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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Is being trans a 'disease'/mental health issue?

1000 replies

SolveMyPrombles · 26/06/2026 20:05

I'm asking on this board for deliberate considered responses so please do share your thoughts.

A lady on a local group has described being trans as a mental illness that should be treated with compassion not pandered to because it's a disease.

Looking into it more deeply I believe she's wrong and there is no current diagnostic manual that agrees with her take.

What do you think?

OP posts:
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12
NowSober · 29/06/2026 16:40

TransParentlyAnnoyed · 29/06/2026 16:30

No, of course it isn't.

Being trans is completely normal, and only one facet of who a person is. All trans people have normal lives. Many are parents, almost all hold down jobs. They aren't mentally ill, something which affects your ability to function.

You need to read more coming-out stories rather than asking here.

If they aren't mentally ill why do they need hormones & surgery?

noblegiraffe · 29/06/2026 16:52

FlirtsWithRhinos · 29/06/2026 16:24

Yes please

It's long! Any typos are mine:

You are a person prone to bouts of real self-examination. This is in sharp contrast to a striking ability you have developed to appear socially very engaged, even the life and soul of the party; but in a way that only convinces others. You are all too aware of it being a façade.

This means that you will often be at a gathering and find yourself playing a part. While on the one had you'll be talkative and funny, you'll be detaching yourself to the point where you will find yourself watching everything going on around you and feeling utterly unable to engage. You'll play conversations back to yourself in your head and wonder what that person really meant when he said such-and-such - conversations that other people wouldn't give a second thought to.

How have you learned to deal with this conflict? Through exercising control. You like yo show a calm, self-assured, fluid kind of stability (but because this is self-consciously created, it will create bouts of frustrated silliness and a delight in extremes, or at least a delight in being seen to be extreme). You most easily recognise this control in how you are with people around you. You have learned to protect yourself by keeping people at bay. Because in the past you have learned to be disappointed by people (and because there were issues with you adjusting to your sexuality, you instinctively keep people at arms' length until you decide that they are to be allowed over that magic line into your group of close friends. However, once across that line, the problem is that an emotional dependency kicks in which leaves you feeling very hurt or rejected if it appears that they have betrayed that status. Because you are prone to self-examination you will be aware of these traits. However, you are unusually able to examine even that self-examination which means that you have become concerned about what the real you is. You have become all too aware of facades, of sides of yourself which you present to the world, and you wonder if you have lost touch with the real and spontaneous you.

You are very creative, and have tried different avenues to utilise that ability. It may not be that you specifically, say, paint; it may be that your creativity shows itself in more subtle ways, but you will certainly find yourself having vivid and well-formed ideas which others will find hard to grasp. You set high standards for yourself, though, and in many ways you are a bit of a perfectionist. The problem is though, that it means you often don't get stuff done, because you are frustrated by the idea of mediocrity and are wearied by the idea of starting something afresh. However, once your brain is engaged you'll find yourself sailing. Very likely this will lead to you having considered writing a novel or some such, but a fear that you won't be able to achieve quite what you want stops you from getting on with it. But you have a real vision for things, which others fall short of. Particularly in your academic/college situation, you are currently fighting against restraints upon your desire to express yourself freely.

Your relationship with your parents( there is a suggestion that one is no longer around, or at least emotionally very absent) is under some strain. You wish to remain fond of them but recent issues are causing frustration - from your side far more than theirs. In fact they seem unaware of your thoughts on the matter. Partly this is because there are ways in which you have been made to feel isolated from certain groups in the past - something of an outsider. Now what is happening is that you are taking that outsider role and defending it to the point of consciously avoiding being part of a group. This will serve you enormously well in your career and creative pursuits. You have enormous cynicism towards those who prefer to be part of a group or who exhibit any cliquey behaviour, and you always feel a pang of disappointment when you see your 'close' friends seeming to follow that route. Deep down it feels like rejection.

However, for all that introspection, you have developed a sensational, dry sense of humour that makes connections quickly and wittily and will leave you making jokes that go right over the heads of others. You delight in it so much that you'll often rehearse jokes or amusing voices to yourself in order to 'spontaneously' impress others with them. But this is a healthy desire to impress, and although you hate catching yourself at it, it's nothing to be so worried about.

