I got a diagnosis today

[Anna Lorree]

I have been seeing a therapist for three months and one week. Today she was asking me how I wanted to handle some insurance paperwork that requires a diagnosis. She was telling me that since it is an employer provided plan, she tends to go very conservatively with diagnosis, she is calling this "adjustment anxiety disorder" for the paperwork. I asked her what her "non-conservative" diagnosis would be, to which she said that she would diagnose me as having gender dysphoria. She did clarify that she is less interested in placing a label and more interested in finding ways to help a patient deal with the issue. I, however, was glad she finally said it. Now it's not just me thinking it, it is another person with experience treating patients in this field telling me this. IDK, I guess it offers me a sense of validation, which is part of what I have wanted. To me it means I'm not crazy, and it means I fall in step with other people she has seen and helped.

Anna

[mbmeen12]

gender dysphoria


Good for you Anna I too am seeking guidance. More important you sought help and professional one on one (meaning group sessions which are good but). So what is the next step? If you don't mind me asking?

[Anna Lorree]

Good for you Anna I too am seeking guidance. More important you sought help and professional one on one (meaning group sessions which are good but). So what is the next step? If you don't mind me asking?

Well, aside from getting some professional makeup advice next week, nothing is cast in stone yet. I have talked with my wife about trying low-dose estrogen, to which she hasn't said no yet. She does want to be involved, should I decide to do that. Also, I want to start working on my beard. I haven't talked to my wife about that yet, but I will do so. She deserves to know what is going on and what my wants and needs are, just like I deserve to know hers.

Anna

[mbmeen12]

Involvement by your wife is 110% positive trend. Thia way she will behind you and help watch and understand your transformation IF HRT is a go in low doses.

[sandra-leigh]

I, however, was glad she finally said it. Now it's not just me thinking it, it is another person with experience treating patients in this field telling me this. IDK, I guess it offers me a sense of validation, which is part of what I have wanted. To me it means I'm not crazy

I get that kind of thing all the time. With Depression, you doubt to good in everything, suspect that your negative thoughts might be literal paranoia, and worry that they might not be because if the stuff you are so negative about is real, then the fecal matter is about to become distributed in many directions. Sometimes you get confirmation from others that your negative concerns are valid but unlikely to come to pass, and sometimes you get confirmation from others that your negative concerns are far far too accurate for anyone's comfort. One isn't supposed to be happy that things are falling to pieces, but if you have Depression and have been worried / afraid / concerned, then when things do fall apart the way you predicted, then it is indeed validation, that you are sane -- maybe even more sane than the nattering nabobs of negativity that have been ridiculing you.

I do admit, though, that it tends to be difficult for me to accept when one of my therapists praises me as being "very" or "extremely" something worthwhile. It is a form of validation, yes, but if you aren't ready yet to feel it in your heart, it can be a stone that weighs you down.

[Kirsty_D]

Well, aside from getting some professional makeup advice next week,…. Also, I want to start working on my beard.

While I'm working with my therapist I've decided on these two action's as well, hire a pro to teach me make up and I had the first session of laser for the beard removal on Tuesday.

I hope the diagnoses gives you some peace of mind. My wife is supporting me and honestly I don't think I could do this without her help. I hope you and your wife remain very close and good luck moving forward.

[Julia_in_Pa]

Anna,

That's a smart therapist to label the diagnosis as Adjustment Anxiety Disorder as opposed to Gender Identity Disorder.
Your employer based health plan most likely would reject the GID diagnosis as an exclusion and not pay for any further sessions.

The same goes for your medical doctor.
You must be extremely careful not to be labeled via ICD-10 diagnosis coding as transgendered or transsexual due to most insurance companies still excluding anything to do with such.
Just like your therapist your doctor would " recode" to " acceptable " diagnosis codes.
I have been a victim of this and lost my health insurance coverage as it pertained to both therapy and medical coverage as it pertained to GID.


Julia

[Kaitlyn Michele]

Good for you and your therapist

I wanted confirmation as well...i recall my doctor chiding me at one point.."you don't need my permission"....

[Traci Elizabeth]

My first session eons ago, I walked in fully dressed with make-up and long styled hair in a very good female voice. I had transitioned to 24/7 a long time before this meeting and my name had already been changed legally. So, I was not looking for confirmation of my womanhood as I knew who I was and had been all my life. But I was there to complete the next step - Letter from my shrink stating that I did in fact have GID. I got my letter only after a few sessions and my shrink never did verbalize my GID status not did I sought verbal acknowledgement.

My shrink subsiqntly retired and I started going to his replacement for counseling specifically for all the physical, mental, and sexual abuse I had suffered as well as a violent kidnapping, rape and beaten to the point that the perpetrator thought I was dead and left me in the woods to rot. But the first thing he said to me on the first day was, "I see here in your records that you have been diagnosed as having GID....duh!- You think.

But that was the first time I had actually heard those words from my shrinks.

[kimdl93]

Anna, glad to hear that your therapist used good judgement on the insurance paperwork. As she said, it really doesn't matter what "official" label you put on it, so long as the two of you pursue a course of action that helps. Also, I really have to commend you for working through this so thoughtfully with your wife. No matter where this leads, I am sure she'll appreciate being an active participant in such crucial decisions.

[Jacqueline Winona]

Good luck, Anna- validation is important, and you're a step closer to being you.