Standars of Care for Gender
Neurodiscord Disphoria
By Martha Camilla Freitas
Part One: Introductory Concepts
1.1.- The purpose of the Standards of Care 1.2.- The Treatment Goal 1.3.- Clinical Guidelines |
Part Two: Etiology, Diagnostic and Treatment
Part Three: The Normalizing of the Constitution of Comitees for Gender Neurodiscords Identifications |
Part One: Introductory Concepts
1.1.- The purpose of the Standards of Care:
The major purpose is to indetify gender neurodiscord people using not only psychological or psychiatric standards but real medical standards. Today we know, gender neurodiscords are human beings with an innate and somatic neural sexual structure in basal and subcortical system in discord with original genital conformation. They are not travestites, homossexuals or people with only psycho-social problems, but they have their real gender identity, their gender inner identity in radical discord with their genitals. They have somatic problems, they need medical solution, they are defected people. Today we know, after Doner, Raisman and Field, Pfaff, Gorsky and much others, who studied rats; Bonsall, Michael, Pfaff, Pomerantz, Sholl, Ayoub, Goy, Resko, Connolly, Clark, among others, who studied rhesus monkeys; Doner, Swaab, LeVay, Pfaff, Gadue, McEwen, who studied humans, our Central Nervous System (CNS) has anatomically a sex and that sex neurally engraved in our body is located in basal and subcortical areas; and those areas will never change after birth. Nobody learns to be a cat, or a dog. No one learns to be a swan or a duck, all children know. Nobody learns to be a boy or a girl. Our basal and subcortical neural systems (hypothalamus, stria terminallis and limbic amygdalas) generate in our self, innate dispositions, or dispositive images (Damasio), including our gender identity pre-disposition. That pre-disposition defines in our self, our inner and real gender identity, our real sex. Biologically normal people have no discord between genital conformation and gender identity pre-disposition or real sex. Gender neurodiscord people have the genitals in discord with the gender identity, with the sex engraved innately in their neural bodies. The main purpose of that Standard of Care is to show one very important way to discover, as soon as possible, for each person with sexual disorders or sexual disphoria, if that disphoria is GENDER NEURODISCORD. If someone is a gender neurodiscord, as soon as possible he or she has the right, as a human being and a defective human being, to have implement all correction necessary and possible, to achive the most respected, dignified and normal life possible, in the human society. The gender neurodiscord, neurobiologically a male or female, has the right to have his or her corrected body, as soon as possible, to have the most normal life possible. 1.2.- The Treatment Goal: The treatment goal is, after the identification of the gender neurodiscord, to promote his or her body overall correction, thru endocrine treatment and transgenital surgery treatment as soon as possible. The gender neurodiscord is a kind of "originally invisible kind of intersexual", and has the right to all corrections as soon as we have a good and sure diagnostic. Not only a psychologic or psychiatric diagnostic, but mainly an endocrine, a genetic and a sexual diagnostic, made by a good sexologist. The treatment goal is to correct the bodies distorted against the sexual reality of the gender neurodiscord, as soon as possible, to minimize the psychic and social traumas in the lives of the victims of that kind of syndrome. 1.3.- Clinical Guidelines: We intend to show a good way to sexologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, geneticts and surgeons, to study and develop new technologies, processes and tests, to identify and promote the diagnostic and treatment for patients with gender neurodiscord. Mainly for gender neurodiscord children and adolescents. The adult neurodiscord, with more than 20, 25 years, generally, when not too much traumatized by family, life, religion and society, probably will easly show his or her gender identity was very well known by himself or herself since he or she was a conscious little child, with 5, 6, 7 years old. But, for some adults with a lot of traumas, after a lot of suffering, a very important psychiatric study sometimes is needed. For children or adolescents not very much traumatized, the genetic tests will be very important. For adults, those tests are not important. We will suggest, for children, adolescents and adults, some standards of test procedures, as a main guideline to be analised for each patient condition. In our point of view, it is not so important, as others think, to have "real life experience", as a pre-requirement for hormonal treatment and transgenital surgery program. Real life experience sometimes may be confused with travestite behavior, homossexual sexual orientation, and the gender neurodiscord may be inhibited by that kind of social mixing up. It is very good when the gender neurodiscord may live a social gender role freely and openly, but it is not absolutely necessary, in our point of view. 1.4.