There's an odd feeling also that you should have been born in a different century. You might be able to make more sense of that than I can.

There are some strong monetary shifts taking place at the moment. Both the recent past and what's in store over the next few months represent quite a change.

You have links at the moment with America, which are quite interesting and will look to yield worthwhile results. You're naturally a little disorganised. A look around your living space would show boxes of photos, unorganised into albums, out-of-date medicines, broken items not thrown out, and notes to yourself which are significantly out of date. Something related to this is that you tend to lack motivation. Because you're resourceful and talented enough to be pretty successful when you put your mind to things, this encourages you to procrastinate and put them off. Equally, you've given up your dreams a little easily when your mind flitted elsewhere. There are in your home signs of an excursion into playing a musical instrument, which you have since abandoned, or are finding yourself less interested in, (This may alternatively relate to poetry and creative writing you've briefly tried your hand at and left behind you.) You have a real capacity for deciding that such-and-such thing (or so-and-so person) will be the be all and end all of everything and be with you forever. But you'd rather try and fail, and swing from an extreme to the other, than settle for the little that you see others content with.

Conclusion: It's very interesting doing your reading as you do present something of a conundrum, which won't surprise you. You are certainly bright, but unusually open to life's possibilities- something not normally found among achieving people. I'd say you would do well to be less self-absorbed, as it tends to distance you a little, and to relinquish some of the control you exercise when you present that stylised version of yourself to others. You could let people in al title more, but I am aware that there is a darkness you feel you should hide (much of this is in the personal/relationship/sexual area and is related to a neediness which you don't like).

You really have an appealing personality - genuinely. Many thanks for doing this and for offering something far more meaty than most.

Scout2016 · 29/06/2026 17:41

Yes, in the same way anorexia is. Impact on those around, desire to exert control, negative perception of body sometimes to the point of believing something that is empirically untrue. However, whereas no one would prescribe weight loss jabs for someone with anorexia wrong sex hormones are prescribed to people who would like to pretend to be the opposite sex.

It's not the same as being gay. That is something that can be evidenced (physical sexual arousal) and is something which is entirely possible. It is possible for two men or two women to be in a relationship.

It is not possible to evidence being trans and it's not possible to change sex. Any belief you have changed sex is delusion.

ScrollingLeaves · 29/06/2026 18:13

noblegiraffe · 29/06/2026 16:23

Derren Brown has a trick where he gives a group of people a brown envelope containing an individualised horoscope about themselves, about their personality and so on. They all open the envelopes, read the stuff and then go on about how it's exactly them, incredible.

Then he gets them to swap horoscopes and they realise they've all been given the same thing. I'll give a go at typing it out if anyone is interested.

I just read it, that is brilliant. Thank you for that interesting demonstration about a tendency in human nature.

I thought it might be a real horoscope for @FlirtsWithRhinos at the time, but then also thought it might be about autistic or adhd traits. In various sections I thought that could be me. (I am not autistic and do not have adhd but often on mumsnet threads recognise traits being discussed by people who are and think ‘oh yes’.)

It also shows how easy it is to ‘contaminate’ people, changing their idea of themselves through apparently describing them.

noblegiraffe · 29/06/2026 18:37

ScrollingLeaves · 29/06/2026 18:13

I just read it, that is brilliant. Thank you for that interesting demonstration about a tendency in human nature.

I thought it might be a real horoscope for @FlirtsWithRhinos at the time, but then also thought it might be about autistic or adhd traits. In various sections I thought that could be me. (I am not autistic and do not have adhd but often on mumsnet threads recognise traits being discussed by people who are and think ‘oh yes’.)

It also shows how easy it is to ‘contaminate’ people, changing their idea of themselves through apparently describing them.

It is really interesting that twice it mentions issues with sexuality. It also mentions feeling detached from groups and observing, and being an outsider. Distance from parents who don't get you.

How easy would it be to use this generic description that so many of us identify with at least parts of and use it to groom someone? 'No one gets me like you do'.

