Is There Harm in Diagnosing Gender Dysphoria?

Last updated on: October 17, 2018 at 9:10 pm by Dr. Laurel Shaler

Is There Harm in Diagnosing Gender Dysphoria? 2018-10-17T21:10:24-04:00 Dr. Laurel Shaler

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

There was great debate over how to approach Gender Identity Disorder when the latest edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual was being developed. The DSM-5 task force settled on Gender Dysphoria. Some people believe that it is harmful to diagnose a transgendered individual. If that is the case, then it is harmful to identify anything as mental illness. It is difficult and painful to be diagnosed with a mental illness. No one wants to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Borderline Personality Disorder, or any other diagnosis. At the same time, many individuals express that their diagnosis comes with a mix of emotions. Some experience denial. Some experience relief (“Glad to know I am not going crazy…there is something wrong in my brain and I can receive help for this.”) Some experience sadness or anger. Regardless of the response, the diagnosis can be a helpful part of the process.

Truly, the intent is never to harm, but to shed light on a real problem. Ultimately, a treatment plan is developed with the intention of helping the person find relief from their suffering. Peace, Hope, Wholeness. People who have addictive or eating disorders struggle with the desire and drive to engage in harmful behaviors. They find some momentary relief from their actions, but it’s temporary. The conflict that leads to the addiction, binge eating, etc. always returns. Until the underlying problems are dealt with. Mental health professionals accept them as people who are worthy of dignity and respect, while at the same time caring enough about them to help them see how their behaviors are harmful. We meet them where they are with the sole goal of helping them get better.

The same should be true for those with gender dysphoria.

Society says that it is perfectly fine for those who are born as females to believe in their minds that they are males (and vice versa). As a result, there is this belief that we should accept them as their preferred gender – the gender they believe they were intended to be. They thought goes that this will solve the issue; that the inner turmoil will disappear as long we allow people to live “authentically.” But is it really authentic? This is not a joke – I cannot be a different age, race, or ethnicity just because I believe I was born in the wrong year, skin color, or culture. Likewise, I cannot be a male just because I believe I was born with the wrong genitalia. Changing the external will never change the DNA. Diagnosing the problem and compassionately attempting to help a hurting person is not what is harmful. Engaging and furthering culture’s lie is what is harmful.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 14, 2018

I Love America. I Love Jesus More.

Next Post

October 24, 2018 A Christian's Response to Halloween

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many chapters are in the book of Revelation?

Select your answer to see how you score.

22 24 30 12