Gender identity disorder

People with gender dysphoria may have a range of feelings and behaviours that show discomfort or distress. The level of distress can be severe and affect all areas of their life. Signs of gender dysphoria in children A diagnosis of gender dysphoria in childhood is rare. Most children who seem confused about their gender identity when young will not continue to feel the same way beyond puberty. Role playing is not unusual in young children. However, ask a GP for advice if you are worried your child is showing signs of being depressed, anxious or withdrawn. You might want to ask if these behaviours have been noticed at school before seeking advice from a GP. Read more about Signs of gender dysphoria in teenagers and adults If your feelings of gender dysphoria began in childhood, you may now have a much clearer sense of your gender identity and how you want to deal with it. However, you may also find out that the feelings you had at a younger age disappear over time and you feel at ease with your biological sex. Or you may find you identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual. The way gender dysphoria affects teenagers and adults is different to children. You may feel: • certain that your gender identity conflicts with your biological sex • comfortable only when in the gender role of your preferred gender identity (may include non-binary) • a strong desire to hide or be rid of physical signs of your biological sex, such as breasts or facial hair • a strong dislike of the genitals of ...

Persons whose experienced or expressed gender differs from their sex assigned at birth may identify as transgender. Transgender and gender-diverse persons may have gender dysphoria (i.e., distress related to this incongruence) and often face substantial health care disparities and barriers to care. Gender identity is distinct from sexual orientation, sex development, and external gender expression. Each construct is culturally variable and exists along continuums rather than as dichotomous entities. Training staff in culturally sensitive terminology and transgender topics (e.g., use of chosen name and pronouns), creating welcoming and affirming clinical environments, and assessing personal biases may facilitate improved patient interactions. Depending on their comfort level and the availability of local subspecialty support, primary care clinicians may evaluate gender dysphoria and manage applicable hormone therapy, or monitor well-being and provide primary care and referrals. The history and physical examination should be sensitive and tailored to the reason for each visit. Clinicians should identify and treat mental health conditions but avoid the assumption that such conditions are related to gender identity. Preventive services should be based on the patient's current anatomy, medication use, and behaviors. Gender-affirming hormone therapy, which involves the use of an estrogen and antiandrogen, or of testosterone, is generally safe but partially irreversible. Speciali...

Cindy M. Meston & Penny Frohlich The DSM-IV describes gender identity disorder as a persistent and strong cross-gender identification and a persistent unease with ones sex. Gender identity disorder is not diagnosed if these symptoms co-occur with a physical intersex condition. As with the sexual disorders, a diagnosis is only made if the symptoms produce marked distress or impairment. According to the DSM-IV, gender identity disorder can occur in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Sexually mature individuals may be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or may feel little sexual attraction to either men or women (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Gender Identity Disorder is often confused with transvestism (cross-dressing) although the two are distinct. When biological males and females feel a cross-gender identification, it is termed male-to female transsexualism (MF) and female-to-male transsexualism (FM), respectively. Prevalence estimates suggest that MF transsexualism is more common than FM transsexualism although a few studies have found a 1:1 ratio. Prevalence estimates range from 1:10,000 to 1:100,000 for MF and 1:30,000 to 1:400,000 for FM (Cohen-Kettenis & Gooren, 1999; Zucker & Green, 1992). Studies examining the biological causes of gender identity disorder have typically examined the effects of prenatal hormones on prenatal brain development. During normal prenatal development, the presence of testosterone leads to the development of external male geni...

