Overview
Gender dysphoria is a feeling of distress that can happen when a person's gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth.
Some transgender and gender-diverse people have gender dysphoria at some point in their lives. Other transgender and gender-diverse people feel at ease with their bodies and gender identities, and they don't have gender dysphoria.
A diagnosis for gender dysphoria is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The DSM-5 is published by the American Psychiatric Association. The diagnosis was created to help people with gender dysphoria get access to the healthcare and treatment that they need. A diagnosis of gender dysphoria focuses on the feeling of distress as the issue, not gender identity.
Symptoms
Gender identity is having the internal sense of being male or female or being somewhere along the gender spectrum, or having an internal sense of gender that is beyond male and female. People who have gender dysphoria feel a big difference between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth. Gender dysphoria is different from simply not following stereotypical gender behaviors. It involves feelings of distress due to a strong, lasting desire to be another gender.
Gender dysphoria might start in childhood and continue into the teen years and adulthood. But some people may have periods of time in which they don't notice gender dysphoria. Or the feelings may seem to come and go. Some people have gender dysphoria when puberty starts. In others, it may not develop until later in life.
Some teens might express their feelings of gender dysphoria to their parents or a healthcare professional. But others might have symptoms of a mood disorder, anxiety or depression instead. Or they might have social difficulties or problems in school.
Complications
Gender dysphoria can affect many parts of life, including daily activities. For example, school might be hard for people with gender dysphoria. That may be due to pressure to dress or act in a way that's linked to their sex assigned at birth. Being harassed, teased or bullied due to gender identity also can make it very challenging to do well in school.
If gender dysphoria makes school or work very hard, the result may be dropping out of school or not being able to find a job. Gender dysphoria can pose problems within relationships. Anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, substance misuse and other mental health concerns can happen too.
People who have gender dysphoria often are the targets of discrimination and prejudice. That can lead to ongoing stress and fear. This is called gender minority stress.
Accessing healthcare services and mental health services may be hard. This can be due to a lack of insurance coverage, being refused care, trouble finding a healthcare professional with expertise in transgender care or fear of discrimination in healthcare settings.
People with gender dysphoria who don't receive the support and treatment they need are at higher risk of thinking about or attempting suicide.