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Domenico di Ceglie vs. transgender people

Domenico di Ceglie is an Italian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst best known for founding the Tavistock Clinic in the United Kingdom. He wrote a number of papers based on disease models of gender identity and expression.

Because centralized federal clinics that dole out limited socialized medicine consistently fail the trans people they are tasked to serve, the Tavistock gender clinic was finally shut down in 2022.

Background

Di Ceglie has the following education and training:

  •  1965 Diploma di Maturita ‘Scientifica’ Liceo A. Volta – Milano 
  • 1972 Degree with honours (110/110 cum Laude) in Medicine and Surgery at University of Perugia 
  • 1972 Diploma di Abilitazione All ‘Esercizio Della Professione di Medico Chirurgo (State DMS) 
  • 1976 Diploma of Specialization in Psychiatry, (50/50 e Lode) 
  • University of Perugia (EEC recognised Specialist Qualification) 

In 1989 he founded the Gender Identity Development Clinic at St George’s Hospital in London, moved to Portman Clinic in 1996. 

Views

di Ceglie lays out the four 20th-century disease models:

  • The first is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn) (DSM—IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). This sets criteria for children, adolescents and adults (Box 1) and requires that four criteria be satisfied for the diagnosis to be made. Criteria A and B refer to two aspects of gender identity disorder: A to evidence of cross-gender identification; and B to the experience of discomfort about one’s biological sex and the feeling of inappropriateness in the gender role of that sex.
  • The second is the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD—10, F64.2; World Health Organization, 1992). In this classification there is no distinction between criteria A and B and “the diagnosis requires a profound disturbance of the normal gender identity; mere tomboyishness in girls or girlish behaviour in boys is not sufficient”.
  • Third is Rosen et al‘s (1977) distinction between cross-gender identification and gender-behaviour disturbance. This classification has proved unsatisfactory, as a large number of children (71%) present both characteristics (Reference Bentler, Rekers and RosenBentler et al, 1979).
  • Fourth is Stoller’s (1968) diagnosis of ‘male childhood transsexualism’. This is based on the presence in a boy of “a fixed belief that he is a member of the opposite sex and will grow up to develop the anatomical characteristics of the opposite sex” (p. 195).

Stranger in My Own Body (1998)

Di Ceglie edited Stranger in My Own Body: Atypical Gender Identity Development and Mental Health, a book that features most of the worst 20th-century clinicians focused on gender diverse youth:

  • Susan Bradley
  • Caroline Brain
  • Susan W. Coates
  • Leo Cohen
  • Peggy Cohen-Kettenis
  • Domenico Di Ceglie
  • David Freedman
  • Barbara Gaffney
  • Karine George
  • Richard Graham
  • Richard Green
  • Peter Hill
  • Leslie Ironside
  • Allison James
  • Mary Lightfoot
  • John Money
  • Mary Sue Moore
  • Mauro Morra
  • Paulina Reyes
  • Hartwin Sadowski
  • Adrian Sutton
  • Fiona Tasker
  • Judith Trowell
  • Stephanie H.M. van Goozen
  • Jane Whittaker
  • Gianna Williams
  • Peter Wislon
  • Bernadette Wren
  • Kenneth J. Zucker

References

Di Ceglie D (2000). Gender identity disorder in young people Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. Cambridge https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/advances-in-psychiatric-treatment/article/gender-identity-disorder-in-young-people/036C1BECF56F801C24C5EC11272CE872

1989 International Conference – The Psychotherapeutic Relationship with the Adolescent – Rapallo (Italy). Paper on ‘Therapeutic issues in gender identity disorders’. 

1992 Paper: Management and Therapeutic Aims with Children and Adolescents with Gender Identity Disorders. Conference Gender Identity and Development in Childhood and Adolescence. St George’sHospital, London. 

1993 Paper: ‘Aspects of Counter Transference in Working with Children with gender Identity Problems. Presented at Conference – Counter Transference and Gender – Organised by Association for Group and Individual Psychotherapy – London. 

1993 Paper: Therapeutic Aims with children and adolescents with G.I.D. International symposium of the Harry Benjamin Association – New York City – Oct. 93. 

1995 Review Article – British Journal of Hospital Medicine “Gender Identity disorders in children and adolescents”. March 1995.vol 53, pp. 251-256 

1997 Scientific Meeting of the Tavistock Centre and Portman Clinic 8th December 1997 “Atypical Gender Identity Development – between Disorder and Vocation”. 

1998 Di Ceglie, Claire Sturge and Adrian Sutton “Gender Identity Disorder in Children and Adolescents”. The Royal College of Psychiatrists Council Report CR63. 

1998 Di Ceglie, D (ed). with David Freedman “A Stranger In My Own Body– Atypical Gender Identity Development and Mental Health”. Karnac Books, London. 

1998 Di Ceglie D., (1998) Reflections on the Nature of the “Atypical Gender Identity Organization” In ‘A Stranger in My Own Body: Atypical Gender Identity Development and Mental Health’ (ed D. Di Ceglie with D. Freedman) pp.9-25 Karnac Books, London. 

1998 Di Ceglie D., (1998) “Management and Therapeutic Aims with Children and Adolescents with Gender Identity Disorders and their Families”. In ‘A Stranger in My Own Body: Atypical Gender Identity Development and Mental Health’ (ed D. Di Ceglie with D. Freedman) pp.185-197, Karnac Books, London. 

