Mental Illness: Transgenders Case Study

Athena Lopez Section A
As the psychological world knows, depression is one of the most common mental illness, with an outstanding 6.7 percent million Americans adults, 18 and older yearly according to a 2013 study done by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). As a percent it may not appear to be such a significant number in size, but taken into the population size, this is an immense 15.7 million adult Americans yearly (NIMH). And this was what was found 2 years ago, the number may still be increasing. Substance abuse is also a more than common mental illness. According to a 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), “in 2013, an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older were current (past month) illicit drug users,
Unsurprisingly, transgenders, those who believe they are the opposite gender than their biological gender, have an increased rate of depression and anxiety, as well as substance use. The two mental illnesses go hand in hand, which just increases the chance of both being diagnosed. Transgenders are commonly bullied at school, and have no support from friends and family. They are consistently judged by their peers, and in the religious world are judged as going against the will of God. They have even been told that they are suffering from a mental illness, which also affects the likelihood that someone will seek treatment. Many transgenders tend to not go to therapy, or seek help because they wish to not direct attention and discuss their gender dysphoria. The question still remains whether being a transgender is actually a mental illness. Many transgenders are commonly diagnosed gender dysphoria, rather than depressed. They are continuously pushed to change their gender, and in this sense they are more commonly undiagnosed as having major depressive disorder, and thus also have a higher suicide rates than non-transgender people. So because of the psychiatrists who still view this gender dysphoria as being a mental disorder, many trans are being misdiagnosed as being co-diagnose, rather than the larger matter of the one major illness, major depressive disorder. This as well is shared with the idea of substance abuse. So many
According to the DSM “for a person to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria, there must be a marked difference between the individual’s expressed/experienced gender and the gender others would assign him or her, and it must continue for at least six months.” So in the psychological world, yes gender dysphoria is very much committed to being a mental disorder. And according to Alice Dreger, some transgenders agree to leaving it in the DSM just to make what they are experiencing a reality and not something they are just making up inside their minds. However, Dreger points to those that are opposed to this being included in the DSM and states that “the DSM inclusion of what amounts to their identities results in more harm than good” (Dreger). She goes on by saying how gender dysphoria is much like the concept of homosexuality, which as of today is no longer a mental disorder. Walt Heyer even goes on to say that “the gender change pushers are actively preventing proper care of transgenders and facilitating in their suicides.” (Heyer). The entire issue that I have is that so many transgenders are being told how sick they are over their gender change, yet none of them are being told about the depression, and anxiety disorders they are experiencing, which in the long run could exponentially decrease the rate of suicides amoung the transgenders