- Neurobiological Males and Neurobiological Females: Neurobiological males (genital females) and Neurobiological females (genital males): The good definition of the sex of the patient, and of each human being is very important, and today very controversial. What today we can define as the real sex of someone? The external appearance of the genital, as in the Midle Ages? Or as someone uses dresses or garments? Or based in the classification someone classifies a child, before the child could express its inner neural conformations, inner innate images and pre-disposition? We are in 2000, not anymore in the fifties, when some people thought hormones, genetic and neurones were important for inner gender identity. Today we know, our gender identity is neural, innate and somatic. Our sex is our neural sex. So, genital males may be neurobiological, may be real females, and vice-versa. As someday, in the XVII century, Galileo and Coopernicus changed our astronomical, cosmological referentials, and the same made Kant in the XVIII in philosophy, today the neurobiology is changing the referential point of sex definition. The real sex is the neural, the somatopsychical and not the genital. For all gender neurodiscord, it is very important to be socially recognized by the real, neurobiological sex, and not the genital sex. Unfortunately today, all the Constitutions, of all peoples and countries, still use genital sex to define sex. I hope, one day, that will change, and all peoples will be recognized by the gender identity, by the neural hypothalamic sex, even by the law. |
Part Two: Etiology, Diagnostic and Treatment
2.1.- Epidemiological Considerations:
Today we know a female gender neurodiscord (neural female) had two problems during her gestation working together: one genetic and others endocrine. The genetic factor is recognized as the androgen receptor small insensitivity, and/or estrogen receptor insensitivity. The endocrine, a small amount of androgen in the brain during the neural sex differentiation (between 4th and 7th months of human gestation). Those two factors working together are sufficient to not masculinize the brain, even when the genitals were masculinized. So, the small androgen/estrogen reception insensitivity may be a characteristic that depends on the populational and racial hereditarity. Some kind of families, or peoples or some kinds of nations could have more or less genetic pre-disposition to have that kind of syndrome. The other factor, the amount of androgen in the brain blood stream during 4th to 7th gestational months, today we know, depends on the emotional condition of the mothers! Pathologically stressed, tortured mothers will have more probability to have gender neurodiscord girls. We live in societies more and more opressive to mothers. The amount of gender neurodiscord girls probably is increasing, and probably will increase more and more. In Holland, Harry Benjaminīs Fundation inform us, the index for gender neurodiscord girls increased from 1:37000 some decades ago to 1:11900 now and gender neurodiscord boys from 1:107000 to 1:30400! The biological causes of gender neurodiscord boys is not so well understood now. Probably the brains are masculinized by a large amount of strong estrogen in the fetus body blood stream in the critical period of brain sex differentiation, caused by a poor operation of the placental estrogen filtering, but nobody is sure about that today. But gender neurodiscord boys are also increasing in the more or less the some proportion as the gender neurodiscord girls. It is very important never mix up gender neurodiscord, something biological, a syndrome, a kind of intersex, and travestism, cross-dressing, drags. Travestites, cross-dressers and drags, have not a disphoria with their bodies, with their genitals. They only are artists, or sometimes have a disphoria with the society, but not with themselves. They have not any syndrome, they have no medical problem. 2.2.