And the bit at the end telling the person how special and unique they are - though the description is anything but.

Seethlaw · 29/06/2026 18:46

TransParentlyAnnoyed · 29/06/2026 16:30

No, of course it isn't.

Being trans is completely normal, and only one facet of who a person is. All trans people have normal lives. Many are parents, almost all hold down jobs. They aren't mentally ill, something which affects your ability to function.

You need to read more coming-out stories rather than asking here.

All trans people have normal lives.

I wouldn't say Barbie Kardashian leads a normal life...

Many are parents, almost all hold down jobs. They aren't mentally ill, something which affects your ability to function.

Loads of mentally ill people are parents, hold down jobs, and do plenty of other "normal" things.

FlirtsWithRhinos · 29/06/2026 19:10

ScrollingLeaves · 29/06/2026 18:13

I just read it, that is brilliant. Thank you for that interesting demonstration about a tendency in human nature.

I thought it might be a real horoscope for @FlirtsWithRhinos at the time, but then also thought it might be about autistic or adhd traits. In various sections I thought that could be me. (I am not autistic and do not have adhd but often on mumsnet threads recognise traits being discussed by people who are and think ‘oh yes’.)

It also shows how easy it is to ‘contaminate’ people, changing their idea of themselves through apparently describing them.

It also shows how easy it is to ‘contaminate’ people, changing their idea of themselves through apparently describing them.

Oh that's really interesting - I have been known to tell people how good they are at [X] or how I know I can trust them to do [X], not because they are especially good at [X] really but because people tend to want to live up to others' good opinions of them. They become good at [X] because they believe they already are.

Yeah - I can see how exactly that mechanism could be used for much less beneficial ends. Shiver

CornishDaughteroftheDawn · 29/06/2026 19:19

TransParentlyAnnoyed · 29/06/2026 16:30

No, of course it isn't.

Being trans is completely normal, and only one facet of who a person is. All trans people have normal lives. Many are parents, almost all hold down jobs. They aren't mentally ill, something which affects your ability to function.

You need to read more coming-out stories rather than asking here.

As there is no settled definition of ‘trans’, and there are a myriad of different experiences of ‘trans’, no settled definition of ‘gender’ which are felt by some very disparate groups with markedly different motivations and drivers, not to mention either 3, 72 or 100+ ‘genders’ to choose from depending on whether you are talking to Bailey, some trans activists or the BBC, and comprise a tiny proportion of the population. I’d say that there are few ‘norms’ that can be attributed to ‘trans’.

Shortshriftandlethal · 29/06/2026 19:28

TransParentlyAnnoyed · 29/06/2026 16:30

No, of course it isn't.

Being trans is completely normal, and only one facet of who a person is. All trans people have normal lives. Many are parents, almost all hold down jobs. They aren't mentally ill, something which affects your ability to function.

You need to read more coming-out stories rather than asking here.

It is not so much that assuming a trans identity is indicative of mental illnesss, more so that assuming a trans identity is down to psychological and adaptational issues ( that is what is implied by the condition of 'dysphoria').

Although it is pretty evident that there are some who do suffer from serious mental health issues - when you look at the growing number of cases in which trans identified people ( mainly men) have been implicated and convicted of sexual or violent crimes.

CornishDaughteroftheDawn · 29/06/2026 19:32

FlirtsWithRhinos · 29/06/2026 19:10

It also shows how easy it is to ‘contaminate’ people, changing their idea of themselves through apparently describing them.

Oh that's really interesting - I have been known to tell people how good they are at [X] or how I know I can trust them to do [X], not because they are especially good at [X] really but because people tend to want to live up to others' good opinions of them. They become good at [X] because they believe they already are.

Yeah - I can see how exactly that mechanism could be used for much less beneficial ends. Shiver

Yes this is an important point.

A while ago I read one of those FB posts that describe ADHD and it sounded just like me!

I thought ‘oh gosh do I actually have ADHD and haven’t realised?’ Then I had another think and realised it was just all this horoscope style marketing nonsense written by someone with shares in a drug company. Or a drug company.

