Täschner & Wiesbeck, 1988a
Psychiatric Clinic of the Bürgerhospital, Stuttgart, Germany

This congress report for the 8th World Congress for Sexology in Heidelberg, Germany, contains a great amount of data without clarifying the purpose of the authors. It seems to be important to them to have reached the remarkable conclusion that there is no specific transsexual personality structure and that psychopathic traits cannot be corrected immediately by surgery.

• Sample
• Follow-Up Study Period
• Study Methods
• Evaluation Fields and Criteria
• Results
• Suicide Attempts
• Follow-up Studies Mentioned
• Authors' Conclusion

Follow-Up Study Period
"Most surgeries had been done shortly before, so that a reliable evaluation of the success was impossible" (p. 201).

Study Methods
Psychiatric examination within the procedure to change first name, resp., legal sex, in accordance to the Transsexual Law; determination of the intelligence quotient.

Evaluation Fields and Criteria
Somatic illnesses, psychopathologic findings, the start of transsexual symptoms, sexual activity, partnership, gender of prospective partners, work relations and suicide attempts were documented.

Results
"Most surgeries had been done shortly before, so that a reliable evaluation of the success was impossible. At least most clients had found a certain emotional tranquility and stability" (p. 201).

Suicide Attempts
Seven patients had attempted suicide one or more times pre-surgically. Nothing is known about post-surgical suicide attempts.

Authors' Conclusion
"The surgical correction of primary gender characteristics cannot be the treatment of choice. If a surgical solution is desired or being tried, at least a two-year-long probation period, including psychotherapy, should be a prerequisite. We see a surgical intervention as a last resort, not a first selection" (p. 201).