Sex-Change Surgery Might Be Superficial Fix

Sex-reassignment surgery is easier to obtain today than ever before. And while that seems on the surface to be a great development for those with gender dysphoria, a post at Ozy.com calls that into question. The problem is that those who decide to undergo the surgery sometimes have a complex web of psychiatric issues, and those issues don't go away because patients change their gender. As Melissa Pandika asks in the piece, "What if the procedure is an invasive physical solution for an inherently psychological problem?"

In some cases, "disentangling" the psychological issues might resolve the gender dsyphoria issues without the need for surgery. Pandika cites a "scarcity of methodologically strong research" proving that surgery is the right move. "If the medical community recommends psychiatric care, not cosmetic procedures, for people suffering from anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder, despite those patients’ belief that changing their appearance will solve their problems, why not do the same for gender dysphoria patients?" Click for the full column. (More sex-change operation stories.)