this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2025
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Oh man I am going to get burned at the stakes for this comment.
I have ADHD, depression and a tendency for addiction, all diagnosed by a medical professional and not just because I feel like it. I am fine with being called mentally ill.
Is a neurodivergence that usually stops you from reproducing naturally and gender dysphoria a mental illness? Without any disrespect I would say yes and that's fine. In my opinion it even validates hormone treatments and your insurance should pay for it. Do whatever makes you feel good about yourself.
I find it quite disrespectful to others that they have such a problem with that label.
Edit: Just to be clear, this is NOT about hate comments, or trying to justify them in any way.
you can’t define “trans” as a mental illness even if you wanted to, because there is no single trans experience. some trans people didn’t know from an early age. some trans people dont have gender dysphoria. some trans people don’t want to be the “opposite” gender (this one is me hi). there’s no way to define it other than “the thing trans people have” and that’s not a medical diagnosis.
Transgender is a general term
Wouldnt gender dysphoria be at least close to a mental illness, being able to cause significant distress and impairment of personal functioning (i think, i may have misunderstood the meaning of the terms)?
Mental illness is a social construct. Even medical issues are social constructs. "Wandering uterus" used to be a medical condition in which doctors stimulated women to orgasm to "cure" them.
Every culture is going to frame things differently, but the importance is how that framing is used or held against certain people. The idea that "gender dysphoria" is a mental illness is linked to the idea that conservatives think mental illness is just weakness. They don't believe that depression or anxiety are real, exhausting problems.