Gender Dysphoria
Significant clinical distress is caused when a person’s assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) considers Gender Identity Disorder as “intended to better characterize the experiences of affected children, adolescents, and adults.”
“discomfort regarding the relationship between biological/assigned birth gender and social gender”
“For each individual it is different. That this discomfort can be solved by gender transition is one piece. But it may or may not be necessary for a person to be gender transitioned in order to be okay and feel safe and secure that they have made the right choice. Also, it’s worth mentioning that not all trans people – in the sense of biologically male, socially female – need to undergo gender transition because body dysphoria is not the same in all individuals either. There are also trans people who do not want to have surgery because they are comfortable and do not feel the need to go through the process. Socially they identify as female or male respectively. But without the need for surgery.”
Resources:
- Gender Therapist Explains What is Gender Dysphoria
- Gender Therapist Talks 4 Main Causes of Gender Dysphoria
