[Mountaindewed]

My therapist gave me the diagnosis of gender identity disorder after only 2 sessions of discussing it. But I had been presenting myself as male the entire 6 months we were meeting. So I'm wondering if she just figured it out from the start and was waiting for me to say something. I know other people I've talked with said they knew for at least 10 years before I annouced anything and most everyone else I know was not suprised either when I told them I was going to start to transition.

Has your therapist ever quickly given you a diagnosis because they just figured it out without you telling them?

[Skeezyks]

I haven't had this experience myself. So I can't comment on it directly. But I do think good therapists pay attention, and notice, things we perhaps aren't even aware of. I recall one session I had with a gender therapist. I don't recall what we were discussing in particular. But, during the discussion, she said: "Well, you know you don't have the most masculine walk." This was something I was totally unaware of and certainly hadn't been doing consciously. But it was something she noticed. Perhaps those of us with gender identity issues reveal our true selves in subtle ways the average person might not pick up on but that skilled therapists do.

[Quietmind 2]

One of my psychiatrists diagnosed me in 1 session, but that's because she's specifically a gender psychiatrist and I had to advocate for myself to get into the clinic in the first place. There was several long waits and I had to be "triaged" each time by doctors unfamiliar with transgender people before I could see her. Each time was being dead-named, asserting "proof" that I've gender dysphoria by answering invasive questions.

I was dressed and behaving assigned female at birth because I need to be closeted for my safety, but was looking to explore micro-dosing, as well as full on HRT.

Apparently I don't sit feminine when I'm distracted though. It was something my parents was always abusive about, and coworkers would notice.

[Rive.]

My therapist doesn't do diagnoses.

There is a difference in having a 'sense' of something amiss or whatever issue might be dominant but it is a dangerous thing to do to fling diagnoses at people so carelessly.

[ChickenNoodleSoup]

I can't talk about gender identity disorder specifically. However, for me, my T diagnosed me probably way before we ever discussed it. We had seen each other for about 1 year at the time of diagnosis, but looking back I think he knew what his diagnosis would be after about 6 or 7 months. I do think that good therapists are good at picking up these things, especially if it's within their expertise.

I did, however, talk openly about everything, and present the way I always do. For me that meant you can see SH issues, and I'd talk about my other struggles, though not in terms of diagnostic criteria or exact terms, just by saying how I feel and experience the world. I think 6 months of knowing somebody in case it's done like that is enough to get to know somebody.

[ScarletPimpernel]

I agree with Rive. Diagnosing someone carelessly is dangerous.

All my diagnoses are either from informed past evaluations or evaluations at my own request. Nine years ago I asked my Pdoc and now ex-T to diagnose me at the same time. I wanted to see if they came up with different conclusions. I also wanted to see if I had BPD (you shouldn't diagnose that in childhood). A couple of weeks ago, I asked L if I had PTSD. We are starting to do the evaluation, but not for the diagnosis sake, just for personal reasons.

[Favorite Jeans]

Let’s for a minute not question the validity of using an illness model to discuss the gender spectrum. Let’s assume that gender identity disorder is a thing.

What ELSE could it mean when someone AFAB tells you they’ve been deliberately presenting as male for months and months just because that is in line with how they feel comfortable and that is how they see themselves and want to be seen? Assuming that the person isn’t lying or actively delusional.

Really it doesn’t strike me as being that deep. People are who they say they are.

[Mountaindewed]

Its just when I tried coming out to another therapist a few years before, she didn't believe me and told me I was just confused so I was very scared to tell another therapist because I was worried I would just be told I was confused again.

That first therapist really messed me up but all my current providers say she was very wrong for calling me confused and they are dissapointed that a therapist would say that to a client.

[Favorite Jeans]

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

Its just when I tried coming out to another therapist a few years before, she didn't believe me and told me I was just confused so I was very scared to tell another therapist because I was worried I would just be told I was confused again.

That first therapist really messed me up but all my current providers say she was very wrong for calling me confused and they are dissapointed that a therapist would say that to a client.

Right. So it’s not that your current T is special (I mean they might be! But not because they believe you that you’re trans ) it’s that previous T was absolutely terrible in this regard.

Sometimes when we’ve been treated badly for a long time we think there’s something super special about a person who treats us normally. With respect to your gender, current T is just being normal.

[stopdog]

I think this sort of thing is more parlour trick than anything else - like when psychics seem to know about you or fortune tellers.