Sexuality and identity disorders

Chapter 10

gender dysphoria

a psychological disorder in which people experience significant personal distress or impaired functioning as a result of a conflict between their anatomic sex and gender identity

gender identity

psychological sense of being female or being male

transgender identity

the psychological sense of belonging to one gender while possessing the sexual organs of another

features of gender dysphoria

often begins in childhood, associated with depression

DSM-5 criteria for gender dysphoria in adolescents and adults

• for 6 months or more, individuals gender-related feelings is at odds with their assigned gender as indicated by two or more of the symptoms:

  • gender-related feelings and or behaviors clearly contradict the individuals primary or secondary sex characteristics

  • powerful wish to eliminate ones sex characteristics

  • yearning for the sex characteristics of another gender

  • powerful wish to be a member of another gender

  • yearning to be treated as a member of another gender

  • firm belief that ones feelings and reactions are those that characterize another gender

• experiences significant distress or impairment

sex reassignment surgery

surgeons construct external genital organs that closely resemble opposite sex, hormone treatments for development of secondary sex characteristics → usually needs to be done before puberty to stop secondary sex characteristics, puberty blockers can be used to buy time to make decision

genetic reasons for gender dysphoria

XXY, intersex, absorbed twins - one individual with different sets of DNA