One should not forget that *you* are paying *them* for their services. That means *you* get to set the agenda and state what your goals are. A good psychotherapist will never tell you what you *should* be doing.

I also agree that doing therapy has not been a waste of my time, as it has allowed me to come to grips with my own feelings, and better understand what it is I’m feeling. Helped me shed guilt and shame. Help me sort some serious “other” stuff too.

However, psychotherapy has been very useful for me in order to improve self acceptance about it, as well as explore how it fits in with other social and psychological issues. My psychotherapist has given me a lot of encouragement about doing whatever I feel I need to do in order to be myself.

@Dante: I’ve also had great results with a good therapist. I just had to go through a couple bad ones before I found her. Even my first meeting with her didn’t turn out well at all, but I went back, and eventually worked out a great relationship with her. She helps a lot.

I certainly understand your reticence at seeing a therapist of any ilk. Yet, I have had good luck and great help from several of those folks. The thing is, you’re building a relationship, and as with any relationship, you have to find the right match.

I don’t believe that treating/reducing depression would in fact help with managing BIID. I’ve had too many periods in my life with little depression and BIID running rampant. Unfortunately.

…I’m not a big fan of ‘psychologists’, ‘psychiatrists’, ‘therapists’, etc.; I couldn’t imagine putting up with the ordeals of this nature like you have; reading your encounters have even reinforced my stance of avoiding them like a burning building, despite others’ suggestions that I could ‘benefit’ from ‘getting help’ from such sources [for a seperate slew of problems, not BIID complications].

I’m far from a professional, but as you’ve mentioned on your own, that you believe some of your depression is completely unrelated to BIID, I had drawn a different logical conclusion. That treating the ‘extra’ depression would help enable (with a good and willing expert/professional) a ‘management’ (I would say ‘treatment’, but there are no legitimate resources or realistic methods currently in existence seemingly to ‘treat’ BIID) of BIID.

Sophie, yes, I’ve been thinking about going back to my GP and saying things aren’t working out, and picking his brain. The problem is, I don’t know that he has much power at all to help resolve anything.

I may just wait and see what the clinic’s next move is going to be. Then respond in the most appropriate manner :)

Based on my own limited experience, my viewpoint is that psychiatrists are vastly inferior to psychotherapists for helping one deal with stuff. Too often they are arrogant and opinionated.

But he’s right of course; the reason you are so obsessed is that we read your stuff and make comments. Oops! ;)

Regarding depression, it is indeed a common experience that transsexuals find depression vaporises post-surgery.