No, not that type of hoops. The type that the DSM makes you jump through. What is the DSM you ask. It is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and that is the book that therapist use to be paid, if it is the DSM they can bill the insurance companies.
Once you are diagnosed with a gender identity disorder, then there is the Standard of Care procedure that are followed and require that you jump through more hoops and perform other clown acts in order for you to get your reward.
And one of those hoops is “A period of psychotherapy of a duration specified by the mental health professional after the initial evaluation (usually a minimum of three months).” So that meant that I had to see a therapist for at least three months and here my tale begins…
I made an appointment to see a local therapist and when I walked into her office, there was an overstuffed chair and couch, and I choose the overstuffed chair. So here I was sitting in the chair that was two sizes too big for me and she started by taking my history. We did all the classic tests like the ink blot test and when we get to the one where she says a word and you reply with the first word that pops in to your head. I started to giggle.
Well that did it; she stops and asks me what is wrong. I said this is so Freudian; all you need is a beard and a monocle. We talked a little bit about it and then proceeded with the word association test. I must have jumped trough all the right hoops because after 3 months I was approved for hormones.
However, I don’t think it is right to be labeled with a mental disorder in order to be treated for a medical condition. When I can afford the surgery, I will have to go to two therapists in order to get my letters for the surgery. Now for ever and ever, I will be labeled with having a mental illness and for some people can mean the difference between being employed and not being employed. You carry the stigma the rest of your life. The way that the DSM is written now, once you have been diagnosed with GID you are stuck with the diagnosis the rest of your life. There might be a change in the DSM in a couple of years that will provide an exit clause, but you will still need an initial diagnosis of GID, which is not acceptable. It should be removed all together and moved to medical diagnosis.
That's interesting, I didn't know about these hoops.
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