Hello,
Sex Reassignment - Changing Your Sex
Changing
your sex, your gender, is a very complex, highly difficult situation.
There are some people who have always "felt" like they were born the
wrong sex (gender identity disorder) and report that it has led to
frustration, confusion and even depression for a large part of their
lives.
However, making the transition to another gender
isn't easy either. Transitioning carries with it the prospect of losing
jobs, friends and family, as well as mockery from strangers who find
the gender change visibly jarring, as some transsexuals will attest
to.
In a
USA Today story on the subject, the paper
quotes Denise Leclair, executive director of the International
Foundation for Gender Education, a Waltham, Mass.-based transgender
advocacy group.
"You become a very visible minority," Leclair says. "The average
male-to-female transsexual is taller, has bigger hands and feet, has
more facial hair than most women. There are a lot of physical
attributes that are hard to hide in a society that doesn't like you."
That's
why American sex-change surgeons, adhering to their own code of
conduct, won't operate until the patient has had a year of intense
psychotherapy while living publicly in the new gender. And even during
or after the transition, there are some transsexuals who regret
changing sex and then go back to their original gender.
"The Psychological Aspects of Changing Your Sex" On HealthyPlace TV
Since
the age of 6, Maxime, then a boy, wanted to be a girl. "When I shared
this with my mother, she advised me to avoid speaking of it to anyone."
At 18, he then underwent a sex change. On Tuesday's HealthyPlace Mental
Health TV Show, we'll be examing the psychology of living as one gender
and wanting to be another and what
it's like after you've made the
change.
In the second half of the show, you get to ask HealthyPlace.com Medical Director, Dr. Harry Croft, your personal mental health questions
.
Coming in August on the HealthyPlace TV Show
My Partner Has Dissociative Identity Disorder ( We are looking for a guest for this show.
If you are interested, write us at producer AT healthyplace.com
. Sharing your experiences helps many others in the same situation.)
Stress and Rewards of Being an Alzheimer's Caregiver
Suicidality and Psychiatric Medications
Children with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Did you catch the ABC News special report last week on
children with extreme OCD
? It was very compelling television as they actually let the cameras
into the therapy room where you could witness first-hand how difficult
life with OCD can be.
One
case that stood out in my mind was a teenage girl who stayed away from
her entire family because she thought they were contaminated. The girl
was sitting on the couch and as her own mother inched her way from a
nearby chair to the very end of the couch, the girl recoiled from fear.
During
the segment, a research doctor explained that the part of the brain
that gives the "all clear" signal (that everything is okay) doesn't
function properly in these children. He said researchers are trying to
come up with medications that will correct that problem.In the
meantime, extensive ERP therapy for OCD, is effective in helping these
children.
More on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Visit the
HealthyPlace OCD Center
where you'll find extensive information on Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder. What is OCD plus symptoms, causes and treatment of OCD. And
where to get help for OCD.
Latest Mental Health News
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The Art of Resilience
That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit
from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass
this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network
(like facebook or digg) you belong to by clicking the links below.
Thank you,
Deborah
Community Partner Team
HealthyPlace.com - America's Mental Health Channel
"When you're at HealthyPlace.com, you're never alone."
http://www.healthyplace.com