyone. As for insurance companies, I wouldn't be surprised if they rejected people for coverage for liking soy-based foods, on the ground that those contain estrogen-like compounds... http://www.soymilkquick.com/hormonetherapysoy.php Insurance companies are just awful all around.