Mathew et al. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research www.ejpmr.com │ Vol 11, Issue 1, 2024. │ ISO 9001:2015 Certified Journal │ 220 CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW OF TRANSVESTISM: A PSYCHOSEXUAL STATE OF MIND Dr. Asha Mathew 1 *, Dr. Sabarinath H. 1 , Dr. Vinay B. C. 1 , Dr. Jitto Tomy 1 , Dr. Pradeep Shankrappa Mannikatti 1 and Dr. Vaishnavi Shetty Bapuji Pharmacy College, S.S Layout, „A-Block‟, Shammanur Road, Davangere,Karnataka, India, Pin: 577004. Article Received on 05/11/2023 Article Revised on 26/11/2023 Article Accepted on 16/12/2023 INTRODUCTION Transvestism is the impulse to wear the clothing of the opposite sex [1] , it means cross-dressing [2] and it was introduced by a German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld in the year 1910, who coined the term to describe the phenomenon he had observed in 17 individuals, i.e. 16 men and one woman. [3] The word transvestism is derived from two words trans and vestitus, trans means opposite and vestitus meansdress. [4] The practice of cross-dressing is also found as a cultural variant in primordial society, transvestites were defined as men who obtained sexual emancipation from dressing and pretending to be a woman in appearance, manner and they were more interested to be feminine than masculine. [1] Male homosexual prostitutes were different from transvestites; they wear the dress of female sex to intensify their attractiveness to men. [1] FACTORS Psychiatric exploration of transvestism reflects the light upon the psychological background because it‟s a result of six psychopathologic factors, i.e. latent or manifest, sadomastic behaviour, narcissism, scoptophilia, exhibitionism, and fetishism. In most cases, the homosexual component will be latent or manifest in other cases fetishism or sadomastic features will predominate. [5] Sporadically it is hard to say which factor will dominate the psychosexual picture, but when cross- dressing that itself provides the main sexual satisfaction. [6] TYPES The transvestites can be divided into three main groups: Group 1 transvestites are the people who are more frequently seen, but less often in taking medical helpfrom the doctors, because they are interested to be left alone and they will not seek medical help unless the pressure from their family has been raised, only in that situation they will undergo psychotherapy, where hypnosis is a better plan for the cure and their interest in being alone and their dressings will give them emotional relief with more or less sexual emancipation. [7] Group 2 transvestites are much more emotionally disturbed because the symbolic expression of them in female component is not enough for them. For example, being in female attire and makeup. They were obliged to make some physical changes for the enlargement of some organs to showcase their feminine identification and also to ease their emotional distress. They necessitate much more psychological help than group 1 transvestites, but usually refuse psychotherapy in that main psychoanalysis, whenever such therapy is attempted it almost incessantly ends in disappointment. Estrogen SJIF Impact Factor 6.222 Review Article ISSN 2394-3211 EJPMR EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH www.ejpmr.com ejpmr, 2024, 11(1), 220-222 ABSTRACT Transvestism is a transvestic disorder, that causes significant distress or it substantially interferes with the daily functioning in various areas of life. It involves recurrent and intense sexual arousal from cross dressing, which may manifest as fantasies, urges or behaviour. The term was first described in 1910 by Magnus Hirschfeld, who coined the term to describe the phenomenon he had observed in 17 individuals, in which 16 men and one woman. The psychological implication of these conditions has been assessed differently by various writers, but it means the impulse to wear the clothing of opposite sex, also defined as the state of psychosexual inversion called as eonism. The practice was higher among men and it reflects the light upon the psychologic background, because it‟s a result of sixpsychopathologic factors. Transvestites wish to appear in public in their assumed attire and to be accepted as a member of society, so that they should get the proper counselling from the therapist to understand their urges, the pressures society built on them to lessen the symptoms. As it is less likely to be accepted and hard for people to understand, suitable legislative measures to be implemented to promote their physical, mental and social well- being. KEYWORDS: Transvestism; SOS Scale; Kinsey Scale; OCD. *Corresponding Author: Dr. Asha Mathew Bapuji Pharmacy College, S.S Layout, 'A-Block', Shammanur Road, Davangere, Karnataka, India, Pin: 577004.