Continuous medical consultation helps clear the confusion from children's minds, say psychiatrists

When Rajni(name changed) dressed like a tomboy in school, refused to wear any girly things and preferred being called Rajesh. But, over the years, the 'Rajesh' in her died a silent death.
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Now, the beautiful young girl is no longer confused about her sexual orientation, she feels attracted towards men like any other woman.
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Taken by a sweet surprise, Rajni's parents have started looking for a groom for their newfound daughter.

Thirteen-year-old Nidhi (name changed) slipped into depression after she had a physical encounter with a female classmate.
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Now 21, Nidhi no longer feels guilty about what happened in school as the incident has become a thing of the past for her.

Both Nidhi and Rajni suffered from gender identity disorder, which was treated gradually with medical intervention.

But, the thin line between gender confusion and homosexuality is forcing an increasing number of parents to consult psychiatrists to ascertain their child's state of mind.

"At present, there are a few parents who are coming to the hospital to seek intervention for their child's gender orientation. At times, the parents seem to get worried more because of the taboo attached to homosexuality.

Many think their children have turned homosexuals, but they fail to understand that kids, in their teens, tend to suffer from gender identity disorder, which is different from homosexuality," said psychiatrist Dr Parul Tank, Fortis Hospital, Mulund.

Elaborating on the disease, psychiatrist Dr Harish Shettyu00a0 said, "Teenagers experiment as they experience mixed emotions.
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But, with increased awareness, children understand the concept of homosexuality to a reasonable extent." Even with increased awareness about homosexuality, there is a taboo attached to it that discourages parents to accept their child's sexual orientation.

Take the case of 25-year-old Sameer who had refused to get married. When his parents brought him to Dr Tank for counselling, it was revealed that he was a homosexual and preferred the company of men.

"Even then his parents forced him to get married, assuming that the company of a woman will help him change his preference. But, I requested them to wait and watch instead of rushing things and jumping to conclusions," said Dr Tank.

Echoing Dr Tank's sentiments, Dr Varkha Chulani, a clinical psychologist at Lilavati Hospital, said, "Parents of homosexual children bring them to us with an intention to change their sexual orientation and turn them heterosexual which is not possible.

The increasing trend of homosexuality among the youth is a fact. The sooner society accepts it, the better it is."

Dr Chulani added, "In most cases, there is mere confusion among the teenagers which gets settled with time. Many people tend to outgrow the emotion and, at times, indulge in experimenting also.

But, I always advise them not to develop a rigid opinion about their orientation in the early years and wait for the feeling to persist."

Dr Nilesh Shah, head of the psychiatry department at Sion Hospital, said, "It is a phase. Take the case of Rajni who got cured of gender identity disorder with time.

Similarly, many people outgrow the emotion without medical intervention. Parents of such children should not overreact. Instead, they should support their kids."