Gender dysphoria

Gender dysphoria
Other namesGender identity disorder
SpecialtyPsychiatry, psychology Edit this on Wikidata
SymptomsDistress related to one's assigned gender, sex or sex characteristics[1][2][3]
ComplicationsEating disorders, suicide, depression, anxiety, social isolation[4]
Differential diagnosisVariance in gender identity or expression that is not distressing[1][3]
TreatmentTransitioning, psychotherapy[2][3]
MedicationHormones (e.g., androgens, antiandrogens, estrogens)
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Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex assigned at birth.[5][6] The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender identity disorder (GID) in 2013 with the release of the diagnostic manual DSM-5. The condition was renamed to remove the stigma associated with the term disorder.[7] The International Classification of Diseases uses the term gender incongruence instead of gender dysphoria, defined as a marked and persistent mismatch between gender identity and assigned gender, regardless of distress or impairment.

People with gender dysphoria commonly identify as transgender.[8] Gender nonconformity is not the same thing as gender dysphoria[9] and does not always lead to dysphoria or distress.[10]

The causes of gender incongruence are unknown but a gender identity likely reflects genetic, biological, environmental, and cultural factors.[11][12][13] Diagnosis can be given at any age, although gender dysphoria in children and adolescents may manifest differently than in adults.[14] Complications may include anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.[8] Treatment for gender dysphoria includes social transitioning and often includes hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or gender-affirming surgeries, and psychotherapy.[2][3]

Some researchers and transgender people argue for the declassification of the condition because they say the diagnosis pathologizes gender variance and reinforces the binary model of gender.[15] However, this declassification could carry implications for healthcare accessibility, as HRT and gender-affirming surgery could be deemed cosmetic by insurance providers, as opposed to medically necessary treatment, thereby affecting coverage.[16]

  1. ^ a b "Gender Dysphoria" (PDF). American Psychiatric Publishing. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Maddux JE, Winstead BA (2015). Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding. Routledge. pp. 464–465. ISBN 978-1317697992. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Coleman E (2011). "Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7" (PDF). International Journal of Transgenderism. 13 (4). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group: 165–232. doi:10.1080/15532739.2011.700873. S2CID 39664779. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Davidson-2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Human Rights Campaign. "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Definitions". Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Morrow DF, Messinger L, eds. (2006). Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression in Social Work Practice: working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-231-50186-6. Gender identity refers to an individual's personal sense of identity as masculine or feminine, or some combination thereof.
  7. ^ DSM-5 fact sheet 2013: "DSM-5 aims to avoid stigma and ensure clinical care for individuals who see and feel themselves to be a different gender than their assigned gender. It replaces the diagnostic name 'gender identity disorder' with 'gender dysphoria', as well as makes other important clarifications in the criteria."
  8. ^ a b Russo J, Coker JK, King JH (2017). DSM-5® and Family Systems. Springer Publishing Company. p. 352. ISBN 978-0826183996. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2020. People meeting criteria for Gender Dysphoria most often identify themselves as trans or transgender. Trans or transgender can be used as umbrella terms to include the broad spectrum of persons whose gender identity differs from the assigned gender (APA, 2013).
  9. ^ Parekh, Ranna. "What Is Gender Dysphoria?". American Psychiatric Publishing. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  10. ^ "Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People" (PDF) (ver. 7 ed.). World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). 2011. Archived from the original on August 14, 2015. 5 ("only some gender nonconforming people experience gender dysphoria at some point in their lives.")
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference heylens et al was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference diamond-2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rosenthal-2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference APA-Position was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Bryant K (2018). "Gender Dysphoria". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Zack Ford was invoked but never defined (see the help page).