Gender dysphoria

Zusammenfassung

Individuals with gender dysphoria (GD) have a marked incongruence between the gender they have been assigned (usually at birth, referred to as natal gender) and the gender they have experienced/expressed. This discrepancy is the core component of the diagnosis. There must also be evidence of distressI about this incongruence. Experienced gender may include alternative gender identities beyond binary stereotypes. Consequently, the distress is not limited to a desire to simply be of the other gender, but may include a desire to be of an alternative gender, provided that it differs from the individual's assigned gender. The debate about whether GD should be in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has been going on for decades. As psychiatry's professionals, we are sure that being transsexual, transgender, or gender nonconforming is a matter of diversity, not necessarily pathology. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health released in May 2010 a statement urging the de-psychopathologization of gender nonconformity worldwide. This statement noted that the expression of gender characteristics (including identities) that are not stereotypically associated with one's assigned sex at birth is a common and culturally diverse human phenomenon that should not be judged as inherently pathological or negative. Only some gender-nonconforming people experience GD at some point in their lives. Treatment is available to assist people with such distress to explore their gender identity and find a gender role that is comfortable for them.