LGBTQ
World Health Organization No Longer Classifies Being Transgender as Mental Illness
19 June 2018
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it no longer classifies being transgender as a mental illness.
The specialized agency is part of the United Nations and focuses on international public health. The WHO removed all trans-related categories from mental disorders in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) this week.
They've now been classified under other sexual health conditions, with the WHO explaining in a report that "the rationale being that while evidence is now clear that it is not a mental disorder, and indeed classifying it in this can cause enormous stigma for people who are transgender, there remain significant health care needs that can best be met if the condition is coded under the ICD."
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The change not only will decrease stigma worldwide by validating transgender identity, it will also guide medical professionals treating transgender individuals. legitimate. Lastly, the change will also guide medical professionals.
"The intention is to reduce barriers to care," Geoffrey Reed, a psychologist worked on the ICD, told The New York Times.
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