I don’t think WPATH “pushes” surgery; it offers it as one of many options. Anybody “pushing” gender surgery shouldn’t be practicing medicine.
I agree that regulatory agencies have failed with respect to some (perhaps even many) medications and therapies, especially those treating young children with ADHD, for example. That, however, points out a failure with society. The education system could not keep up with rapid changes in society – the breakdown of families being a principal one – and a desperate education system/single parents put pressure on psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry to solve the problem using chemistry that wasn’t one caused by brain chemistry. What could go wrong there?
The issue here is that even treating human beings as complicated machines – modern automobiles, for example – a mechanic wouldn’t just try something without focussing on trying to “figure out and treat where the problem actually lies.” Just to try something for the sake of trying something would be a ridiculous misadventure. Now, he might try something in order to attempt a diagnosis, but that brings up the other problem re: human beings.vz71:
You and others, however, while not saying that nothing should be done, also don’t offer any specific alternative treatment that should be used. Instead, vague statements are said such as that doctors should “figure out and treat where the problem actually lies.” That, of course, has been attempted in the past without success and efforts in that direction are still being done. But since there isn’t any effective brain/psychological treatment available now, nothing has been said about what should be done for patients in the meantime.OraLabora:
And now you have to find in this thread people advocating doing nothing.
It may take some time for you to review all 300 plus responses, but go ahead. Find it.
It is time to dispose of these straw men you keep trying to fight with.
That is trivially true if you are of the belief that the brain is the cause of all emotional and cognitive activity within the person. It is not trivially true if you begin to question that.
When an individual contemplates suicide as a solution to a problem that issue has to be addressed. Not so much the problem itself but the response to it. In some cases, there is a deep depression that constantly leads to suicidal thoughts and that may or may not disappear after surgery. We need to be careful about the kind of solutions we offer people we might really not be helping. I keep reading about suicide and transgender people, I find it alarming that the solution to cure all ills is surgery. Looking at it from a Christian point of view, if we all have crosses and have been told to pick them up and carry them, what if not being happy with the bodies we are born in is the means to our salvation? What if there is a point to all the suffering? I’m wondering if there are people that have given such testimonies and have found peace. Sometimes I feel we do things just to be happy but I wonder if we miss opportunities to sanctify our souls. I see that as Catholics a lot is expected of us, from chastity, birth control, penance… and we embrace the teachings (hard as they are sometimes) because we are striving for something deeper. Just a reflection that maybe the deep inner struggles people have might be the cross to carry.
But to be clear, it is not ‘doing nothing’ as we are studying and learning so we can find a treatment or cure.
I, for one, asked posters who strongly opposed surgery - “what alternative treatment would you propose for severe cases”. The response was silence.
As has been pointed out, with brain-connected ailments, there may never be treatments if a “full understanding” of the cause is required. But your approach sounds like the “do nothing” (for the patient) approach that another poster denied had been proposed…
I don’t think that there’s much doubt that ADHD is indeed caused by a problem in brain chemistry even if the details are not completely well understood yet. Amphetamines, for example, act as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor so that dopamine remains for longer periods between the synapses of the brain’s neurons. This does indeed allow most people with ADHD to function quite a lot better and probably indicates a dopamine problem in their brains. There’s not really any other treatments that are as effective as stimulants. But stimulants can also have serious side effects. On the other hand, many medications and treatments have side effects and the doctor and patient have to decide whether the benefits outweigh the possible negative side effects. That’s what life is like. Almost all that we do involves some risks. Very few things are risk free. Most of life is gray, not black or white. And it’s true for transgender people, too, that there are no perfect, risk free treatments. It is still a matter of weighing the benefits against possible harm.Thorolfr:
I agree that regulatory agencies have failed with respect to some (perhaps even many) medications and therapies, especially those treating young children with ADHD, for example. That, however, points out a failure with society. The education system could not keep up with rapid changes in society – the breakdown of families being a principal one – and a desperate education system/single parents put pressure on psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry to solve the problem using chemistry that wasn’t one caused by brain chemistry. What could go wrong there?
That only reinforces my point that therapies – in all cases – need to fully understand the causes of an ailment before recommending a remedy.
By the way, this is a general problem with the medical community generally: treating symptoms rather than actual causes.
Doctors pursuing surgery on this basis get de-registered.
If there is another part of the body you believe responsible for the condition we’re discussing, please elaborate.
Catholicism does not pretend to be a guide to medical diagnosis. But if catholic principles give you an insight into the causes of any of: bipolar disorder, gender identity disorder, schizophrenia… do share…
Why does it have to be sourced in another part of the body? Sounds like the proverbial drunk looking for his keys under the lamp post because “the light is better over here.”HarryStotle:
If there is another part of the body you believe responsible for the condition we’re discussing, please elaborate.
What is grace?HarryStotle:
Catholicism does not pretend to be a guide to medical diagnosis. But if catholic principles give you an insight into the causes of any of: bipolar disorder, gender identity disorder, schizophrenia… do share…
To be clear…
The “environment” is always a good candidate. But the environment would need to affect something… The brain maybe.
If you could establish the connection to gender identity disorder, these topics could be discussed. That was my question to you.
Not the brain, necessarily, though. The environment could affect the will/mind of the person in a profound way.HarryStotle:
The “environment” is always a good candidate. But the environment would need to affect something… The brain maybe.
