Cultural Differences, Ethics, And Types Treatments Essay

Perhaps, you are asking yourself this question, what is gender dysphoria? I have the answer. Gender dysphoria is “ the diagnosis typically given to a person whose assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.” However, let’s not confuse this with sexual orientation, this does not mean they are homosexual, this means they do not identify who they are as their given birth

In class, we have learned and discussed how during the period of adolescence, it is known that this is the period of time where individuals are finding themselves and figuring out where they belong. It is during this time where individuals are the most sensitive and personal problems tend to arise more commonly during this stage. A major issue adolescents struggle during this stage is gender identity and sexuality. Adolescents are trying to figure out who they are attracted to and how they perceive themselves to be. While the norm is to identify oneself as their biological gender, there are those who develop gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a reoccurring feeling that one’s biological gender is the opposite of one’s sexual identity (Cole,

The American Psychiatric Association in their desk reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-5™ describes gender dysphoria as:

Gender dysphoria is one of the characterizing aspects of being transgender, and while not all transgender people experience this, for those who do mental health often suffers; for this reason many consider medical treatment necessary to improve their well-being. Gender dysphoria, as described by the DSM-5, “manifests in a variety of ways, including strong desires to be treated as the other gender or to be rid of one’s sex characteristics” (Kupfer). It’s often accompanied with distress, which can lead to depression, anxiety, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts. In fact, suicide is all too common in transgender people. A survey of over 6,000 transgender people done in 2010 found that 41% had attempted suicide at some point in their lives (Grant 82). This high number is a trend that continues to be reflected in other surveys, such as one in

Many people today aren’t being educated about the topic of sex and gender, and they’ll end up living naïve and ignorant lives, but for some it can even be harmful. For some, their sex and gender don’t match up and they will experience gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria can cause a lot of psychological problems for a person, especially if it isn’t treated. Unfortunately, because of the lack of sex and gender education, some people who experience gender dysphoria don’t even know its existence, which can lead to anxiety, depression, and maybe even

Gender dysphoria is the formal diagnosis for people who experience distress over their assigned physical sex and/or societal gender. People who suffer from this are colloquially called trans men (female to male) and trans women (male to female) respectively. Often, a trans person will elect to undergo medical transitioning to better align their physical body with their mind. As one can expect, transitioning is an arduous process which can include a plethora of medical treatments, such as hormone replacement therapy, mastectomy / breast augmentation, masculinization / feminization facial surgeries, hysterectomy, etc. Trans people who physically transition are said to be transsexual, due to the change of their physical sex instead of simply the change of how they present themselves. Transitioning is often seen as the pentacle of a trans person’s life, and it is a significant, political issue in the LGBT community.

Amongst disorders of modern day psychiatry, gender dysphoria (GD) is one of the more controversial diagnoses (Comer, 2014). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) defines GD, previously listed as gender identity disorder (GID), as “a marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, of at least 6 months duration” (as cited in APA, 2013, p. 452). Individuals with GD generally feel extreme discomfort around their assigned gender, and have a desire to change their social identity and/or secondary sex characteristics to more closely resemble those of the other gender (Comer, 2014). Treatments for GD include psychotherapy, hormone therapy, and sexual reassignment surgery.

Gender identity disorder has been classified as a psychiatric disorder in the handbook for psychiatric disorders since 1980 (Abraham). Gender identity disorder or trans sexuality involves a strong, long identification with another gender, a long concern about the sex assigned to the individual biologically and clinically significant discomfort or impairment at work, in social situations, or other important areas of life (American Psychological Association).

Gender Dysphoria Disorder indicates an individual's emotional cognitive unhappiness with the assigned gender, but is more clearly defined when used as a diagnostic category. Gender Dysphoria relates to the affliction that is associated with the incongruence between one’s accustomed or disclosed gender and one’s appointed gender. Many acquire anxiety if the desired physical mediations by means of hormones and/or surgery are unaccessible.

Over the last decade, gender “norms” have become an increasingly popular topic due to gender nonconformity. According to the DSM-5, Gender Dysphoria refers to the distress experienced when a person’s biological sex does not match the gender they identify with. Gender Dysphoria was previously referred to as Gender Identity Disorder in the DSM-IV. Health professionals wanted to remove the “disorder” part from GID, because it’s not a disorder unless stress is associated with the dysphoria. It is still up for debate whether GD deserves to be in the DSM-V, however, the removal of GD from the DSM would not allow patients to use insurance for sex reassignment surgery, because there would be no technical diagnosis (Whitbourne, 2013).

This article was chosen based on the fact it used self-report measures, which is different than the other articles. It opened up a door to understanding how Gender Dysphoria can impact other parts

With so many different terms, it is hard to keep up with the language and understanding of the complex idea of Gender Identity Disorder. If “sex” is a biological term, and “gender” is a sociological term, and “gender identity” is

There are many names for transsexuality but the classic name is gender dysphoria. This is a recognized problem where the individuals mind is “physically, trapped in a body of the opposite sex” (Reitz, 1). This complication can motivate a person to change or die trying.

Living a life feeling out of place, with the wrong feelings, and in the wrong body, for a person with Gender Identity Disorder, this is how they feel day to day. According to the DSM-IV-TR, Gender Identity Disorder is characterized by a strong, persistent cross-gender identification, persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in their gender role of that sex. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), children, adolescents and adults who exhibit a preoccupation with getting rid of or losing their primary and secondary sex characteristics, associated with different mannerisms and actions of the opposite sex; while holding a belief that he or she was born the wrong sex are believed to be classified

Gender Dysphoria is shown differently depending on the age and assigned gender of the person. The conditions for a child are revealed from childhood. It is more common in boys, but occurs across both sexes. Gender Dysphoria starts between the ages of two and four. In adolescents and adults the characteristics escalate over time. This can be caused by social environments or relationships. Since this condition is not acknowledged in today’s society it cause problems for the victim and those close/related to them. In most cases, the victim begins to feel like they are carrying the wrong (Kenneth & Bradley, 2002).