Transgenderism: Psychological and Physiological Aspects

1513 Words7 Pages
Transgender is a term used to describe persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior does not conform to biological norms assigned at birth (American Psychological Association, 2011). There are an estimated 700,000 transgendered individuals in America (Gates, 2011). Some transgender individuals choose to transition while others choose to only express themselves as the opposite sex. Research has shown the transgender individuals are susceptible to numerous mental health and psychological issues. Some of these issues include anxiety, depression, and suicide. As a stipulation of gender reassignment surgery consideration, transgendered individuals are required to attend several mental health sessions and consistently attend medical appointments. When a transgender individual decides to transition, he or she must undergo cross-gender hormone treatment of androgen, antiandrogen, estrogen, and/or testosterone/dihydrotestosterone for the remainder of the life span. Once the individual has completed this long and tedious process of seeking approval from the proper medical professionals, the individual undergoes gender reassignment surgery. The surgery along with the cross gender hormone treatment has several physical implications. Along with the physiological factors of surgery and developing the proper regimen of hormone replacement medications, Jacobs et al. (2008) found that transgendered individuals are at higher risk of exposure to HIV due to high risk behavior. Transgender individuals' mental health may be negatively affected by the fact that their self-expressing may lead to social isolation, discrimination, and victimization (Mustanski, Garofalo, & Emerson, 2010). Research has shown femininity is a contributing factor to depression in the transgender population (Martin, 2002). Femininity plays a great role in the lives of male-to-female (MTF)

More about Transgenderism: Psychological and Physiological Aspects

Open Document