The American Psychiatric Association Implodes Petitions the DSM task force to Stop Patholigizing for Fame and Fortune!
Exert from the Open Letter "To the DSM-5 Task Force and the American Psychiatric Association:
"As you are aware, the DSM is a central component of the research, education, and practice of most licensed psychologists in the United States. Psychologists are not only consumers and utilizers of the manual, but we are also producers of seminal research on DSM-defined disorder categories and their empirical correlates. Practicing psychologists in both private and public service utilize the DSM to conceptualize, communicate, and support their clinical work."
In other words, psychologists research, write the DSM and earn their living by it.
The letter continues For these reasons, we believe that the development and revision of DSM diagnoses should include the contribution of psychologists, not only as select individuals on a committee, but as a professional community.
This is esentialy what the 9,5000 transgender people and allies said who signed the petition "Objection to DSM-V Committee Members on Gender Identity Disorders" after it was learned Dr. Kenneth Zucker a repratitive therapy proponent was named as Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Chair.
The world wide organization STP2012 believes strongly that the pathologization of transgender people has degraded our lives. Most believe that we have made great strides in the past five years gaining our voice and social equality. Most transgender people be live they transitioned in spite of the DSM which has rendered itself inconsequential only enabling a gate keeper mentality of the few therapists who treated us and providing our opponents cornerstone proof that we are unworthy of equality since after all, we are according to the DSM mentally ill.
The DSM enables the Pathologization of transgender people for fame and wealth and this must stop. Over 2500 transgender people who have signed the petition Remove transgender from the DSM believe this.
For this reason we will be outside the Texas November Texas Psychiatric Convention asking those in attendance to add their names to the their comrades Open Letter to the DSM-5 and call on the DSM task force to heed the European Parliament call on World Health Organizations to stop considering transgender people as mentally ill.
1 comment:
The DSM-IV is the product of psychiatrists, not psychologists, although some psychologists are on the task forces. The American Psychological Association is different from the American Psychiatric Association, and has taken more trans-friendly positions in the last 3 years.
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