Psychiatrist sheds light on transsexualism

When Olympian and reality TV star Bruce Jenner started growing out his hair, the media began to speculate that he was transforming into a woman. These rumors have not been confirmed by Jenner but his changing appearance alone was enough to make headlines. While his behavior seems newsworthy to the mainstream, for millions of people worldwide the idea of changing your gender is perfectly normal.

Dr. Jack Drescher, a New York City-based psychiatrist with extensive experience in the field of gender, talked to FoxNews.com about a condition that affects less than one percent of Americans, transsexualism.

[It] is a purely medical description of a person who undergoes some medical or surgical treatment to change them from the gender they were born into the gender they wish to be, Drescher said.

Transsexualism is a form of gender dysphoria, a diagnosis that can start to surface as early as the age of two and Drescher noted that parents dont have to look very hard to find it.

Children with gender dysphoria make it very apparent that they wish to stray away from gender norms like playing with certain toys or wearing clothes that are traditionally meant for the sex they were born with. They also tend to experience a range of social issues.

They may refuse to go to school, refuse to socialize with other children, Drescher said.

He added that while parents may be concerned with these gender-straying behaviors, many kids grow out of this phase. Studies show that these children tend to identify as homosexual later in life, though some do identify as transsexual.

When approaching puberty, some children who are gender dysphoric and are potentially transsexual may start to panic.

If they are born a boy, they dont want the growth spurt, the Adams apple, the beard growing, says Dr. Drescher.

The onset of puberty can be so distressing that some children may become suicidal. The protocol for this behavior is for a child to undergo puberty suppression; a process where they are given hormones to delay the signs of adulthood. According to Drescher, this gives a gender dysphoric child time to accept the changes that their body will naturally go through.

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Psychiatrist sheds light on transsexualism