The ‘how to tell if you are actually trans’ lists were a similarly crafted catch all.

I have also seen the added twist that if you then conclude you are actually not trans then you may be suffering from internalised transphobia that you need to get over and then discover that you are secretly trans after all.

A powerful message to the vulnerable. I’ve seen it work.

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 19:47

Seethlaw · 29/06/2026 18:46

All trans people have normal lives.

I wouldn't say Barbie Kardashian leads a normal life...

Many are parents, almost all hold down jobs. They aren't mentally ill, something which affects your ability to function.

Loads of mentally ill people are parents, hold down jobs, and do plenty of other "normal" things.

I think the point they were obviously making is that most trans people live normal lives. They go to work, see friends, have families, etc. A condition becomes a mental illness when it causes significant distress or impairs functioning. People living normal lives are probably not mentally ill if they are functioning.

Seethlaw · 29/06/2026 19:53

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 19:47

I think the point they were obviously making is that most trans people live normal lives. They go to work, see friends, have families, etc. A condition becomes a mental illness when it causes significant distress or impairs functioning. People living normal lives are probably not mentally ill if they are functioning.

I think the point they were obviously making is that most trans people live normal lives. They go to work, see friends, have families, etc.

So do mentally ill people.

A condition becomes a mental illness when it causes significant distress or impairs functioning.

You mean, like "being trans", which supposedly causes people to want to commit suicide if they are not affirmed? That's the reason the so-called trans kids should be given puberty blockers, isn't it? Because they'll kill themselves if they don't get them. "Better a trans son than a dead daughter" and all that. By your very own definition, then, being trans is most definitely a mental illness.

People living normal lives are probably not mentally ill if they are functioning.

Loads of mentally ill people manage to live normal lives if they get the right therapy for them.

CornishDaughteroftheDawn · 29/06/2026 20:49

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 19:47

I think the point they were obviously making is that most trans people live normal lives. They go to work, see friends, have families, etc. A condition becomes a mental illness when it causes significant distress or impairs functioning. People living normal lives are probably not mentally ill if they are functioning.

Claiming with no evidence that one is in physical danger or cripplingly uncomfortable using spaces intended for their sex must be some indication of mental health problems?

Wetting oneself repeatedly in public, pouring bottles of urine over one’s head, trying to get people sacked for stating basic facts - not a sign of good mental health.

Waheymum · 29/06/2026 21:03

Dominoodles · 26/06/2026 20:38

Kind of. I do believe that gender dysphoria is a thing, and someone can look at their body and their brain can go 'that's not right, it should be the other way'. That was considered a mental disorder until very recently when it was removed from the DSM5, after a lot of campaigning.

I do think it should have remained considered a mental illness. In the same way that we can understand that someone with depression has a chemical imbalance in their brain and can view it as the medical condition it is, if we considered dysphoria to be a mental illness and worked on curing it instead of jumping straight to the affirmation model, then perhaps people who feel that incongruence could learn to accept their actual bodies.

It does seem to be the only mental 'issue' where instead of encouraging the sufferer to see reality and pull themselves out of their fear, delusion, anxiety, depression etc, we instead tell them to dive right in and demand everyone else tells them that reality isn't really real.

If the medical profession started to treat Gender Dysphoria as a mental health condition rather than physically altering patients, what would happen to all those that have already had gender affirming care (hormones, surgeries, etc)?

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 21:11

Seethlaw · 29/06/2026 19:53

I think the point they were obviously making is that most trans people live normal lives. They go to work, see friends, have families, etc.

So do mentally ill people.

A condition becomes a mental illness when it causes significant distress or impairs functioning.

You mean, like "being trans", which supposedly causes people to want to commit suicide if they are not affirmed? That's the reason the so-called trans kids should be given puberty blockers, isn't it? Because they'll kill themselves if they don't get them. "Better a trans son than a dead daughter" and all that. By your very own definition, then, being trans is most definitely a mental illness.

People living normal lives are probably not mentally ill if they are functioning.

Loads of mentally ill people manage to live normal lives if they get the right therapy for them.

