Not to denigrate the seriousness of the non-changes to transgender as mental illness but more to stress how frivolous of some Psychiatric Industrial Complex mental illness labels
From Addicting Info: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/12/05/transgender-no-longer-classified-as-a-mental-disorder-but-hoarding-now-is/
By Nathaniel Downes
2012/12/05
The psychiatric field has grown by leaps and bounds since the last update to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) came out in 1994. Since then, the widespread use of magnetic imaging and genetic testing has identified brain features previously unknown, which helps to explain the mysteries which psychiatrists and psychologists have been trying to tackle for over a century.
One of the most radical changes, considered as fundamental as the dropping of homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973, is the removal of transgender from the list of mental disorders. Instead, transgender now falls under a new category, “Gender Dysphoria,” which more accurately describes the emotional distress that is many times experienced by a transgendered person. This may seem minor, but for transgendered people, this can mean a huge difference in their lives. Under the old diagnosis, a transgendered person was often discriminated against at the workplace, had their diagnosis used to take away their children, could be labelled as delusional or mentally ill, even arrested.
Those on the autism spectrum are facing an even more dramatic shift as better understanding of the disorder has resulted in a narrower, clearer definition of the condition. Under the older diagnosis, a person with autism could be labelled as autistic, having Asperger’s, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified. Now they are all being put under the term “Autism Spectrum Disorder,” or ASD, with clearly defined areas underneath. The new category now opens up treatment options for adults who may have had a milder or “high functioning” form of ASD and were not correctly diagnosed in childhood. The new category enables people to get the help they need, as it is now fully understood to not be solely a childhood disorder, but one found throughout life. The clearer guidelines also will help prevent misdiagnosis–such as when another condition such as ADHD, ODD or Tourette’s is sometimes applied to someone on the autistic spectrum–enabling people to get the proper treatment as well.
Continue reading at: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/12/05/transgender-no-longer-classified-as-a-mental-disorder-but-hoarding-now-is/
