I’m not crazy, just non binary.
At
one point in their life, most people have to find a primary doctor. This may
come when you move to a new city, when you gain access to insurance, or when
you’re just too old to be seeing a pediatrician. I’m about to be too old to be
seeing my pediatrician.
Several
years ago I found myself using one of Teen Link’s “Where To Turn For Teens”
guides, I was able to find a counselor in my area. Accessing counseling has
been a bit of a breeze for me, but the thought of finding a new doctor was
somehow different. In my mind, my mental health and physical health can be
related, but require two different doctors. So here came my dilemma; I have
always seen this doctor. All of my siblings have seen this doctor until they
were too old as well. And at my last check up, I sat awkwardly next to a play
area with toys for toddlers and was jokingly handed a sticker on my way out. I
knew that I needed to find a doctor of my own, but the thought loomed over my
head.
Since
the check up, I have seen half a dozen doctors looking for, what my mom has
been calling “the right fit”. Each and every time I walk down those sterile
hallways with a little less optimism, because I know that sooner or later
someone will hand me the form.
So
far most of the doctors that I’ve seen have boasted safe space emblems. Yet every
time I have been handed a form that inquires about gender, when giving only two
options: male or female. This is where the conversations begin to go south.
Either the doctor or a nurse will try to return the form, thinking it was a
mistake. I’ll grit my teeth, and explain that my gender does not fit in either
of the two options provided, and they will lean back in confusion. I may live
in the progressive city of Seattle, but people are still being diagnosed with a
mental illness for being trans*. Believe it or not, the diagnosis remained in
the DSM when it was last updated in 2013.
There
seems to be confusion between identity and mental illness in the medical
community. While I do not think all medical professionals are transphobic, I
believe that identities are being silenced all too often from the fear of being
stigmatized. Having to fight to separate physical health from mental health
care can be really disempowering, and being nonbinary is only one of many
factors that can provide barriers to accessing healthcare. Over the years, I
have found incredible support from a variety of agencies in the field of mental
health, and almost all have been incredibly supportive of my gender identity.
My current task is to find a physician that is as open as them.
One thing that has really helped me in my process of feeling more comfortable with a doctor, has been the Q card. The Q Card was developed to help empower LGBTQ youth to become more active participants in their healthcare and to start real and important conversations with health care professionals on how they can better support queer youth with their medical/mental health needs. The card has a tri-fold design with blanks for people to fill in their
name, pronouns, sexual orientation, gender identity, and list any concerns or questions they have for their health care professional. It goes over youth rights of confidentiality and gives providers tips on how they can provide better, more inclusive, and supportive care to queer youth. I filled mine out and just gave it to my doctor when she walked in. It helped get a lot of unnecessary and triggering questions out of the way and we were able to talk about how I wanted to be treated. To
learn more, check out the
Q Card Project.
Finding
a doctor or counselor can be stressful. Luckily, Teen
Link has many resources for youth serving agencies in the King County area. If you want more information about
counseling or local public health clinics, or just want to talk it out, you can call or chat
Teen Link any night of the week from 6-10pm. Teen Link is anonymous,
confidential, and nonjudgmental. Anyone who answers calls or chats is a local
teen, and no problem is too big or too small. The number is 866-TEENLINK and
our website is www.866teenlink.org