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Diagnosis is based on the self-reported
experiences of the patient, and medically confirmed
by by ruling out other phenomena such as mental
illness or delusional disorders over an extended
period of time; by a psychiatrist with an
experience of treating the condition.
Transsexualism is characterised by the
following:
- severe discomfort with the features of the
sex identified at birth (birth-sex),
- a persistent and
strong desire for the physical
characteristics of the opposite of the
birth-sex,
- a desire to undergo sex affirmation
treatment for one's own sense of self and
harmony,
- a desire to be understood socially and
legally as their 'true-sex' (opposite to
the 'birth-sex').
For the man with transsexualism (TS), a sense of
inappropriateness with regard to the assigned
female sex experienced in early childhood and
persists into adult life. The conflict between the
socially perceived sex (female) and his inner sense
of self (male) causes intense frustration and often
a significant level of emotional stress, anxiety or
depression.
There is no objective biological test for
transsexualism, though the current weight of
scientific evidence points to this
biologically-based, multifactoral cause for
transsexualism. Current research into the
development of the condition is currently focusing
on the role of neurobiology. Some people question
the legitimacy of transsexualism status as a
condition and as a neurobiological development.
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"For transsexuals, since
there is little evidence that they have
been brought up in anything but typical
circumstances, and there is no obvious
ambiguity in their biology, the question
arises "How do the feelings of being of
the opposite sex develop?" The simple
answer is "In the brain". Transsexuals
have the mind-set of a person of the
opposite sex."
— Prof. Milton
Diamond, 2002
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Futher reading
Two
diagnostic classification systems
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Medical Diagnosis
