Comprehensive Psychiatry
Volume 41, Issue 4 , Pages 273-275, July 2000

Adult gender identity disorder can remit☆

From the Department of Experimental Psychopathology, Institute of Psychiatry, London; Department of Psychiatry and Gender Identity Clinic, Imperial College School of Medicine at Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK; and Departament de Psiquiatria i Psicobiologia Clı́nica, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain.

Abstract 

A 4-year remission in a case of gender identity disorder (GID in DSM-IV, previously termed transsexualism) plus obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) prompted a search for further similar cases. Reports were reviewed for apparent remissions in adult GID. GID and paraphilias may wax and wane. This fluctuation can be in tandem with that of comorbid psychopathology or in response to sexual and other life events. Remission has been documented at up to 10 years. If evaluated over many years, GIDs and paraphilias can be less fixed than is often thought. The frequency of permanent remission may be underestimated, as such subjects may not consult clinicians. Implications for the clinician are that such subjects require a long trial period of cross-gender living prior to any surgical interventions.

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☆ Supported in part by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (D.M.-C) and the Wellcome Trust (R.G.).

PII: S0010-440X(00)30516-8

doi:10.1053/comp.2000.7424

Comprehensive Psychiatry
Volume 41, Issue 4 , Pages 273-275, July 2000

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