- The Etiology and Development of Nomenclature: The "transsexual" term emerged in the 50s as a means of designation a person who aspired to or lived in the contrary gender role, in discord with genital appearence. With hormone therapy or not, with transgenital surgery or not. Some clinicians used the term "true transsexuals" during the 60s and 70s. So, they mixed up neurodiscords with travestites and others. The "true transsexual" was undestood by psychologists and psychiatrists as someone who, by some identity problems in the first childhood, donīt learned the correct way to live with the original genital gender, and opted to live the other sex role, including with hormonal treatment and surgery of the genitals. All those terms where equivocally used, because the therapist imagined the gender identity was a product of the chilhood as one option. As someone learn a lenguage, they said. So, today someone could imagine a girl, and tomorrow could imagine, seeing the mirror, that was a boy..bacause hormones, genetic and neurones, as a fundamental dogma, was not important for gender identity definition. Dr. Dorner, a german endocrinologist from Humboldt University in Berlin, an Oriental german, from the other side of the Berlin Wall, a comunist, using laboratory rats, showed the brain has a sex, in basal and subcortical structures. Also humans have, as after him, a lot of doctors confirmed (Gladue, Le Vay, Swaab, among others). But at that time, psychologists and psychiatists (mainly Money and Money disciples) had as pre-established truth, the dogma that hormones, neurones and genetics were not important. Even knowing the results of the endocrinologists, geneticists and neurobiologists, they still insist in their existentialists ideological dogmas. Unfortunately, Dorner made a mistake. He said, he had undestood "homossexuality". In his poit of view, the brainīs sex was important to show the sexual orientation. Today, mainly after the discovery of the normal bissexuality of the bonobos, a kind of chimpanzee (realy a new species of hominoid, named pan paniscus) in the Wamba forest in Congo, we know surely heterosexuality, homossexuality and bisexuality are not neuronal problems, but cultural manifestations. Money said hormones, neurones and genetics was not important for gender identity, but accepted hormones were important for gender role definition. But that is impossible, because gender role, by definition, is something you learn, because a role you may learn, is something cultural. Dorner and Money donīt saw what was really happening. Not Dorner or Money were right, because the hypothalamus may not decide about sexual orientation (something cultural), and gender role (something cultural). The only thing the hypothalamus may generate in us, are olthers disagreable, likes and dislikes, and identification. Today a lot of results show, in rats, birds, rhesus monkeys and humans, the hypothalamus is very important defining female or male pre-dispositions. That is certainly sure, and all scientists and experts agree. Those hypothalamic system may not be important to define sexual orientation, because in the jangal, all hominoid specimens of a species, as pan paniscus or bonobos, may not have a pathological neural basal structure. And all them are bisexuals, systematically. No one is heretosexual, in the nature. Those hypothalamic system also may not have a influence in social or cultural gender roles, because a character we may erect, learn or buid with our cerebral cortex, and never with the hypothalamus. As we learn a language, with the cerebral cortex, for example. And Donald Pfaff showed us, as also Bonsall, Clark and Michael, the primate cerebral cortex donīt have the action of sexual steroids, so they could not be responsible for improtant basal definitions, as gender identity, but only to erect gender roles. But those hypothalamic system are surely important for sexual diferentiation of the brain basal structures. And surely, by somatopsychical important basal consequences in the human psychic answers. So, the hypothalamus is important for gender identity generation, as a somatopsychic process, generating thru pre-dispositive self images, innate and somatic and neurally determined, our sex in our self (Freitas). Today we know it is impossible to learn to be a boy or a girl in the childhood. The pre-dispositions from the basal and subcortical areas are innate and unchangeable after the human birth. Now it is very important to show those old taboos are not true, and we need new concepts to define the new knowledge we have of the reality. We know also, today, the genetical and endocrinal process of neural diferentiation is totally independ and much more complex than the genital diferentiation, and they may be in discord. That is the origin of gender neurodiscord. A lot of names are being used today to define transsexuals. Trangender, gender disphoria, gender disorder, etc. All those terms are good, and may define something, but never the cause of the syndrome. Disorder is too large a concept, and also disphoria. Disphoria is a consequence of the syndrome but never the cause. To define the better possible, today that kind of syndrome, we established the term GENDER NEURODISCORD. Why? It is a real discord, a somatic and innate discord between the genital shape and the inner neural sex structure. That neural structure generates in us, innately, dispositive