Loads of mentally ill people manage to live normal lives if they get the right therapy for them.
I would argue someone is not mentally ill when they have received treatment and are functioning normally again. I have OCD and there was a time where I lost hours everyday to compulsions. I had therapy and I’m better now. Would you say I’m mentally ill?

You mean, like "being trans", which supposedly causes people to want to commit suicide if they are not affirmed? That's the reason the so-called trans kids should be given puberty blockers, isn't it? Because they'll kill themselves if they don't get them. "Better a trans son than a dead daughter" and all that. By your very own definition, then, being trans is most definitely a mental illness
Gender dysphoria is the mental illness and that is what causes the distress. Many posters here would say they had gender dysphoria but aren’t trans. It’s possible for gender dysphoria to reduce or go away with transition, so I don’t know if I’d say ‘being trans’ on its own is a mental illness.

Theunchosenone · 29/06/2026 21:51

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 19:47

I think the point they were obviously making is that most trans people live normal lives. They go to work, see friends, have families, etc. A condition becomes a mental illness when it causes significant distress or impairs functioning. People living normal lives are probably not mentally ill if they are functioning.

Dunno. I’ve got CPTSD and chronic depression. I still have friends a family and a life. Are you saying they are not mental illnesses? They cause me significant distress and limit my functions in life.

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 21:55

Theunchosenone · 29/06/2026 21:51

Dunno. I’ve got CPTSD and chronic depression. I still have friends a family and a life. Are you saying they are not mental illnesses? They cause me significant distress and limit my functions in life.

They cause me significant distress and limit my functions in life.
That’s the crucial bit.

Theunchosenone · 29/06/2026 21:56

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 21:55

They cause me significant distress and limit my functions in life.
That’s the crucial bit.

Exactly. But I have a life. So if I can do it with mental illnesses, how can you say trans people can’t have a mental illness because they have lives and jobs etc?

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 22:04

Theunchosenone · 29/06/2026 21:56

Exactly. But I have a life. So if I can do it with mental illnesses, how can you say trans people can’t have a mental illness because they have lives and jobs etc?

In what way do you think the average trans persons functions are limited?

Theunchosenone · 29/06/2026 22:07

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 22:04

In what way do you think the average trans persons functions are limited?

Well aren’t they always saying they’re the most vulnerable, oppressed minority in the world and that they can’t participate fully in society because people won’t affirm their beliefs? If that’s not evidence of mental illness limiting function I don’t know what is? And surely you’d have to be mentally ill or very sexist abd nasty to threaten people who don’t affirm your beliefs with rape, murder and violence. Sane people don’t do that do they?

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 22:12

Theunchosenone · 29/06/2026 22:07

Well aren’t they always saying they’re the most vulnerable, oppressed minority in the world and that they can’t participate fully in society because people won’t affirm their beliefs? If that’s not evidence of mental illness limiting function I don’t know what is? And surely you’d have to be mentally ill or very sexist abd nasty to threaten people who don’t affirm your beliefs with rape, murder and violence. Sane people don’t do that do they?

Christ, you really do see trans people just as a caricature, don’t you? I asked you about the average trans person. Do you think claiming to be severely oppressed and making rape threat is the normal experience?

Theunchosenone · 29/06/2026 22:29

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 22:12

Christ, you really do see trans people just as a caricature, don’t you? I asked you about the average trans person. Do you think claiming to be severely oppressed and making rape threat is the normal experience?

Well yes from what I see.

CornishDaughteroftheDawn · 29/06/2026 22:34

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 22:04

In what way do you think the average trans persons functions are limited?

They appear unable to use facilities due their sex, in many cases unable to tell the truth about their sex or even hear people using the correct words to refer to them. Quite limiting I think?

DumbfoundedAndUnhappy · 29/06/2026 22:37

Theunchosenone · 29/06/2026 22:29

Well yes from what I see.

I’m guessing you’re chronically online if that is what you normally see.

Mapletree1985 · 29/06/2026 22:39

They are mentally ill. They need substantial medical treatment, yet their bodies are perfectly healthy. If their bodies are healthy, then it can only be their minds that are ill.

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