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Would my mental health affect my access to HRT?

Discussion in 'Gender Identity and Expression' started by Alder, Nov 2, 2016.

  1. Alder

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    I'm looking up possible gender therapists and consultations for HRT, and in multiple places they mention that they also assess the mental health of the individual. It also mentioned that some doctors might also want a letter from a mental health professional.

    It makes me slightly worried because although I have never been officially diagnosed with anything (as I've never been to a therapist other than counsellors in high school), I know that I struggle with my mental health and that if I went to a therapist I'd be likely to be diagnosed with something.

    I don't plan on necessarily getting a mental health diagnosis before HRT, but I'm wondering if all this would affect whether or not I can get on hormones, and whether they won't "let" me because of mental health reasons.

    Anyone been through anything similar or have any advice?
     
    #1 Alder, Nov 2, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2016
  2. anthracite

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    I wonder the same. I will simply lie and pretend to be normal and "only" trans. I don't suffer from psychosis or something. Anything other will not have impact.
     
  3. BrookeVL

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    I have similar worries myself. I'm afraid a therapist would diagnose me with something and keep me away from hrt. Though I firmly believe most of my mental health issues are a direct result of being trans, I don't know that a therapist would see it that way.
     
  4. SystemGlitch

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    As long as you are able to make informed decisions about yourself and are aware of your identity, it shouldn't make a difference. If someone was at intense risk of self harm, or was having an episode of mania, or something along those lines, then they may delay treatment because of not being in a stable frame of mind. To use the two examples I gave, someone who is at high risk of self harm may use surgery they don't need as a form of self harm or hope that they die from it or deliberately sabotage their treatment or something, while someone experiencing mania might have made the decision on a complete whim due to the intense overactivity of most mental processes and extreme impulsiveness or could be experiencing a delusion. They'd also want to make sure you haven't been coerced into it. From what I understand the letter from the mental health professional is just to say "this person is capable of making decisions about themself and they haven't been forced to do this".

    As long as your mental health isn't terrible, and you no doubt would have been diagnosed by now if there was something severely wrong, then you should be fine. I'm pretty sure they'd only completely block you from treatment if you had a condition such as schizophrenia, uncontrolled bipolar disorder, or some other form of psychosis. They wouldn't completely disprove your feelings over neurosises such as depression or anxiety - they may slightly delay treatment by a couple of weeks just to make sure it is under control, but that would be for the best regardless. Transitioning can be hard so going into it with any pre-existing issues under control would help you through the process as smoothly as possible.

    Good luck with everything, I hope it all goes well.
     
  5. KayJay

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    I was scared of the same sort of thing before I had started. All that happened to me was that my doctor wanted me to get treatment for my issues and urged me to do so, and I have been for some time now. It never really changed the outcome so I don't know if it's even totally a requirement by their standards?
     
  6. randomconnorcon

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    I was scared of that when I went to a GP about being trans and they said I needed help for my mental health because it could easily warp how I feel about myself. But when I actually got a mental health therapist and came out to him, he asked me how I felt during my life to realize I was transgender. He went straight to switching to male pronouns, even on letters to my new GP for my file. And he went on helping me with my mental health as normal.

    As long as your mental health is not a danger to you or others, they'll ask about your mental health, but it won't be against you. It'll be to ensure that everything in your life is good.
     
  7. Daydreamer1

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    What Sam said. I was told as long as I'm currently not a danger to myself or others, I was fine to start T.