Gender dysphoria - not a mental health issue?

[Dinosaurhearmeroar]

Hi everyone,

I posted for the first time the other day and was so moved and heartened by the responses. My question is one about gender dysphoria - currently I work in an all girls secondary school where there are a few girls in each year saying they are boys or non binary. I know that gender dysphoria is no longer recognised as a mental illness but what exactly is it? These students need our support and guidance without affirmation and pushing them down a path of no return. I saw a fellow teacher mention CAMHS on a Facebook teacher thread I follow (now left) who was, predictably, called a terf and the vitriol was unleashed. Can anybody help? I’ve looked it up but it’s still not clear?! Thank you x

It used to be classed as a mental health issue. I find it confusing to say the least that it is now not a mental health issue, but requires medical treatment.

More info here: www.transgendertrend.com/current-evidence/

I'll just mention two things.

Gender dysphoria is not necessary for someone to be trans, they can be trans while being perfectly content with their body. No, me neither.

Gender dysphoria is being rebadged into something called "gender euphoria". I won't make any comment about that condition.

I think it does exist and I think it is a type of mental health condition - a reaction to a combination of changing body, people's reaction to that new body , and external gender restrictions leading to a rejection of reality and I think I had it as a child /teenager

I know that gender dysphoria is no longer recognised as a mental illness but what exactly is it?

My suspicion, given the immense funding of lobby groups and the fact that WPATH is simultaneously a patient led-lobby group, as well as the supposed medical expert, is that the change in recognition is more down to lobbying than actual evidence-based medical opinion.

Doesn’t help you much, but I suspect that’s where we are.

It is under sexual health now.

www.bbc.com/news/health-48448804

@nauticant fantastic response. Made me chuckle in these dark times…!

Gender dysphoric trans is to non-dysphoric trans as clinical depression is to FOMO.

I suspected Theresa May had been 'captured' (which is odd to say the least for a practising christian) but did not realise the quote about being trans not being a mental illness dated back as far as 2017
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-transgender-not-illness-gender-recognition-act-lgbt-rights-sex-edution-homophobia-pink-news-awards-a8008486.html

UK Government guidance to schools now correctly says no child should ever be told they are 'born in the wrong body' but who decided gender dysphoria was no longer a mental illness?

So it looks like Liz Truss/Boris Johnson are the ones to thank for self-id being put on hold.

Have you read “Irreversible Damage” OP? It is possible to download instantly on kindle. It goes through in quite detail what happens, possible reasons (author speculates an attempt to escape women hood) and the consequences.

It is quite well written.

I believe it is seen as a symptom rather than a disorder in itself - as a symptom it should prompt further investigation into the underlying cause (eg ptsd, trauma, autism, ADHD etc).

I’ve got material girls and trans on my reading list - will add irreversible damage, too! The more you know…

I haven’t read Material Girls but it is supposed to be very good.

I would suggest starting with irreversible damage. It is extremely easily accessible, a very easy read which introduces many of the issues without purporting to be scientific or to fit it into any theory.

I read it in one evening