images, pre-dispositions. Among others, gender identity images, we express in our childhood thru our playing patterns, tendencies, desires, etc. (What Money named "gender roles" but really is the expression of the natural gender identity, the child feely express). The neural system is in discord with the genital shape. A good name to express that somatic, innate and biological discord is GENDER NEURODISCORD. Gender neurodiscord is not a psychological problem, but a neurological problem. No psychologist or psychiatrist may "cure" or "change" the innate sex engraved in our brains. The psycholgist or psychiatrist may detect if the patient has other kind of problems...some mental deseases...etc. Today even no neurologist may "cure" or change" the neural sex of nobody. But the endocrinologist and the surgeons may correct the bodies and genitals to the inner being of the self. That is possible and must be made, as soon as possible. 2.3.- The Diagnostic of Gender Neurodiscord: There is a lot of confusion, today, that must be explained and eliminated definitively. There is a lot of things we may classify as gender disphorias. Homosexualism may not be classified as gender disorder. The discover of the bonobo ape in Congo, and the last results with bonobos show us inequivocally, bisexual and homosexual behavior are psico-social patterns and never something biological. Hetero, homo and bisexual behavior is something social and cultural and not something biological. Why an active/passive homosexual or not man likes to crossdress as a woman? And to put silicone breast, to show some external feminility? They have shaped brains, they are biologicaly normal males, and never gender neurodiscords women. Fetichism, traumas, over developed imagination,...we donīt know. But is something social, psycho-social, and not a female brain with male genitals. And generally they have olther characteristics...
May someone really gender neurodiscords be insecure about "who I am"? Yes, surelly, mainly if the gender neurodiscords has more age and a lot of sufferings and traumas. In those cases, a very important psychological and psychiatric work must be developped, because a lot of feelings and insecurities may be mixed up in the mind of the patient. At least, one to two years of deep analysis will be really necessary, but those cases are not so common. In the beginning of conscious life, with 6 to 7 years old, if without fear and opression, the child shows inequivocally who it is, a she or a he. LET THE CHILDREN SHOW FREELY, before the traumas of rejection of the family, parents, heighbours, etc... the sex taboos put in danger that so natural inner feelings exposure. The children show, if without terrors, freely their gender identities (never the gender roles Money thougth). Children, at that age may show really who they are. Nobody could know better than oneself, who we are. But, for small children, we need to have more information. Psychologic tests to know if there is any kind of possible mental desease or pathology. To know from the parents the conditions during pregnacy, if the mother was anormal stressed or not. And genetic tests, to know if there is some insensitivity in androgen/estrogen reception..., unfortunately, the neuroendocrine systems are not "operational", until 16 to 18 years old. We have more or less 3 to 4 years to analyse and conclude. This is enough time, mainly if the child is free to show it self. With 10 to 11, we may start, if the gender neurodiscord is determined, the hormone treatment, until 12 or 13. Then, the genital surgery, for the females, because today there is good vaginoplasty technology. For males, today the best way is to maintain more time of hormontherapy only, until a good technology of new penis conformation be developed. Never hormontherapy or transgenital surgery may be based only in psychological or psychiatrical diagnostics, for adolescents.The natural free exposed feelings of the patient and the genetical test are essential, in those cases. On the contrary, for more aged people, after 18, 20, 25, a good analysis of possible traumas must be analysed prior to hormontherapy or transgenital surgery. And no endocrine or genetical tests are necessary in those cases. In no cases is essential "real living", but is always a good indication. From what we showed here, it is obvious, it is not necessary "two years" or some time for all cases. For some adults, 1 to 2 months of some analyse, and a good Rorschach test, is sufficient. For some adults, a lot of psychic analysis are important, with the agreement of the patient. For children and adolescents, a lot of physiological tests are essential, with Rorschach and other psychic analysis, at least until 10 to 11 years, and probably some 3 to 4 years of analysis will be possible, if the children went to be analysed early, when they start to show they could be gender neurodiscorded, with 5,6 or 7 years. Fathers, mothers, parents, teachers...be alert to know, to understand the signals the children will show you. Donīt intervene, donīt show any agressive pattern against their feelings. Let them show you, freely, as soon as possible, who they are. And start as soon as possible, NEVER SOMETHING TO CHANGE THEM, but something to be sure who they are, and what really good you could do to save their bodies, their feelings, their hopes and their lives. After some years of analysing with good professionals, if they are gender neurodiscords, THEY CAN EARLY BE CURED, and live in the adolescence, their lives and their dreams. 