Gender dysphoria can feel different for everyone. It can manifest as distress, depression, anxiety, restlessness or unhappiness. It might feel like anger or sadness, or feeling slighted or negative about your body, or like there are parts of you missing.
In the past, this was called gender identity disorder. For example, you may be assigned at birth as a female gender, but you feel a deep inner sense of being male. In some people, this mismatch can cause severe discomfort, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
Studies suggest that gender dysphoria may have biological causes associated with the development of gender identity before birth. More research is needed before the causes of gender dysphoria can be fully understood.
As well as being an inherently distressing experience, a person who experiences GD may also experience minority stress.
Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. This sense of unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life.
A strong desire for the primary and/or secondary sex characteristics of the other gender. A strong desire to be of the other gender (or some alternative gender different from one's assigned gender) A strong desire to be treated as the other gender (or some alternative gender different from one's assigned gender)
the foetus' insensitivity to the hormones, known as androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS)(external link opens in a new window / tab) – when this happens, gender dysphoria may be caused by hormones not working properly in the womb.
Hormone therapy for adults
It's important to remember that hormone therapy is only one of the treatments for gender dysphoria. Others include voice therapy and psychological support. The decision to have hormone therapy will be taken after a discussion between you and your clinic team.
People with gender dysphoria decide which treatment options are right for them. Some are satisfied with taking hormones alone. Some are satisfied with no medical or surgical treatment but prefer to dress as the felt gender in public.
strong preference for playmates of the other gender. strong rejection of toys, games and activities typical of their assigned gender. strong dislike of their sexual anatomy. strong desire for the physical sex characteristics that match their experienced gender.
To put in simpler terms, a person with gender dysphoria is not mentally ill; they are dissatisfied with the gender assigned at their birth. A person with body dysmorphia has a disorder in which they perceive their body or face as “ugly,” “fat,” or otherwise unattractive despite medical or personal reassurances.
Most patients (TM: 78%; TW: 73%) reported experiencing GD for the first time between ages 3 and 7 years.
Gender dysphoria might cause adolescents and adults to experience a marked difference between inner gender identity and assigned gender that lasts for at least six months.
For gender dysphoria to be present, a patient must have had at least two DSM-5 criteria for at least six months, and it must cause significant distress to the patient. This generally includes any of the following: a significant difference between their own experienced gender and their secondary sexual characteristics.
Recent evidence indicates that thalates from plastic and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of many factors predicting gender dysphoria, particularly in the case of male-to-female transgenders.
The Gender Dysphoria Test is based on a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of this psychological construct.
Regarding grey matter, the main sexually dimorphic areas associated with the development of gender identity are represented by the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the third interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus (INAH3).
Because those with untreated gender dysphoria are at risk of a variety of negative outcomes, including mood symptomatology, suicidality, substance use disorders, and other psychosocial risk factors, it is critical that health care providers are adept in the provision of holistic, patient-centered care.
Psychology professor Darryl Hill insists that gender dysphoria is not a mental disorder, but rather that the diagnostic criteria reflect psychological distress in children that occurs when parents and others have trouble relating to their child's gender variance.
Use a towel, sheet, shirt or (if possible) turn the mirror around. If the top of your mirror is clean, you could potentially use any of the bath towels in the room. Use a thick bath sponge. Thicker sponges provide a barrier between your hand and your body, preventing you from feeling what you are touching as much.
Various types of dysphoria include rejection sensitive dysphoria, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a condition that exists because of society, not individual pathology.
Around age two: Children become conscious of the physical differences between boys and girls. Before their third birthday: Most children can easily label themselves as either a boy or a girl. By age four: Most children have a stable sense of their gender identity.
Some youth find that their dysphoria abates as puberty starts, making it important to allow initial pubertal changes to occur. On the other hand, some youth may find their gender dysphoria increases with puberty, corroborating their need for further care.