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    The DSM 5 and the politics of diagnosing transpeople

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    Main Article (527.5Kb)
    Date
    2015-06-09
    Author
    Davy, Zowie
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    Abstract
    In the DSM-5, there has been a change in the diagnosis for transpeople of all ages from Gender Identity Disorder (GID) to Gender Dysphoria (GD), in part to better indicate the distress that transpeople may experiencewhen their gender identity feels incongruent. The Workgroup for Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders, chaired by Kenneth J. Zucker, was employedby theAmericanPsychiatricAssociation (APA) to update the DSM-5’s GID diagnosis reflecting contemporary scientific knowledge. Additionally, in a pre-publication report to the APA, members of the Workgroup suggested that they would also be concerned with the destigmatization of transpeople while preserving a diagnosis that medical insurance companies would accept for issuing payments for transitioning treatments (Drescher, 2013). The aims of this article are, firstly, to question whether changing the diagnosis lessens the stigmatization of transpeople. I will suggest that the semantic change from GID to GD marks ‘‘inverted’’ gendered expressions as pathological and, thus, continues to stigmatize transpeople. Secondly, the article explores the development of the GD diagnosis, and illustrates how the scientific data this were founded on are contentious. The article then demonstrates how the trans anti-pathologization movement has challenged the perceived pathologizing effects of the DSM-5 classification of GD. The article examines a selection of Western transgender community advocates’ websites, forums, and blogs. From these sources, the article then explores the different narratives of transpeople and political groups who offer details of their praxis, and evidences how the trans anti-pathologization advocates use the available science and human rights discourses to contest the role of psychiatry in the treatment of transpeople.
    Description
    Citation : Davy, Z. (2015) The DSM 5 and the politics of diagnosing transpeople. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44 (5), pp. 1165-1176
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/2086/12730
    DOI
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0573-6
    Research Institute : Institute of Health, Health Policy and Social Care
    Peer Reviewed : Yes
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    • School of Applied Social Sciences [2104]

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