2.4.- The Hormonal Treatment of Adolescent Gender Neurodiscords: As soon is possible is the ideal age. After a good diagnostic based in:
In this case, after 10 years old children, it is important to start hormontherapy as soon as possible, for female and male gender neurodiscord children. For female gender neurodiscords:
For male gender neurodiscords:
All those gender neurodiscord children have the right to live the most normal life possible. As human beings, and as defected human beings, the have those rights. Why not? Why lead them without happiness, without their natural dreams, all their youth? Why we will impose them our fears and ignorance, and why then we would make them an inner damage, they will suffer forever? They have the right to live. Females as females, with female dreams, fulfilling those dreams of romantic love and happines. As girls and never as efemminate boys. Males as males, with males desires and male dreams and tendencies. Why not? I know they are not, until 16 or 18, in most countries, responsible of themselves. The fathetrs are responsible. And the society. So TRANSGENDER BRAZIL thinks it is important to show all society and mainly for the parents, how important is, for the gender neurodiscord victims, TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT GENDER NEURODISCORD SYNDROME. To win, for children and adolescents, a hope. Hope of happiness and hope to live the youth dreams befores it is too late. Before the traumas will transform the dreams in a nightmare. 2.5.- Social recognition of the Real Sex of Gender Neurodiscord Adolescent: With 10, the child, the therapists involved in the problem and the parents and relatives know the gender neurodiscord child is not the boy they originally understood it was, but a gender neurodiscord real girl, and vice-versa for a gender neurodiscord boy. But only them really know that reality. The others probably will think she is an efemminate boy, or he is a masculinized girl. Those wrong ideas must change immediately. In school, in the teachers mind, in neighbourhood, etc...How? Changing immediately the wrong names and papers. The doctors and parents may immediately try to change in the judiciary system. Fight for the children, they have those rights as the other intersex children have! They have the right to have a real name and to be recognized by the society as they really are! Therapists, fight for the gender neurodiscorded spreading in the medical and psychological communities the truth! Teachers, do the same. Do the same, theologians, priests and pastors. Spread in the universities and medical and psychological schools. Spread in the mass media. Help all around the world, the GENDER NEURODISCORD ASSOCIATIONS TO SPREAD THE TRUTH ABOUT THAT KIND OF SYNDROME. Until the ignorance dies and the countries laws change, and the gender neurodiscord have those obvious rights in their livings, as children and as adolescents. 2.6.- The Transgenital Surgeries for Gender Neurodiscord Adolescents: After 12, as soon as possible, after the starting of hormontherapy, the gender neurodiscord girl may go to the neovaginoplasty surgery. Today there is good technology: there are technologies that preserves all nerves, sensibility and the girl may remain with normal orgasm and pleasure possibilities. Why not at 13? Why not at 12, as soon as possible? Why wait until 18 or 21 with sufferings and traumas? Today, for male gender neurodiscords, there is not so good surgeries. It is better wait for new developments, until good technologies be developed. The hormone therapy may have good results, with good clitoris development working as neophalus and with the decrease of the original vagina size. 2.7.