Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Andrew (imported)
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Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by Andrew (imported) »

As most of you know, I have put together a list of the effects of castration, to be posted whenever a newcomer asks about this, especially for those who are into the fantasy of castration and have not yet grasped the reality.

I have done another re-write. Yes, again. And once again I want you all to read it and suggest ways to improve it, by wording, grammar, topic, whatever.

Those of you who have been following this little saga of re-writes will note a major change. In light of what I have been reading, I have downgraded osteoporosis to concern #2, and elevated depression to concern #1.

@@@@@@

My own OPINIONS on the topic?

Probably many eunuchs, including myself, had long term chronic depression BEFORE castration. The Eunuch Calm reduced the background noise of testosterone-induced sexuality, aggressiuon, and ambition, bringing the depression to the forefront.

IN MY CASE (and my case only, I speak for nobody except myself), I needed professional therapy, and thank God Talula kicked my arse into doing just that. Talula, I may owe you my life and sanity to your good work.

The therapy has worked, along with the antidepressant EFFEXOR. I now have that Eunuch Calm without the depression. Everyone close to me has noted that I seem sooooo much better. And I am.

So, once again, the infamous list...

πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“– πŸ“–

Every Eunuch will have different effects from his castration. Some of this may depend on whether he is an β€œelective” Eunuch or not. YMWV = Your Mileage Will vary. Typical effects of castration are as follows.

Infertility, in all cases.

Some (but not all) elective eunuchs develop β€œThe Eunuch Calm”, a feeling of tranquil contentment, with reduced or eliminated thoughts of sex, aggression, and ambition. In the words of Dr. Spector, β€œIn either case of TS or eunuch, a deep, calm serenity develops which, from then on, makes life far more worthwhile.” This has happened to me, but again, YMWV. This is less likely to happen to non-elective eunuchs.

Reduced libido, erections, and nocturnal emissions, sometimes to the point of total asexuality.

Weight gain, including subcutaneous body fat. This thin layer of fat causes the skin to become softer and smoother. You will need a dedicated diet and exercise program to avoid this problem.

Loss or thinning of body hair, but male pattern baldness slows down or stops. Reduced body odor.

Loss of lean muscle mass (hence muscle weakness, increased fatigue, and loss of stamina). Your shoulders will become narrower and you will lose muscle definition in your upper torso without a VIGOROUS exercise program.

Little to mild breast development (gynecomastia), and mild fat redistribution around the hips and thighs.

The penis may shrink.

Hot flushes and night sweats in some cases, lasting up to 5 years.

POSSIBLE moodiness and tearfulness. Do not be surprised if you start crying far more frequently over what may seem to be trivial matters.

There MIGHT be cognitive losses, mostly in spatial orientation and short term memory.

Osteoporosis should be your #2 concern. You should take at least 1,500 MG of calcium and 400 IU of Vitamin D daily. Shortly before or after castration, you should have a bone density scan, and after that a scan every two years. A proper diet and exercise program will help in the battle against osteoporosis.

DEPRESSION should be your #1 concern. Post-surgical depression is common. Possible chronic depression should be a major concern, and may require professional therapy.

Most Physicians have no experience in caring for a hypogonadal man. Consider finding a Physician who has a thorough working knowledge on the problems and treatments of menopausal and post-menopausal women. Whilst the biology of a Eunuch and a post-menopausal woman are not identical, there is some overlap.

πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹ πŸ™‹
JesusA (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by JesusA (imported) »

Another suggestion would be for your paragraph:
Andrew (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:33 am There MIGHT be cognitive losses, mostly in spatial orientation and short term memory.

Some parts of cognition seem to be hormone-fluenced - spatial orientation being one that has been well-studied. I think that the paragraph might be more accurate if it read:

There are likely to be some minor cognitive changes based on the different levels of hormones affecting your brain. You will probably first notice that your "spatial orientation" will change from being distance-and-direction based to being much more landmark-based. There may be other changes as well that you will need to adjust to.
Andrew (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by Andrew (imported) »

JesusA (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 22, 2003 5:02 pm Another suggestion would be for your paragraph:

Some parts of cognition seem to be hormone-fluenced - spatial orientation being one that has been well-studied. I think that the paragraph might be more accurate if it read:

There are likely to be some minor cognitive changes based on the different levels of hormones affecting your brain. You will probably first notice that your "spatial orientation" will change from being distance-and-direction based to being much more landmark-based. There may be other changes as well that you will need to adjust to.

This may be a little too detailed, and I am not sure how accurate it is. I do not seem to have noticed any of that landmarked-base stuff in my thinking. I would need some more feedback from EUs on this.

I think I'll start a seperate thread.
BossTamsin (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by BossTamsin (imported) »

Would this also hold true if the person desired castration or only if castration was not desired?

As I said somewhere before, I think the person who underwent castration voluntarily is more likely to have problems with depression.

Someone who has a medically necessary castration done already has a medical support system in place. They are faced with a simple choice, castration or death.

