Hey again

Quote:

The problem is, I was in the past (for almost ten years) a self-harmer and I have read in various books about transgender/transsexual issues that it is unlikely that self-harmers would be approved for hormone therapy and/or surgery. I have also read things suggesting the opposite so I am scared to even attempt anything because I don't want to be told no.

Ok, to start off, to get permission for surgery and hormones you need to have been assessed by a psychiatrist or psychologist (who I will call psychs).nearly all psychs have no real knowledge about transpeople, which means that they can have some odd ideas about who can and can't have access to hormones etc.

In general you will need to see a psych who has experience with trans stuff, in order to access hormones and surgery. So don't just go to any one! Now, these psychs tend to understand that being trans in our very bigoted society can cause transpeople a lot of distress - to the point that transpeople often become mentally ill, or do things such as self-harm or abuse alcohol/drugs.

So if you self-harm, this won't mean that a psych will automatically reject you, and not allow you to get access to hormones or surgery. What the psych's job is, is to find out whether:

-you are mentally ill and this mental illness is warping your perception of yourself, and as a result, you think you are trans, when you aren't.
OR
-you are trans and also happen to self-harm, or are mentally ill, etc, possibly partly due to emotional distress caused by gender distress.
OR
-you you are trans and are emotionally healthy, and don't do things like self harm.

So, you can see, they have to work out if you are really trans, or if you think you are trans due to mental illness. Most people who think that they are trans, but have a mental illness that makes them think that, have some form of psychosis. If you do not have trouble with psychosis, it probably won't be too hard for them to see that you are trans.

Now, once they've classed you as trans, their job is to ensure that:
1) you are ready to deal with the consequences of taking hormones and having surgery. They will do this by talking through the consequences with you, and making sure that you know what you're going to have happen to you.
2) you are aware of the effects of hormones and surgery. They may talk this through with you, or give you info brochures etc.
3) you can (with their help) develop coping skills and interpersonal skills, self esteem etc so that when you do transition, you can cope with the social consequences of transitioning - eg how your parents react, dealing with any prejudice you receive. They will do this through therapy (if they think this will be beneficial).

IF they think you are totally out of control, and may do something stupid like kill or seriously harm yourself, then they will think that at present you are not in a good state to make the decision to be on hormones. In that case, they will help you cope better with your life, so that you are no longer totally out of control. Once you are coping better, they will assess you again to see that you are ready to take hormones and have surgery.

So it depends on how serious your self harm is, and the approach that the psych takes. If your self harm problem is very threatening to your health (eg you're drinking poison) they will delay deciding if you are ready for hormones and surgery, until you are coping better. If your self harm is less threatening to your health, they (depending on the psych involved) may either
- allow you onto hormones and surgery, and at the same time start helping you not to self harm
OR
- help you to overcome self harming, and then allow you onto hormones and surgery.

They have a professional duty to help you in a holistic way - so that if you go there for help with your gender, they will still most likely try and help you with all of your problems.

AND if your psych doesn't think you should be on hormones or have surgery, you can ALWAYS see a different psych and get them to assess you!

Generally it can take quite a while for you to get permission for hormones and surgery. Some people get it nearly straight away, and others psych assessments may run for months before they get permission. The important thing is to not give up - and you will eventually get permission.

Generally permission for hormones and for surgery comes separately. Most FTMs get permission for hormones first, then later, permisssion for surgery. But if your breasts are extremely large they may reverse this, so that you can pass more easily as male. You don't have to change your entire body to male, and hormones and surgery change different things, which is why they have to be assessed one at a time.

Don't freak out about seeing a psych or Dr - they're just people! You
are hiring them to give a service to you! Keep that in mind, always

OK I'm off to get you some more info! will be back soon!
x
Sparkz

_________________
Gender nut and site admin...hehe

My trans research has just been published, see it under 't' in the Tzone library: http://www.transgenderzone.com/library/st.htm
(filename begins with 'Transgender People's Identity Development').

Learning how to generate inner and outer peace in the universe and myself.

I have emailed some people and organisations around Australia and will send on information as it comes to me.

But here are some starting points...

Have a look at:
http://www.ftmaustralia.org

http://www.tgfolk.net/sites/gtg/

These may help you!

Sparkz

_________________
Gender nut and site admin...hehe

My trans research has just been published, see it under 't' in the Tzone library: http://www.transgenderzone.com/library/st.htm
(filename begins with 'Transgender People's Identity Development').

Learning how to generate inner and outer peace in the universe and myself.

Hi again

I've just been emailed a directory of psychs etc you can see - can you PM me your email address? I'll forward it to you.

_________________
Gender nut and site admin...hehe

My trans research has just been published, see it under 't' in the Tzone library: http://www.transgenderzone.com/library/st.htm
(filename begins with 'Transgender People's Identity Development').

Learning how to generate inner and outer peace in the universe and myself.