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.
Those with body dysmorphia have a distorted view of how they look, while those with gender dysphoria suffer no distortion. They have feelings of anxiety and depression, as they truly know who they are on the inside, despite this not fitting with their biological sex.
marked incongruence between your experienced and expressed gender and your primary or secondary sex characteristics. strong desire to be rid of your primary or secondary sex characteristics. strong desire for the primary or secondary sex characteristics of the other gender. strong desire to be of the other gender.
Exercise – a healthy amount of exercise can improve your mood. Do what you like - dance your heart out in your bedroom, do some yoga, ride a bike, go to circus classes, use the local park gym equipment, or look up exercises that will shape your body in ways that could reduce your dysphoria.
What does dysphoria feel like? 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.
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.
No one knows exactly what causes gender dysphoria. Some experts believe that hormones in the womb, genes, and cultural and environmental factors may be involved.
Most patients (TM: 78%; TW: 73%) reported experiencing GD for the first time between ages 3 and 7 years.
Where can I get a diagnosis of gender dysphoria? While a GP is able to provide this, not many GPs feel that they have the necessary knowledge or training to 'diagnose'. Much more work is needed in this area. Other people who can help are local endocrinologists, GPs with a special interest or other gender specialists.
Gender dysphoria might start in childhood and continue into adolescence and adulthood.
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.
Dysphoria is characterized by deep dissatisfaction with life. It differs from depression in that it's considered a symptom, not a condition. Various types of dysphoria include rejection sensitive dysphoria, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and gender dysphoria.
While you can "self-test" yourself or your child for gender dysphoria, this should only be considered the first step toward a diagnosis.
Both men and women – about 40% of people with BDD are men, and about 60% are women. People of almost any age (from age 4-5 up into old age): BDD most often begins around age 12 or 13.
People living with ADHD may question their gender identity or experience gender dysphoria more often than people without ADHD. But there's no evidence to support a direct cause-and-effect relationship between ADHD and gender nonconformity.
For example, some people may have male genitals and facial hair but do not identify as a male or feel masculine. Some may have female genitals and breasts but do not identify as a female or feel feminine. Some people do not define themselves as having a "binary" identity.
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.
This can further lead to relationship conflicts with family, peers, and friends in various aspects of their daily lives and lead to rejection from society, interpersonal conflicts, symptoms of depression and anxiety, substance use disorders, a negative sense of well-being, and poor self-esteem, and increased risk of ...
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.
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.
Psychiatric and biological causes
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.
Gender dysphoria isn't a mental illness. Rather, it describes the uneasiness stemming from the mismatch between the experienced gender and assigned sex at birth. However, some of the unpleasant feelings that sometimes accompany gender dysphoria include: Anxiety.