[Institution Title]
Introduction to gender identity disorder
Mental health is the absence of the mental disorder or the level of the psychological wellbeing. Therefore, it is the ability of a person to create an equilibrium between life activities and to enjoy life. It includes the mental, emotional and social being and therefore, it affects how we feel, think and act as we cope with life. Mental fitness determines how we make choices, handle stress, and relate to others and handling stress. Mental disorders affect our thinking, behavior, and mood. Mental disorders are caused by a family history of mental illness, genes and the life experiences of the stress and history of abuse. Many people live with diverse types of the mental disorders and diseases like the obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, drug addiction, and personality disorders. Notably, the available treatment options include the psychotherapy and the medication.
1. What signs and symptoms of gender identity disorder can you identify?
The patient is suffering from gender identity disorder; Gender identity disorder is the feeling that your body does not reflect your original sex and causes severe depression, dissatisfaction, anxiety, and stress. The patient is suffering from intense discomfort that interferes with his normal body functions hence can't lead a normal life ("Developing Mental Health Services," n.d., p.74).
The client is exhibiting a high and consistent cross-gender identification disorder this is evident in his inability to desire the cultural advantage of being of a particular sex. The following is a list of symptoms that can be deduced from the patient diagnostic:
• The repeated desire to be and the patient insistence that he is female.
• Despite the patient being male, he prefers clothing with a female color theme and cross-dressing that makes him look more feminine.
• The patient prefers female playmates over male companions.
• The patient portrays intense dislike of his sexual anatomy.
• The patient has a strong desire for primary sex characteristics of the female gender.
Gender identity disorder is manifested by some symptoms, for instance, the desire to be other sex and the desire to be treated like or live with the other sex (Prior, 1999, p. 34). Also, there is the conviction that the patient has gender identity disorder when they have feelings and the reactions similar to that of the other sex. Notably, there is persistent discomfort with his sex or the sense of the inappropriateness in his masculine gender roles.
2. The appropriate nursing diagnoses for this patient. Develop a psychiatric care plan for this patient using the template on the websonic.
For a complete and evidence-based diagnosis, the patient will undergo some psychological and body examination to rule gender identity disorder present or absence these tests should be consistent and last for about two years. For a gender identity disorder to be ruled present, the feeling of being another gender should last for more than two years. The history and the previous psychiatric evaluation can confirm the person's desire to be opposite sex (Prior, 1999, p. 34). For treatment purposes, patient and family therapy are recommended for the young children so as to create a supportive environment at school and home. For an adult patient especially the couples, a couples' therapy is recommended, hormonal therapy is the best option and the sex reassignment through surgery("Developing Mental Health Services," n.d., p. 71).
The sex reassignment surgery for a patient born male consists removal of the all the physical genital organs after which there is the construction of the labia and the vaginoplasty. The doctors can attempt to construct the clitoris from the former frenulum of the penis. The male people who may not have developed the breast development may elect the augmentation mammaplasty. The client can also undergo a vocal retraining, and if he doesn't have an adequate response, the patient can be subjected to a cricothyroid approximation procedure to aid in raising the vocal pitch (Prior, 1999, p. 41). A hormone treatment consists of daily doses of the estrogen hormone. Therefore, it may be the conjugated estrogens or estrogen patches. Other treatments for gender identity disorder include the testicular atrophy which results to reduced erectile capacity and decreased libido.
A nursing diagnosis for gender identity disorder is the anxiety that is related to ego-dystonic gender identification and the unconscious beliefs about individual values. For instance, the threat of unmet needs which is evidenced by the tension, hopelessness and helplessness (Hubbard, 2007, p. 31). The patient explicit feelings of inadequacy, incomprehension, extreme weariness, uncertainty, insomnia and the focus on the self-impaired daily functions.
Social work plays a significant role in the mental health of all individuals. It is the process of where the person gets aid to get freedom from overlapping external and the internal situations which can lead to stress. Social work gives a gender identity disorder patient a quality life, harmony, personal adaptation and self-realization in all spheres of life (Prior, 1999, p. 34). This part of the care plan is practical, and it is always utilized in the diagnosis of a gender identity disorder patient. It allows the patient to accept reality, anxiety and the fear of being of a particular gender. Also, the patient will learn to trust in self. Developing an exercise program like walking, brisk and the aerobic class is also helpful to a gender identity disorder patient. Physical strenuous activity releases the endorphins like the opiate that create a sense of well-being and reduce anxiety level in a patient.
Prioritizing the nursing diagnosis identified
Nursing care prioritizing help the patient to reduce the level of stress and anxiety. Therefore, promoting the client's sense of self-worth. Notably, the development of social skills can help gender identity disorder patients to feel comfortable with their sexual identity. The other aim of prioritizing diagnosis is to give the patient and their families opportunities generally to participate in group therapy and the other patient support systems.
3. How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your nursing care? Add your evaluation to the nursing care plans.
The effectiveness of the nursing care plan can only be judged by the desired outcomes which should be positive. The patient should appear relaxed, and the reported anxiety at the end should have reduced to a manageable level. The patient should also be comfortable with the identity established after the treatment and participate in the ongoing treatment and support programs ("Developing Mental Health Services," n.d., p. 21). The patient will also acknowledge the reality, the fear and accept their feelings and learn to cope and trust in their self. The patient will have accurate information on their identity which will assist in clarifying their reality base, lineate the boundaries and reframes sexuality.
After the diagnosis and treatment, the degree of the emotional issues tends to reduce, and the client biofeedback becomes active. The evidence observations are the increased wellbeing, increased relaxation, decreased anxiety and greater relaxation. The evaluation methods include the assessment of the anxiety and the degree of the interference with the daily life activities. Also, the review of drug and substance and help the client identify the reality and appreciation.
Gender Identity Disorder care plan
Estimating the prevalence of gender identity disorder (GID) would be difficult considering the social stigma that forces people to hide. Furthermore, not every individual who experience the symptoms can access to healthcare services particularly designed to address such issue (Blosnich, et al., 2013). However, DSM-IV made an estimation that 1 out of 30,000 males and 1 in every 100,000 females in the United States suffers from GID. While GID is classified as a mental health issue, defining gender identity disorder as per DSM-IV, offer a clear understanding of how the condition significantly affects individuals. Mental disorder or psychological disorder relates to health conditions that affect a person's thought process, mood, and behavior. Thus, it significantly affects the ability of the individual to generate the equilibrium between the life activities and to enjoy the life. With this being said, GID is a kind of medical condition that warrants the rational mental process which people are accustomed to in society.
GHC Care Plan Template
Reference list
Developing Mental Health Services. (n.d.). Mental Health Worldwide. doi:10.1057/9781137329608.0016
Hubbard, L. R. (2007). Dianetics: The modern science of mental health. Los Angeles, CA: Bridge Publications, Inc.
Prior, P. M. (1999). Gender and Normality. Gender and Mental Health, 77-95. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-27671-4_5
