The Newly Revised Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders

Abstract

In 1998, a 9-member international committee created a major revision of the Standards of Care for the diagnosis and treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with gender identity disorders. The committee designed this document to assist clinicians, patients and their families, and regulatory institutions. The standards contain minimum expectations to increase the likelihood of good outcomes in changing gender presentations, taking cross-sex hormones, and undergoing reconstructive surgeries. This paper presents the exact text of selected sections from the standards as well as a commentary by the committee's chairman. The standards define 9 roles for mental health professionals and ask that each patient begin with a diagnostic assessment that pays attention to the form of the gender problem and comorbid diagnoses. Treatment planning with the patient to address the diagnostic problems and review current and future treatment options is the next step. Psychotherapy is required under some circumstances. As...