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[–]LeaveAmsgAfterBeep 28 insightful - 1 fun28 insightful - 0 fun29 insightful - 1 fun -  (8 children)

I don’t think a lot of them realize that they are playing into the rules of their own making (encouraged by social factors, but not rules per se depending on location that MUST be adhered to). They see the rules only having one escape- to not be a woman, it’s not all women, just them personally, because they can’t enjoy living inside their idea of a woman’s box. Women that transgress that barely register to them- there’s always a reason- or they don’t know about them don’t register the cognitive dissonance.

So there’s one exit strategy and it comes with peers and rejoicing and finally getting some of the things you never did while being just a woman- respect, compassion. And you can finally just like what you like and do what you want. And they don’t realize, but because the barrier to you not doing them was always in your own head anyway, just like your identity/exit strategy it’s much harder to perceive.

They also tend to not get... you can just not think about gender. It’s an option. Not everyone obsesses about it. But I have said and will say again, I think this is elements of an anxiety disorder in MOST of those who are in the nonbinary hyper obsessed with gender because they actually experience discomfort. It is basically similar to OCD.

[–]DeepseaDemon 16 insightful - 1 fun16 insightful - 0 fun17 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Yes! I agree with everything you have said completely. On that last bit, I’d also add on depression and eating disorders. There is far too much overlap.

[–]distortedlindsLady Muse 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

YES, the amount of gender dysphoric patients who have had eating disorders i think needs to be discussed and looked into more, its staggering.

[–]LeaveAmsgAfterBeep 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yes, and in some honest cases probably BDD, PTSD. Basically there’s a whole gambit of unchecked mental illnesses and trauma that plague those are sincere in their feelings, even if I disagree with how those feelings are coming out and explained by them. The eating disorders being neglected especially is criminal to me, being how destructive eating disorders can be and typically in people with ED + Depression I am told the ED is given the priority. For some reason, throw in a gender identity and the ED comes in second- despite them being the more deadly/damaging family of conditions than gender dysphoria by far.

[–][deleted] 15 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 0 fun16 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Agreed 100%. It's definitely a mental illness. Not to discredit societal influence, as I've been there myself regarding dysphoria, but the majority of them haven't even attempted to just, be GNC or do the things they like without making a huge deal over it.

[–][deleted] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's an internet-related disorder, I think. I think we can probably look at the past 15 years of middle-class society moving online and tie in some of these mental illnesses that seem to be exasperated by being online and mostly affect privileged communities as being part of a group of internet-related mental illnesses. Humanity has such hubris to think a new, constant and consuming technology would have no effect on our psychology and ability to adapt. We simply don't evolve that fast.

[–]reluctant_commenter 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

They also tend to not get... you can just not think about gender. It’s an option. Not everyone obsesses about it. But I have said and will say again, I think this is elements of an anxiety disorder in MOST of those who are in the nonbinary hyper obsessed with gender because they actually experience discomfort. It is basically similar to OCD.

Yup, totally agree and research shows that a disproportionate number of trans-identified people have anxiety disorders.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Isn't depressive rumination the (sorry) intersection of depression and OCD?

[–]LeaveAmsgAfterBeep 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I mean essentially it feels that way at least on the obsessive part of thinking, it can overlap with existential OCD and various other (informal) OCD topics, like trans OCD. However it doesn’t necessarily have the compulsive part, even the compulsive thinking and actions. Really depends on the person and what they’re going through and symptoms I guess? OCD in and of itself is an anxiety disorder so, you wrap some of these conditions up in a bundle of overlapping symptoms that encourage other symptoms of other conditions. I think my comment is more on the obsessional aspect of controlling appearance, identity, language, focusing on something you can control, and then also having the rules have meaning despite them not needing to, then altering one’s behaviors based on that. Not sure if any of this is a good technical or academic explanation, of course.