The phenomenon of transgender children "growing out of" their transgender identity by the time they are adolescents or adultsis called “desistance” by gender researchers. For decades, follow-up studies of transgender kids have shown that a substantial majority -- anywhere from 65 to 94 percent -- eventually ceased to identify as transgender. One study found that older children, girls, and those kids who reported more intense gender dysphoria were more likely to stick with their transgender identity as adolescents. These findings have become part and parcel of the "How young is tooyoung?" debate over "social transitioning," the term for allowing kids to publicly live as their identified gender in every way short of medical treatment. If most kids will eventually cease to be transgender, some clinicians have reasoned, isn’t it more prudent to take the least disruptive path in coping with a child's gender dysphoria? That way, if or when kids later stop identifying as transgender, they will have less to “undo.” In recent years, though, a new school of thought has emerged. Many gender specialists now believe that the best course for a transgender child is often “social transition,” where kids as young as three are allowed to change their names, pronouns and style of dress to match the gender they identify with. Looking at the Research One reason many researchers believe it’s unnecessary to delay the social transition of a child is that they don’t think the research on desistanc...

Gender dysphoria is in no way associated with sexual orientation, nor does it refer to homosexuality in any way. Rather, gender dysphoria places the focus on distress with one's body due to social enforcement of sex and gender binaries. Definitions One of the difficulties faced by individuals, families, and the public alike is the ongoing confusion with terminologies, including the words "sex" and "gender." • A strong desire to be of the gender other than the one assigned at birth • A strong desire to be treated as a gender other than that assigned at birth • An incongruence between one's experienced or expressed gender and one's sex characteristics • A strong desire to have the sex characteristics of an alternative sex • A strong desire to be rid of one's sex characteristics • A strongly held belief that one has the typical reactions and feelings of another gender Diagnosis in Children Diagnosing gender dysphoria in children is far more difficult. That's because children may have less insight into what they're experiencing or lack the ability to express those insights. To this end, the test is focused as much on behaviors as it is likes, dislikes, and preferences. • A strong desire to be another gender or an insistence that one is another gender • A strong preference for wearing clothes of another gender • A strong preference for cross-gender roles in make-believe play • A strong preference for the toys, games, or activities stereotypically used by another gender • A stro...

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Diagnosis Your health care provider might make a diagnosis of gender dysphoria based on: • Behavioral health evaluation. Your provider will evaluate you to confirm the presence of gender dysphoria and document how prejudice and discrimination due to your gender identity (minority stress factors) impact your mental health. Your provider will also ask about the degree of support you have from family, chosen family and peers. • DSM-5. Your mental health professional may use the criteria for gender dysphoria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association. Gender dysphoria is different from simply not conforming to stereotypical gender role behavior. It involves feelings of distress due to a strong, pervasive desire to be another gender. Some adolescents might express their feelings of gender dysphoria to their parents or a health care provider. Others might instead show symptoms of a mood disorder, anxiety or depression. Or they might experience social or academic problems. Treatment Treatment can help people who have gender dysphoria explore their gender identity and find the gender role that feels comfortable for them, easing distress. However, treatment should be individualized. What might help one person might not help another. Treatment options might include changes in gender expression and role, hormone therapy, surgery, and behavioral therapy. If you have gender dysphoria, seek help from a d...

Enter search terms to find related medical topics, multimedia and more. Advanced Search: • Use “ “ for phrases o [ “pediatric abdominal pain” ] • Use – to remove results with certain terms o [ “abdominal pain” –pediatric ] • Use OR to account for alternate terms o [teenager OR adolescent ] Search A-Z Gender role behaviors fall on a continuum of traditional masculinity or femininity, with a growing cultural recognition that some people do not fit—nor necessarily wish to fit—into the traditional male-female dichotomy. These people may refer to themselves as genderqueer, nonbinary, or one of many other terms that have become more commonly used over the past 10 years. Moreover, definitions and categorizations of gender role may differ across societies. The term cisgender is sometimes used to refer to people whose gender identity does correspond to their sex assigned at birth. Western cultures are more tolerant of gender-nonconforming (tomboyish) behaviors in young girls (generally not considered a gender disorder) than effeminate or “sissy” behaviors in boys. Many boys role-play as girls or mothers, including trying on their sister’s or mother’s clothes. Usually, this behavior is part of normal development. Gender nonconformity (behavior that differs from cultural norms for a person's birth sex) in children is not considered a disorder and usually does not persist into adulthood or lead to gender dysphoria, although persistently nonconforming boys may be more likely to identif...