Introduction:

Define;
“The condition of feeling one’s emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be
opposite to one’s biological sex”
According to DSM-5;
“Gender dysphoria is the distress a person experiences as a result of the sex and gender. They
were assigned at birth”

EXPLANATION;
According to American psychiatric association:
Gender dysphoria involves a conflict between a
person’s physical or assigned gender and gender with which he/she they identify. People with
gender dysphoria may be very uncomfortable with the gender they were assigned, sometimes
described as being uncomfortable with their body particularly development during puberty or
being uncomfortable with the expected roles of their assigned gender.

Types of gender identity disorder;

Richard Carroll (2007), a leading theorist on gender dysphoria, has described the three
patterns of gender identity disorder for which individuals most commonly seek treatment:

1. Female-Male gender dysphoria

2. Male-Female gender dysphoria Androphilic Type
3. Male-Female gender dysphoria: Autogynephilic Type
 Female-Male gender dysphoria: people with this disorder are born
female but appear or behave in a stereotypically masculine manner from
early on-often, as young as 3 years of age or younger. As children, they
always play rough games or sport, prefer the company of boys, hate “girlish”
clothes, and state their wish to be male. As adolescents, they become
disgusted by the physical changes of puberty and are sexually attracted to
females. However, lesbian relationships do not feel like a satisfactory
solution to them because they want other women to be attracted to them as
males, not as females.
 Male-Female gender dysphoria: Androphilic Type: people with an
androphilic type of male-female gender dysphoria are born male but appear
or behave in a stereotypically female manner from birth. As children, they
are viewed as effeminate, pretty, and gentle; avoid rough games; and hate to
dress in boys’ clothing. As adolescents, they become sexually attracted to
males, and they often come out as gay and develop gay relationships (the
term “androphilic” means attracted to males). But by adulthood, it becomes
clear to them that such gay relationship do not truly address their gender
 dysphoria feelings because they want to be with heterosexual men who are
attracted to them as women.
 Male-Female gender dysphoria: Autogynephilic Type: people with this
gender dysphoria are not sexually attracted to males; rather, they are attracted
to the fantasy of themselves being females (the term “autogynephilic” means
attracted to oneself as a female). Like males with the paraphilia transvestic
fetishism (people who desire to dress in clothes of the opposite sex in order
to achieve sexual arousal) persons with this form of gender dysphoria behave
in a stereotypically masculine manner as children, start to enjoy dressing in
female clothing during childhood, after puberty, become sexually aroused
when they cross-dress. Also, like males with transvestic fetishism, they are
attracted to females during and beyond adolescence. However, unlike
individuals with transvestic fetishism, these persons have fantasies of
becoming female that become stronger and stronger during adulthood.
Eventually they are consumed with the need to be female. In short, cross-
dressing is characteristic of both men with the paraphilic transvestic
fetishism and men with this type of male-female dysphoria. But the former
individuals cross-dress strictly to become sexually aroused, whereas the latter
develop much deeper reasons for cross-dressing, reasons of gender identity.

Symptoms;

Causes of gender dysphoria;

Biological perspective;

Gender development is complex and there are many possible variations that cause a
mismatch between a person’s biological sex and their gender identity, making the exact cause of
gender dysphoria unclear.

Occasionally, the hormones that trigger the development of biological sex may not work
properly on the brain, reproductive organs and genitals, causing difference between them.
This may be caused by;

 Additional hormones in the mother’s system possibly as a result of taking medication.

 The foetus’ insensitivity to the hormones, known as androgen insensitivity syndrome
(AID)- when this happens, gender dysphoria may be caused by hormones not working properly

in the womb.

Gender dysphoria may also be the result of other rare conditions, such as;

 Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)-where a high level of male hormones are

produced in a female foetus. The causes the genitals to become more male in appearance
and, in some cases, the baby may be thought to be biologically male when she is born.
 Intersex conditions – which cause babies to be born with the genitalia of both sexes (or
ambiguous genitalia). Parents are recommended to wait until the child can choose their
own gender identity before any surgery is carried out.

TREATMENTS FOR GENDER DISPHORIA;

Gender identity disorder can be treated through;

 Hormone treatment
 Sex change surgery or sexual reassignment
 Psychotherapy
 1. Hormonal treatment;
Many adults with gender identity disorder change their characteristics by means of hormone
treatments. Physicians prescribe the female sex hormone estrogen for male patients, causing;

 Breast development
 Loss of body and facial hairs
 And change in body fat distribution.

Similar treatments with the sex hormone testosterone are given to women with gender identity
disorder.

2. Sex change surgery;

A surgical procedure that changes a person’s sex organs, features, and, in turn, sexual identity.
Also known as sexual reassignment surgery. One of the most controversial practices in medicine:
sex change, sexual reassignment, surgery. This surgery, which is preceded by one to two years
of hormone therapy, involves;

For male patients;

Partial removal of the penis and restructuring of its remaining parts into a clitoris and vagina . In
addition the patients undergo face-changing plastic surgery.

For women;

Surgery may include bilateral mastectomy and hysterectomy. The procedure for creating a
functioning penis, called phalloplasty, is performed in some cases, but it is not yet perfected.
Doctors have, however, developed a silicone prosthesis that gives the patient the appearance of
having male genitals.

Research into the outcomes of gender reassignment surgery has yielded mixed findings. The
majority of patients both males and females, report satisfaction with the outcome of the surgery,
experience improvements in self-satisfaction and interpersonal interactions, and show
improvements in sexual functioning. On the other hand, Several studies have yielded less
favorable findings that although sexually reassigned participants did show a reduction in GID,
they also had a higher rate of psychological disorders and of suicide attempts than the general
population

3. Psychotherapy;
Many adults with gender identity disorder receive psychotherapy, but controlled studies indicate
that most of them do not come to accept completely their birth gender through psychological
treatment.

Conclusion;

Gender development is complex and there are many possible variations that cause a
mismatch between a person’s biological sex and their gender identity, making the exact cause of
gender dysphoria unclear. If the person continuously unable to recognize his/her gender as
psychologically, it leads toward gender dysphoria. Treatment provided to that persons through
medication or sex change therapy and psychotherapy.