1998 Di Ceglie. D., (1998) “Children of Transsexual Parents – Mental Health Issues and Some Principles of Management”. In ‘A Stranger In My Own Body: Atypical Gender Identity Development and Mental Health’ (ed D. Di Ceglie with D Freedman)pp. 266-274 Karnac Books, London. 

2000 Di Ceglie D., (2000) Gender Identity Disorder in Young People.  In Advances in Psychiatric Treatment vol. 6 pp. 458-466 

2001 The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association’s Standards of Care for Gender Identity disorders, Sixth Version. 

Committee members: Walter Meyer III M.C. (Chairperson), Wlater O. Bockting Ph.D., Peggy Cohen-Kettenis Ph.D., Eli Coleman Ph.D., Domenico Di Ceglie M.D., Holly Devor Ph.D., Louis Gooren M.D., Ph.D., Joris Hage M.D., Sheila Kirk M. Dlk, Bram Kuiper Ph.D., Donald Laub M.D., Anne Lawrence M.D., Yvon Menard M.D., Jude Patton PA-C, Leah shaefer Ed.D., Alice Webb D.H.S., Connie Christine wheeler Ph.D. 

2002 D. Di Ceglie, Freedman, MacPherson & Richardson “Children and Adolescents Referred to a Specialist Gender Identity Development Service: Clinical features and Demographic Characteristics”. 

International Journal of Transgenderism, Vol 6, No. 1. 

2002 D.Freedman, F.Tasker & D.Di Ceglie “Children and Adolescents with Transsexual Parents Referred to a Specialist Gender Identity Development Service: A Brief Report of Key Developmental Features” Clinical Child Psychology & Psychiatry Journal, Vol 7, 3. 

2002 Current Views on Gender Identity Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Proceedings of the Conference of the International Association of Paediatric Gynaecology, Florence, Italy. 

2003 D. Di Ceglie, E. Coates Thummel, An Experience of Group Work with Parents of Children and Adolescents with Gender Identity Disorder. Paper presented at XV111 Biennial Symposium of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, Ghent, Belgium. 

2004 Di Ceglie, D., (2004) The Organisation of Gender Identity Development Specialist Service: The Network Model, Paper Presented at the conference “Atypical Gender Identity Development: Combating Stigma and the Provision of Clinical Services”. Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, London 

2006 Di Ceglie, D., (2006)Between Scylla and Charibdys: Exploring Atypical Gender Identity Development in Children and Adolescents. European Conference ofCommittee on Women and Psychoanalysis (COWAP) of the International Psychoanalytical Association. Catania June 2006 

2006 Di Ceglie, D., Coates Thummel, E., (2006) “An Experience of Group Work with parents of Children and Adolescents with Gender Idenitty Disorder”, Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 11, 3. 

2009 Di Ceglie, D. (2009), Engaging young people with atypical gender identity development in therapeutic work: a developmental approach. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, vol 35 Number 1 pp3-12 

2009 Di Ceglie, D. (2009) Between Scylla and Charybdis: exploring atypical gender identity development in children and adolescents in G. Ambrosio (ed) Transvestism, Transsexualism in the Psychoanalytic Dimension, Karnac Books, London 

2010 Di Ceglie, D. (2010) Gender Identity and Sexuality: What’s in a name? Guest Editorial in Diversity in Health and Care 18 

2011 Jones, R., Wheelwright, S., Farrell, K., Martin, E., Green, R., Di Ceglie, D. and Baron-Cohen, S. (2011) Female to male transsexual people and autistic traits, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 

2011 The World Professional Association for Transgender Health Symposium, Atlanta, USA. Paper presentation, Empathizing and Systemizing in Adolescents with Atypical Gender Identity Development 

2012 Paper: Atypical gender identity development and autistic spectrum features. Presented at the 20th World Congress of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) – Paris. Abstract published in ‘Neuropsychiatrie de l’enfance et de l’adolescence’ July 2012 Vol. 60 – Mo-S-123. 

2012 Di Ceglie, D. Response to Alessandra Lemma – APP Lecture Research Off the Couch Revisiting the transsexual conundrum, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Vol. 26, No. 4, p 290-293 

2013 ‘Care for Gender Dysphoric Children’, chapter in Gender Dysphoria and Disorders of Sex Development: Progress in Care and Knowledge(eds P.C. Kreukels, T.D. Steensma, A.L.C. de Vries), July 2013, Springer 19 

2014 Di Ceglie, D., Skagerberg, E., Auyeung, B., & Baron Cohen, S. Empathizing and Systemizing in Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria,Opticon1826 (16):6, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/opt.bo 

2014 Gender Dysphoria in Young People: chapter in Clinical Topics in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (ed S. Huline-Dickens), April 2014, Royal College of Psychiatrists publications 

2014 The Use of Metaphors in Understanding Atypical Gender Identity Development and its Psychosocial Impact, Freud Memorial Lecture, Freud Conference 2014, Melbourne, Australia 

2015 Clinical Management of Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents. Chapter in Management of Gender Dysphoria: A Multidisciplinary Approach (eds: C. Trombetta et al.) Springer-Verlag 2015 

2015 Skagerberg E., Di Ceglie D., Carmichael P.: Brief Report: Autistic Features in Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria.Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, March 2015. 

2015 Lectio Magistralis: Autonomy and Decision Making in Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria, Cidigem Conference, Turin, November 2015 

Media

A Stranger in My Own Body: Atypical Gender Identity Development and Mental Health Edited by Domenico Di Ceglie

Psychoanalysis presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJr0kFe257s

Resources

Linkedin (linkedin.com)