Identify and understand changes in gender identity in childhood
Having a gender identity different from biological sex is a source of discomfort that occurs since childhood, so we must support our children from the moment we identify it.
Having a gender identity deferential to sex is called by some sciences as GID or Gender Identity Disorder. It is not considered, far from it, as a disease, but it is defined as a conflict of one’s own identity where the person feels that he or she belongs to the opposite sex and shows persistent desire to change. It usually manifests for the first time in childhood (although there are cases that appear in adulthood) that either due to their own denial or cultural pressure, they lock up their feelings and emotions until later.
It is currently classified within the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) as a disorder. In the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) the name was changed to Gender dysphoria, referring to the clinically significant discomfort suffered by people who present it. However, there are great controversies regarding these labels.
In order to identify it, the following conditions basically have to be met:
– The person (in this case children) must clearly and persistently identify with the opposite sex to which they were born.
– People have normalized genitalia . That is, they are not victims of ambiguous genitalia with which some babies are born or of diseases such as hypogonadism, where the person may be insensitive to the effect of sex hormones that correspond to them by gender.
– There must be a clinically significant discomfort . Not only on a physical and psychological level, but other areas of the person’s life must also be affected, such as social, school or work. Children often suffer from great unhappiness, anxiety because they really feel like they belong to the other sex, so they dress and behave as such.
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SIGNS THAT A CHILD HAS A GENDER IDENTITY DISORDER
Next, we are going to focus on gender identity disorder in children. To identify it, you must look at whether your child has any of the following characteristics.
– Dress and behave as people of the opposite sex or with gender roles associated with it.
– They claim to belong to the opposite sex .
– They have the idea that when they are older they will become adults of the opposite sex.
– They often feel anxiety and this can lead to childhood depression , especially if they are rejected by family and peers.
– In adolescence they tend to isolate themselves , avoid social events and even make suicide attempts when there is no support.
DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN WITH GENDER IDENTITY OTHER THAN SEX
Currently the causes are not known, although there are theories that defend that it may be due to the fact that at certain moments of embryonic development they were exposed to high concentrations of testosterone (or estrogens) leading to a masculinization (or feminization) of the embryo.
TRANSSEXUALITY IS INDEPENDENT OF HOMOSEXUALITY
Family support is basic, especially in pre-puberty and throughout adolescence, which is when the person is building their own identity. At this stage the boys build an image of themselves as being unique and unrepeatable . They seek greater intimacy with friends and tend to stray a little further from family. Even so, it is essential that they be involved and support the adolescent at all times. If a child with this identity conflict does not receive sufficient support during his development, he will live with a complex, hating his body and feeling like an aberration of nature. You will have anxiety, sadness, low self-esteem and more risk of falling into the use of psychoactive substances , violence, depression and even suicide attempts .
If the boy is shy and introverted , with little confidence in himself or herself, they may go through a time when he tries with all his might to adopt the typical role of his biological sex , in the end all his attempts end up being useless.
In many homes, when the child enters adolescence and decides to openly communicate his or her condition to the parents , their response may be one of total disapproval or rejection. In other cases, parents “resign themselves” and give the image of wanting to support the child, without openly criticizing, however their attitudes and way of treating the adolescent subtly change and the boys feel that they are continually disappointing their parents. That feeling is very deteriorating for the boy, sometimes even more than the rejection itself.
HOW TO SUPPORT CHILDREN WITH A GENDER IDENTITY DIFFERENT FROM YOUR SEX
If you don’t know how to help, at least try not to make things worse. What does this mean? If you don’t know how you can help him, at least make an effort to understand him, to put yourself in his place. Do not devalue the child or make comments about their way of expressing themselves.
– Find out or go to a psychologist who can advise you in order to provide your child with quality support . There are parents who in the face of despair and ignorance choose to take their children to the psychiatrist thinking that it is a mental disorder (although in the ICD-10 they still classify it as such) and to the doctor so that they can prescribe a hormone-based treatment, with in order to physically increase the characteristics of biological sex. Logically these attempts are useless, since it is something permanent, not temporary. Creating an environment where transsexuality is normalized is the best way to support it . Also, if the family itself does not accept it, how is the rest of society supposed to accept it?
– Do not confuse homosexuality with transsexuality. The first refers to the sexual orientation of the person, the second to their identity.
– Consider taking your child to a psychologist. Psychotherapy is not intended to “cure” a person with a gender identity other than sex, but to make them feel better emotionally and psychologically and to resolve conflicts in which other people are involved. Not everyone needs psychological therapy, only those adolescents who feel confused in order to feel comfortable and assume their new identity in a healthy way. But if you detect this gender identity before the age of 8, it is HIGHLY recommended to do so, with the aim of having your case assessed and giving you some guidelines to follow.
Currently the treatment of choice and the one that best makes people with a gender identity different from their biological sex feel is hormonal treatment and sex change surgery . The goal for many families is to help transsexualize their son so that he feels good about himself, in tune with his sexual identity.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.