Along time ago I read about this dude who got a sex change operation and then wasn't happy about so he,she or whatever then changed back to a men and got counseling.
I really do feel sad for that person because when they were unsure about their gender identity they were led to believe they should embrace what was, ultimately, the wrong choice for them, and now they have permanent changes to their body that they can't undo.
I am really uncomfortable in general with the idea that psychiatrists are encouraging people with these issues to live as the opposite gender, get sex change operations, etc. Sure, it makes the person more subjectively comfortable, and allows them to function which I suppose is the 'goal' of the therapy, but on the other hand the issue itself was never resolved. They still are not happy or at home within their birth bodies. Why is there no attempt to help them with that issue? Why are psychiatrists telling people that there is no hope and no chance for them and they should just fully embrace what they feel they are rather than trying to get the mind in harmony with their body? Even if there is no easy course to that now, I think it would be much more compassionate in the long run to try to develop therapies which would be effective!
I do think this is a genuine disorder (that's not anyone's fault) because I've even seen documentaries about very young children, like 2 and 3 years old, who are miserable with their birth gender. One story talked about a mom who went in the bathroom and found her toddler son trying to cut his male organ off with toenail clippers and saying "But mommy it doesn't go there". If I were a parent I don't know what I'd do in that situation. It's got to be devastating for both the child and the parents who didn't ask for that. Then when the kids get old enough to go to school they get very upset when they are expected for example to dress as their birth gender, play with gender-appropriate toys, etc. Apparently they're just miserable. But there's no options there for those parents other than being encouraged to allow the child to live as they feel they are and not as what they actually are. No child should have to feel horrible about their body or be made to feel miserable every day. However the only option offered is to give in and let them be what they want to be. How will that help them to live a normal life when they grow up?