Gender Dysphoria
Resources for Patients and Caregivers
Gender dysphoria: A concept designated in the DSM-5 as clinically significant distress or impairment related to a strong desire to be of another gender, which may include desire to change primary and/or secondary sex characteristics. Not all transgender or gender diverse people experience dysphoria.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: 20-Gender Dysphoria
Diagnosis: Adjustment Disorder
US Patients:
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset:
Brain Area:
Symptoms: emotional distress over one’s assigned gender or sex
Progression: eating disorders, depression, isolation, suicide attempts
Causes:
Medications: Hormones
Therapies: transitioning psychotherapy
Youtube Video: Gender Dysphoria
Amazon or Library Book: The Gender Identity Guide for Parents
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
- Gender Dysphoria Preceding Intersex Recognition Demonstrates a Biophysiological Basis for Sex Identityby Alexander Stokes on June 12, 2025
Intersex individuals-those born with congenital variations in sex characteristics (VSCs)-experience elevated and underrecognized clinical risks. In an analysis of 3.42 million electronic health records, we identified 2,207 intersex patients, of whom 2.95% were diagnosed with gender dysphoria (GD)-nearly four times the rate in the general population (OR = 3.84, p < 0.001). In temporally resolvable cases, GD preceded intersex recognition in 47% of patients. Intersex individuals also received GD...
- Emerging and accumulating safety signals for the use of estrogen among transgender womenby Lauren Schwartz on June 12, 2025
Efforts to alleviate the psychological distress of gender dysphoria have included the use of exogenous estrogen (often with anti-androgens) to alter secondary sex characteristics of natal males. In response to the rapid increase in presenting cases among young people, extensive scrutiny has now been brought to bear on these medical interventions for minors, with ESCAP reporting "an urgent need for safeguarding clinical, scientific, and ethical standards." However, due to the lack of systematic...
- Feasibility and Outcomes after Robot-Assisted Sigmoid Vaginoplasty for Gender Dysphoriaby Michaela Sljivich on June 9, 2025
CONCLUSION: RSV is a feasible and safe technique as a primary option for vaginoplasty or as a revision to treat vaginal stenosis. Larger and longer comparative studies are needed to assess the utility and long-term functional outcomes of this technique.
- Investigating Experiences With Scarring Among Transgender and Gender Diverse People: Mixed Methods Studyby Nora Yanyi Sun on June 6, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: For TGD people, scar complications, visibility, and permanence represent major concerns. While many TGD people ultimately accept scarring as an unavoidable consequence, scarring both related and unrelated to gender-affirming care can present a significant psychosocial stressor for TGD people. Scarring can result in physical health complications, gender dysphoria, and negative body image; visible scarring is also a barrier for TGD people who wish to blend into society. Clinicians...