It is nice to see some movement on a subject that has been mired in 1950’s psychology. It is interesting that a such a “disease” that requires such drastic mutilation, has not been researched using post-millennial tools and techniques. When someone is “diagnosed” as transgender where are the CAT scans, MRIs, blood work, DNA work and other diagnostic techniques that would search for biological causation? None.
Where are the psychological diagnostic instruments that would confirm or deny? None.
Where are the trials of antipsychotics, antianxiety agents and psychotherapy to test the contents of the patient’s beliefs? None.
Where is the research about diagnostic decisions trees that include biological paradigms? None.
Instead we are told that the patient makes the diagnosis. Because they have felt like the opposite sex from their DNA since they can remember. Not accounting for the fact that in delusional processes, the past is incorporated in the delusions i.e.: when I treat the secretary who thinks she is the Queen of England, although her delusional onset may be recent (within a matter of months or days, at times) her delusions will include memories of being a child-queen, for acute delusional processes are often seamless.
Parents who arrive at schools and clinics with children dressed and raised as their DNA opposites are hailed as brave instead of studied as classic cases of Munchhausen by Proxy where parents seek attention by making up and believing the child is different, ill or diseased and providing symptoms and evidence to back the parent’s need.
McHugh is doing a service by raising these important issues in a world blinded by political correctness that engenders fear
Where are the psychological diagnostic instruments that would confirm or deny? None.
Can we pinpoint why Hitler, Stalin and Mao killed millions of people?
But we don’t like the answer that it is complex, because it means we are not in control of the situation. So where does that leave us? We correct children’s behavior, at least we used to when we knew what was right and wrong behavior. Every little correction kept us on course..........