If the castration was voluntary though, they may or may not have any support system, medical or otherwise. They may have unrealistic expectations of what being a eunuch is like. The desire for castration may have been a fixation, an obsession, but once accomplished, those drives don't always vanish. They may have become eunuchs for all the wrong reasons (to please someone else, rather than for themselves). Any, or all of these may apply, and each adds to the chance of depression setting in.
Robby (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by Robby (imported) »

As I said somewhere before,
BossTamsin (imported) wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2003 1:17 pm Someone who has a medically necessary castration done already has a medical support system in place. They are faced with a simple choice, castration or death.

Gee, I like the way you describe my choices, castration or death. Guess which door I took?...

πŸ˜„ πŸ˜„ πŸ˜„ πŸ˜„ πŸ˜„ πŸ˜„ 🚬

Robby
JesusA (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by JesusA (imported) »

There is at least anecdotal evidence for a connection between hormones and depression. Statistically women are far more likely to suffer depression than men. There have been reports that a large percentage of MTF transsexuals fall into depression when they begin estrogen therapy - a time when there transition is well under way and successful. Clearly more needs to be done on the subject, but we need to keep this in mind as a possibility - rapid reduction in testosterone level may be a contributing factor for depression.
Andrew (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by Andrew (imported) »

24 December 2003

In the light of comments received, and especially the sad news that The Fraj is suffering from depression, I have done another re-write of that paragraph to make the warning even stronger. Comments?

@@@

DEPRESSION! This MUST
Andrew (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:33 am be your #1 concern. Post-surgical depression is
very likely as your testosterone levels crash. C
Andrew (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:33 am hronic depression should be a major concern, and may require professional therapy
(including antidepressants) before, during, and after the surgery. You need to consider the issue of depression BEFORE castration. If it is an issue before hand, it will almost certainly become a much larger one afterward.
Robby (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by Robby (imported) »

Andrew (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2003 10:55 am 24 December 2003

In the light of comments received, and especially the sad news that The Fraj is suffering from depression, I have done another re-write of that paragraph to make the warning even stronger. Comments?

@@@

DEPRESSION! This MUST
Andrew (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:33 am be
Andrew (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2003 10:55 am your #1 concern. Post-surgical depression is
[/qu
ote]
very likely as your testosterone levels crash. C[quote="Andrew (imported)"
Andrew (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2003 10:55 am time=1072049580]
hronic depression should be a major concern, and may require professional therapy
(including antidepressants) before, during, and after the surgery. You need to consider the issue of depression BE
FORE castration. If it is an issue before hand, it will almost certainly become a much larger one afterward.

Andy,

Maybe it would not hurt to mention a small dose of Testosterone for those who experience depression as a result of castration. One could control the dosage and back off to a level of peace without the depression. Testosterone is not your enemy...its a natural hormone found in most humans. Its all about control and elective Eunuchs, for non-medical reasons, who experience depression could gain dramatically if you included a brief blurb on this subject in your FAQ...

Thanks Andy,

Robby

β›΅ 🚢 🚢 β›΅
Andrew (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by Andrew (imported) »

Andy,
Robby (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2003 4:28 pm Maybe it would not hurt to mention a small dose of Testosterone for those who experience depression as a result of castration. One could control the dosage and back off to a level of peace without the depression. Testosterone is not your enemy...its a natural hormone found in most humans. Its all about control and elective Eunuchs, for non-medical reasons, who experience depression could gain dramatically if you included a brief blurb on this subject in your FAQ...

Thanks Andy,

Robby

β›΅ 🚢 🚢 β›΅

OK, how about this as a re-write?

@@@

DEPRESSION! This MUST
Andrew (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:33 am be
Robby (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2003 4:28 pm
Andrew (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2003 10:55 am
your #1 concern. Post-surgical depression is
[/qu
ote]
very likely as
Robby (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2003 4:28 pm your testosterone levels crash. Chronic depression IS
Andrew (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2003 10:55 am a major concern, and WILL require professional therapy (including antidepressants) before, during, and after the surgery. You n
eed to consider the issue of depression BEFORE castration. If it is an issue before hand, it wil
l almost certainly become a much larger one afterward. Some eunuchs may have to take small or medium amounts of testosterone to alleviate the depression.
An Onymus (imported)
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Re: Concerning depression as an effect of castration

Post by An Onymus (imported) »

This thread has been thought-provoking. My question would be, since these sorts of problems would have affected eunuchs in the historical past (especially post-pubertal castrates, I would think.); is there any evidence in the literature regarding how the Skoptsy, the Ottoman and Chinese harem eunuchs, or the operatic castrati, dealt with the depression problem--at a time when, of course, there was no HRT, no prozac, or any other pharmaceutical which could ave been used to combat depression. Of course, since these people mostly lived in eunuch communities, they would have had a support system of sorts.

For what it's worth, I think Zia Jaffra mentioned in her book, that a number of hijras told her they had contemplated suicide.
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