Discrimination In The Psychiatric Field

[Guest praisedbeherhooves]

I, luckily, have never been institutionalize but I have had four psych ward visits and a school year at a school for teens with behavior problems. In all but the last psych ward I encountered discrimination. To be fair, I would say that only at the school and the second and third psych ward commitments I was discriminated against for my gender orientation but in the first one I was not out and they did discriminate against me for Asperger's by punishing me for harmless behaviors that are part of my autism. They would have discriminated against me but I wasn't out yet. I know that because my second time I was there and I was trying to explain my gender orientation they discriminated against me by banning me from mentioning it. In my problem school I was also banned from talking about transgender issues and even from coming out of the closet. They took it so far that they went out of their way to prevent me from using the androgynous nurses bathroom, which everyone else could use, to force me to use the girls'. This violated Massachusetts law. In my third hospitalization they did give me a separate room which was better than the second time but they still insisted on calling me she all the time even though the standards of care require them to call me he. The fourth time they were actually really good about it and used the proper pronoun all the time. I have heard of other transsexuals getting much discrimination in the psychiatric field. Has anyone else here experienced it?

[Guest ricka]

You didn't say how long ago these events happened but I can assure you that all licensed mental health professionals and facilities are subject to censure and even having their licenses taken away by their respective governing ethical practices boards for discrimination against people of alternative sexual preference and gender identity. You do have legal recourse, Hon if only for the sake of correcting the problem for others.

In the past year I had several people complain of discriminatory remarks around their sexual preferences at a local outpatient mental health center by a worker. A verbal complaint was filed with the program director who censured the employee and brought in a paid consultant to do an all staff training around sensitivity and non-discrimination when treating people of alternative sexual preference and gender identity.

Ricka

[Guest viv]

Hi Hun,

Never been in hospital re your post but....the first psychiatrist

I attended re my being Trans was a right 08753XX ,,,,and he had

huge experience in Trans issues,,,I decided to call a halt to the

*session* . I think the bill was in my letterbox before I got home !!

200 Euros for half an hour , OUCH. luv,viv

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

Well the guy I saw had already decided I wasn't trans before we even talked, based on his opinion of my borderline.

[Guest praisedbeherhooves]

You didn't say how long ago these events happened but I can assure you that all licensed mental health professionals and facilities are subject to censure and even having their licenses taken away by their respective governing ethical practices boards for discrimination against people of alternative sexual preference and gender identity. You do have legal recourse, Hon if only for the sake of correcting the problem for others.

In the past year I had several people complain of discriminatory remarks around their sexual preferences at a local outpatient mental health center by a worker. A verbal complaint was filed with the program director who censured the employee and brought in a paid consultant to do an all staff training around sensitivity and non-discrimination when treating people of alternative sexual preference and gender identity.

Ricka

Ranging from three years to one year. :-/ My family couldn't afford suing. We can't even pay our bills. God knows we made plenty of verbal complaints and basically they ignored us. >.<

[Guest praisedbeherhooves]

I, luckily, have never been institutionalize but I have had four psych ward visits and a school year at a school for teens with behavior problems. In all but the last psych ward I encountered discrimination. To be fair, I would say that only at the school and the second and third psych ward commitments I was discriminated against for my gender orientation but in the first one I was not out and they did discriminate against me for Asperger's by punishing me for harmless behaviors that are part of my autism. They would have discriminated against me but I wasn't out yet. I know that because my second time I was there and I was trying to explain my gender orientation they discriminated against me by banning me from mentioning it. In my problem school I was also banned from talking about transgender issues and even from coming out of the closet. They took it so far that they went out of their way to prevent me from using the androgynous nurses bathroom, which everyone else could use, to force me to use the girls'. This violated Massachusetts law. In my third hospitalization they did give me a separate room which was better than the second time but they still insisted on calling me she all the time even though the standards of care require them to call me he. The fourth time they were actually really good about it and used the proper pronoun all the time. I have heard of other transsexuals getting much discrimination in the psychiatric field. Has anyone else here experienced it?

Amazingly, this is Massachusetts! But I guess, as far as I know, Massachusetts has a bit of a history with corruption among the psychiatric community, so I guess that in place where punitive electric shocks, such as those in the Judge Rotenberg Center, are okayed calling someone the wrong pronoun isn't really a serious problem even if it's against the rules. :-/

[Guest janeylewis]

Well the guy I saw had already decided I wasn't trans before we even talked, based on his opinion of my borderline.

Wow, hadn`t heard of that happening before... so did the person i saw, the sad thing was i actually believed her for a while... :/

Yep, i guess i have, once was by the woman above, the second was by a child psych, i asked her to call me a male name and use male pronouns and she refused and basically told me i was lying about my gender feelings...

[Guest Donna Jean]

Yep, i guess i have, once was by the woman above, the second was by a child psych, i asked her to call me a male name and use male pronouns and she refused and basically told me i was lying about my gender feelings...

Brilliant! Just honkin' brilliant!

That really sets me off...the very ones that are there to help us....will not listen..

DANG!

Donna Jean

[Guest praisedbeherhooves]

Wow, hadn`t heard of that happening before... so did the person i saw, the sad thing was i actually believed her for a while... :/

Yep, i guess i have, once was by the woman above, the second was by a child psych, i asked her to call me a male name and use male pronouns and she refused and basically told me i was lying about my gender feelings...

Thats absurd! Why would you lie about that? Grrrr...

[Guest Katrina Reann]

I was seeing a counselor a few years ago who thought she could cure me of my GID. And my first psychiatrist tried to blame everything I was going through on my GID. He denied the fact that I was bipolar. Needless to say I stopped going to him and since then 4 other Dr's have confirmed along with GID that I am bipolar. That first Dr was and still is a bozo and has misdiagnosed many people in my area.