Mental health, body image, and social media is a perfect storm, indeed.
Mattias Desmet describes what happens in a society with a lot of free-floating anxiety, and in the global west, we have an epidemic of anxious adolescents. Teen angst in overdrive. When an authority presents a target and solution for anxiety, many will internalize that problem and solution to manage their distress. Unfortunately, this manufactured target and solution leads vulnerable kids and young adults down a path of permanent body modification that affects future health and functioning.
Another shift is in what constitutes "identity." Until fairly recently, people defined their identity through tribe, actions, and relationships. A person would be a mother, blacksmith, student, Englishman, etc. This was adaptive in a society. What I think is likely a synthesis of identity politics, queer theory, and self-as-avatar in the digital age, people declare identities based on inner ruminations about themselves. Trans identity no longer needs a diagnosis or exploration - it is declared, dressed up in pink, white and blue, and now must be validated externally. With identity politics and critical race theory, kids identify "as" autistic, as having Tourette Syndrome, or any of a number of conditions they can perform on social media for social status as not-the-oppressor. This ultra-individuation further fragments society and exacerbates underlying fragility, making lack of validation essentially a hate crime, requiring canceling the offenders and creating "safe spaces." This is highly maladaptive in a society, as it fosters separation and dysfunction rather than connection and contribution to the whole. The change has been integrated through schools and language in the media, sneaking into people's subconscious without examination.
Dr Kaliebe mentions the shift in the DSM to calling transsexualism, "transgenderism." What I think is interesting is that transvestic disorder with or without autogynephilia is in the DSM-5 -TR. It's the desire for men to present as women, but without body distress. Funny how even though they now say that gender dysphoria is no longer required to be trans, no one is clamoring to claim transvestite with/without autogynephilia as an identity. Where is their special flag? Why the exclusion?
Thank you for the article. It provides great food for thought as we look for solutions.
Nice summary of influences on the development of pediatric gender medicine that I think might have a chance of being read by pediatricians in general practice. So many of them recoil from any article that expresses dissenting views on the subject.
Mental health, body image, and social media is a perfect storm, indeed.
Mattias Desmet describes what happens in a society with a lot of free-floating anxiety, and in the global west, we have an epidemic of anxious adolescents. Teen angst in overdrive. When an authority presents a target and solution for anxiety, many will internalize that problem and solution to manage their distress. Unfortunately, this manufactured target and solution leads vulnerable kids and young adults down a path of permanent body modification that affects future health and functioning.
Another shift is in what constitutes "identity." Until fairly recently, people defined their identity through tribe, actions, and relationships. A person would be a mother, blacksmith, student, Englishman, etc. This was adaptive in a society. What I think is likely a synthesis of identity politics, queer theory, and self-as-avatar in the digital age, people declare identities based on inner ruminations about themselves. Trans identity no longer needs a diagnosis or exploration - it is declared, dressed up in pink, white and blue, and now must be validated externally. With identity politics and critical race theory, kids identify "as" autistic, as having Tourette Syndrome, or any of a number of conditions they can perform on social media for social status as not-the-oppressor. This ultra-individuation further fragments society and exacerbates underlying fragility, making lack of validation essentially a hate crime, requiring canceling the offenders and creating "safe spaces." This is highly maladaptive in a society, as it fosters separation and dysfunction rather than connection and contribution to the whole. The change has been integrated through schools and language in the media, sneaking into people's subconscious without examination.
Dr Kaliebe mentions the shift in the DSM to calling transsexualism, "transgenderism." What I think is interesting is that transvestic disorder with or without autogynephilia is in the DSM-5 -TR. It's the desire for men to present as women, but without body distress. Funny how even though they now say that gender dysphoria is no longer required to be trans, no one is clamoring to claim transvestite with/without autogynephilia as an identity. Where is their special flag? Why the exclusion?
Thank you for the article. It provides great food for thought as we look for solutions.
Nice summary of influences on the development of pediatric gender medicine that I think might have a chance of being read by pediatricians in general practice. So many of them recoil from any article that expresses dissenting views on the subject.