- The Hormonal Treatment of Adult Gender Neurodiscords: Today, because gender neurodiscord was so misundertood in the society, the main pert of gender neurodiscords start by themselves their therapies. As underground citizens. Living as marginalized people. Women talking anti-androgens, LH innibitors, estrogens and progesterones without any control and any knowledge. Sometimes some gender neurodiscord women became real hormone adicts. And the psychic traumas increase and increase. Someones donīt know, after some years, who they really are. A lot of them donīt know anymore if they are gender neurodiscord girls or crossdressed, travestites men. Some, living by prostitution, were originally absolutely girls, and passive; but life send them to prostitution. Life, their families, their churches, their parents. Today they are not sure who they really are, because to live, to have clients and to have food and hormones, the needed to act as active men with clients. And now they are confused, they donīt know anymore who they are. They need serious help. They need serious psychic therapy befores all other therapies. They need help to rediscover, from their chilhood, who they really are. If they are girls or boys. Before their traumas and so great suffering, they loose their identity clear conscience. Their identities had not really changed like some think, but are really hided their sufferings. Only after that psychic treatment, after some months or even years, some good therapy may be prescribed, hormone therapy and surgery. ONLY AFTER THAT. For other not so traumatized adults, after a Rorschach test, the therapies may be well prescribed, hormone therapies and surgeries. Allways only after, at least, good Rorschach tests. For adults, never are necessary and essential, genetic and neuroendocrinal tests. 2.8.- The Transgenital Surgeries for Adult Gender Neurodiscords: After good analyse of each case, when it is really a gender neurodiscord patient, if a woman then the surgery may be improved, with good technology. By good technology we understand a surgery that will keep ALL THE SENSIBILITY IN THE NEW VAGINA, AND IS FUNTIONAL IN SIZE AND OPERATION, AND PERMITS FOR THE PATIENT TO HAVE PLEASURE AND ORGASM. As today we have Dr. Jalma Juradoīs technoly in Brazil. GOOD TECHNOLOGIES MUST BE SPREADED, IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES. For male gender neurodiscords, today there is not a good technology. For them, today, the only hope is to develop a strong hormone therapy as soon as possible, to developed the original clitoris. 2.9.- New Identity and Papers for Adults: They must be authomaticaly emitted by the government after the surgeries for women and with hormonal treatment for gender neurodiscord men. In civilized countries only, unfortunately, today that is possible. Brazil. for example, is not civilized. 2.10.- Post Surgical Psychological Follow-up: Who needs a good psychological follow-up after the surgery? For good surgeries for gender neurodiscords women, the patient donīt need any psychological follow-up. The society, the family, etc...need a psychological follow-up. The gender neurodiscord girl or woman, as Orlando from Virginia Woolf, will be very happy to have her body in accord with herself. Who will need psychological help will be the others who are in relation with her. In the family, in school, in the office, etc... The best way to help the society is TO SPREAD THE SCIENTIFICAL TRUTH ABOUT THE BRAINīS SEX AND GENDER NEURODISCORD SYNDROME! The bad surgeries for gender neurodiscorded women, will kill, traumatiz and destroy the girl or woman. If they are without their nerves, without their pleasure, without their dreams, they will die. Die in their inner being. What can we do for them? STOP IMMEDIATELY THE BAD SURGEONS! The old and bad technologies THE OPPORTUNIST SURGEONS! |
Part
Three: The Normalizing of the Constitution
of Comitees for Gender Neurodiscord
Identification
3.1.- The Constitution of Comitees:
In some places, as in Brazil for example, today there is no reagulamentation for Comitees. Sometimes a lot of time, analysis, tests and interviews are requiered ...really some marathons to win the surgery candidates by exaustion... Others, in some days approve surgeries. Today there is no good established criteria. And a lot of errors may be comitted. We propose to fallow our Standars of Care, and establish some criteria:
3.2.- The Development of New Tests: We intend to help all universities and institutions to develop technology to improve the quality of the comitees, mainly to improve genetic tests for androgen and estrogen reception insensitivity studies. Those tests are very important to develop good analysis of gender neurodiscord children. We will remain attentive in new technologies, developments and discoveries all around the world, to improve the quality for childrenīs testing and evaluation. It is also important to improve Donerīs neuroendocrine tests, today available for adults (but not so important for them), and not available for children (and so important for them). |
Matha
Camilla Freitas is the general coordinator of Transgender Brazil,
with Astrid Bodstein and Marcia Lopes.
If
you want to talk with us, please send an email in the address
below.
(verola@yahoo.com)
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