If a person feels that they are the opposite gender of their anatomic sex, this can cause distress and discomfort. They may feel like they are in the wrong body, and they can experience mental health issues including depression and anxiety. This can affect how they cope with daily life, their relationships and how they perform at work or school.
Psychotherapeutic treatment for gender dysphoria helps people cope and reduce their feelings of distress, but it does not try to change their gender identity. Individual therapy can help them feel more comfortable and affirm their identity, but group or family therapy can also be useful in helping loved ones understand and support them.
Gender Dysphoria can be very distressing and can lead to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, and suicide. In many cases these symptoms are related to distress from transphobic bullying, discrimination and other social stigma. These can be extremely harmful, and people who are transgender often have higher rates of suicide than the general population.
Some people with gender dysphoria do not need any physical changes to their bodies, but for those who want to transition, a variety of treatments are available. These can include hormones and surgery to make the body match the person's internal sense of gender. Other treatment options can include dressing in a way that matches their identity and using different names and pronouns. These can be done with or without hormones, and it is important to discuss these options with a doctor.
For children and adolescents, counseling to help them feel more comfortable in their gender can be helpful, but they may still need hormones to transition later on. Having friends who are supportive and accepting can be very helpful, too. It is also important to be aware of the social stigma that can lead to verbal and physical harassment for people who are non-conforming, as this can add significant stress.
Resources that can help those who are gender nonconforming include the Transgender Law Center, which advocates for policies to prevent discrimination, and the World Professional Association on Gender Identity and Sexuality (WPATH). The free transgender hotline can point people in the direction of local LGBTQ+ community support groups.
Gender dysphoria is a very complex issue, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Those who are interested in changing their body should see a mental health professional who has expertise working with the transgender community. This will likely include a therapist who has completed WPATH's training in gender affirmative care, and who can guide them through their options. This will include the use of puberty blockers to suppress physical changes in adolescence for those who are assigned male, and breast growth suppression in women who are assigned female. Some people may wish to continue to live and dress in society as their anatomic sex after this treatment has been completed. Regardless of what options are chosen, these people should be regularly screened for depression, anxiety, and other potential mental health issues.
