The introduction covers the ground that
led the author to take an interest in transsexualism. The word "transsexualism"
came into being at a specific time: 1953 (Benjamin). The concept, the facts,
covered by this word, have existed in several known forms, as well as in
"anonymous" ones. But the possibility of changing sex by hormonal
or surgical means has given a new twist to the problem, with the role of the
doctor and the media that go along with it.
The definition is studied carefully and
gives a description of transsexuals in its present forms working with
biological males and biological females. The author suggests substituting
"sexuel" and "sexue" in French for the distinction made
in English between "sex" and "gender". The follow up
should give a crucial value in order to justify turning a healthy subject
into one who lives between the two genders. Unfortunately, such studies are
neither numerous nor completely satisfactory because of insurmountable
hurdles: a limited number of subjects who have been followed up, the
impossibility of making up a test group, etc.
Over the past few years, a reaction has
sprung up, giving psychotherapy a more important role in treating patients,
taking advantage of the treatment borderline cases have been given and what
it has taught us. In all fairness, no one can speak of transsexual or
transvestite children as has been done in the past, but only of feminine or
effeminate boys and tomboy girls. When samples of such children have been
followed longitudinally, one realizes that an extremely small number of them
becomes transsexual, becoming for the most part homo- or bi-sexual, though
some become heterosexual. Treating these children and their parents seems
very important to everyone, given how hard it is to treat adult
transsexuals. Only a few kinds of treatment have been published, and more
especially, there is no data on the long-term future of those children
having received treatment.
We are trying to bring together data on the
childhood of adult patients. Often, they have little to say about their own
childhood. Interviews with parents give still another point of view. Most of
the cases seen in consultation resulting from problems with gender-identity
are mixed and secondary, rarely in a pure, clear-cut state.(ABSTRACT
TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Citation:
Psychiatr Enfant 1988;31(2):313-73 an article
published on the Internet by PubMed <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/>
