From 69 transsexual patients (48 men,
21 women) having consulted the Basel University Psychiatric
Outpatient-Department between 1970 and 1990, 13 men-to-woman- and 4
woman-to-man-transsexuals could be examined in a follow-up (5-20 years after
the operation).
The social conditions and the quality of
life of the 13 men-to-woman-transsexuals had significantly deteriorated: 9
of the 13 depend on life annuity or on social welfare assistance. The
patients live socially very isolated. Eight of them report almost not being
able to experience sexual pleasure, 10 suffer from anxieties, depression or
addictions. Three regret having demanded the operation and two have passed a
second operation for restoration of the original state.
The 4 woman-to-man-transsexuals showed
slightly better results: 2 of them are fully professionally active and live
in constant personal relationships of several years of duration. The 2
others, however, suffer from depression and problems of addiction and give
the impression of affective lability.
The results lead to the following
conclusions: 1. the criteria of indication for the operation of the
transsexuals should be observed thoroughly, especially the psychotherapeutic
accompaniment before the operation during at least 1 year; 2. the question
of emotional stability, of frustration tolerance and of the danger of an
outbreak of psychosis are to be examined carefully; 3. the professional and
social integration before and after the operation is of central importance.
Citation:
Nervenarzt 1998 Sep;69(9):799-805 an article
published on the Internet by PubMed <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/>
