evirated (imported) wrote: Sun Jan 04, 2004 3:54 pm Well, for me this "warning" post look very suspicious - first, it is fictional, second - the castration of this guy was done in the most bizarre manner it could - he used the painful elastrator, he cut off his own balls, young and confused.. His ex-girlfirend turned him down, his familiy was some 80% unsupporting and rejecting, full of prejudice. His macho friends were even worse, they turned him down immidiately, and finally, he had a longterm history of depression and psychosis. Curiously, his androgen supplements doesn`t help, he gets even worse after this..
Ahem.
I'll deal with this one point at a time.
- Yes, the story AS A WHOLE is fiction. Every part of it is true, and has happened to different people.
- The method used may sound bizarre to you, but there are at least three currently on this board that have used the same method, I know of five others, and have heard self-proclamed experts tout it as a viable method in the chatroom. It was spouted even more often five years ago. I agree, it's a poor method to use. That does not stop people though.
- "Young and confused" Yes, possibly. In hindsight, at least. At the time, 100% convinced he knew what he was doing, and what the consequences were, as best known at the time. That's a key point. He didn't know depression was a possible consequence. He didn't know osteoporosis was, either. Does that mean he didn't do his homework? No. Talk to the oldtimers on the board, those that were here 5 years ago. If anyone knew these were happening, they weren't talking. For all we know, castration could magnify your chances for breast cancer by a factor of 10. We are in largely uncharted territory, still marking the maps with "Here there be dragons".
- As for what happened with his wife, family, and friends, understand that as much interest as there is here, we are a fringe element. Do not expect everyone to understand when they find out. In fact, it's been many people's experience that even the most tolerant and understanding of people can still be upset by the thought that someone has voluntarily had body parts removed. Look at people who have voluntarily had arms, fingers, or whatever removed. Do they get instant understanding when they tell people? No. What's happening here is no different in most people's eyes.
- The real thing that bothers me. The "
" All the story says is that Al had "one or two bouts with depression before I was castrated, but nothing serious." This, to me, does not equal a long history, and as near as I can tell, to read any further history of depression into that statement is to apply a value judgement that may not be supported by the evidence given. As to the psychosis aspect, while I understand where A-1 is using the term, I also agree with him that the desire for castration, even under the circumstances presented in the story, does not constitute a psychosis.
- As to the androgen treatments not helping the depression, there is yet no direct link to testosterone being the substance responsible for the possibility of a post-castration depression. It could be any one of the number of other chemicals produced by the testes. If testosterone is the key factor, then what form of the hormone is responsible? There are different forms, and the form used in HRT may not be the form needed. There is as of now, no way to know.
- Do not consider the post-castration depression aspect suspect. A very large number of eunuchs on this board have experienced it. Including a few with no prior history of depression.
But I tell you this, guys, and this time it`s 100% real:
evirated (imported) wrote: Sun Jan 04, 2004 3:54 pm My castration not only diminished the depression and *especially* my compulsive-obsessive disorder, that developed just after I turned 13, along with puberty - but it also cured my suicidal thoughts and destructive aggression. Finally, I have developed a peculiar sense of general wellbeing that I never experienced before. In my opinion, the only thing that can cause a depression to a eunuch, as it was the case with the fictional guy in the story, is the prejudice from our oh-so-much sex-fixated society - obviously, when all your phobic firends and relatives turn you down, as if you was a scary monster shithead - surely, everyone will develop a depression and suicidal thoughts here. When you feel unwanted and isolated, yea, how else should you react to this? I understand someone`s attempt here to try to inform about all of the sides of castration, but this example is, in my opinion, very poor, fictional and not surprising - the castration for this guy was sudden, and full of complications: There was no Dr. Kimmel to do it "safe, legally and almost painless", nor did he had anyone who could support him and give advice - he was isolated, in pain, rejected and disinformed - what else would one expect?
Cheers.
Congratulations. I am glad your castration cured your depression, and eliminated your suicidal impulses. One person makes a poor case study though, and your experience is not what others have gone through. To extrapolate from your experience to the point of declaring that the "only thing that can cause depression to a eunuch... is the prejudice" is laughable. Hormones are very powerful chemicals that run our bodies on many levels. We don't know everything they do within our bodies. We can't isolate testosterone and say all that it does is give a guy his sex drive. We can't even isolate the testes and say that all they produce is sperm and testosterone.
To call the example in the story 'very poor' and 'fictional' is upsetting, when every aspect is true, with the sole exception of the act of synthisizing many real stories into one character. There are eunuchs that have had friends shun them after finding out. There are eunuchs whose castration has cost them marriages and relationships. There are eunuchs that have suffered crippling depressions after their castration. There are eunuchs that have killed themselves because they couldn't live like that anymore, and didn't see any other way out.
He didn't plan on being isolated. He didn't plan on being alone. He had a wife that supported him (or so he thought), and thought that his friends and family would understand. He was wrong, but maybe he had no way to know that ahead of time?
I am not saying every eunuch will suffer depression. It is a major problem for some, and as we learn more, it is becoming evident that more and more eunuchs do suffer a post-castration depression, at least temporarily.
The prejudice is real though, and I will go out on a limb and say that every eunuch that is open about their current state to others, will have at least one brush with prejudice and intolerance. Just as any other person with a different gender orientation, skin colour, lifestyle choice, visible mod, or any of a hundered other 'differences' is going to run into at least one brush with racism, sexism, prejudice, intolerance, discrimination, or any other negative reaction you'd care to name.
In some ways, you all are lucky Al wasn't religious. Then the story would have likely included him getting excommunicated/tossed out of church.
A-1 
