ADDING medical-scientific heft to the non-PC truth re transgenderism, yes, the absolute “holy grail” of the radical left, the following is per the whys and the wherefores: the National Library of Medicine, that is, the authoritative source re psychiatric disorders facilitates the facts thereof.

Gender dysphoria (previously gender identity disorder), according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is defined as a “marked incongruence between their experienced or expressed gender and the one they were assigned at birth.” People who experience this turmoil cannot correlate to their gender expression when identifying themselves within the traditional, rigid societal binary male or female roles, which may cause cultural stigmatization. This can further result in relationship difficulties with family, peers, and friends and lead to interpersonal conflicts, rejection from society, symptoms of depression and anxiety, substance use disorders, a negative sense of well-being and poor self-esteem, and an increased risk of self-harm and suicidality. Patients with this condition should be provided with psychiatric support. Hormonal therapy and surgical therapy are also available depending on the individual case and the patient’s needs. This activity describes the evaluation and management of gender dysphoria and reviews the role of the interprofessional team in improving care for those with this condition.

Objectives:

• Review the etiology of gender dysphoria.
• Describe the presentation of a patient with gender dysphoria.
• Outline the treatment of gender dysphoria.
• Summarize the importance of collaboration and communication among the interprofessional team in creating more awareness about gender dysphoria among health providers and encourage them to be more forthcoming in providing care for this population.

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Introduction

The origin of the word gender came from the Old French “gendre” (now termed “genre”), which meant “kind, sort, genus.” Generally, children are assigned to their gender at birth based on their anatomy and chromosomes. For most children, this gender assignment corresponds to their gender identity, an innate sense of identifying oneself as male or female. Some children might experience incongruity and grow into transgender adults.

Gender dysphoria (GD), according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5), is defined as a “marked incongruence between their experienced or expressed gender and the one they were assigned at birth.” It was previously termed “gender identity disorder.”

Children or adolescents who experience this turmoil cannot correlate to their gender expression when identifying themselves within traditional societal binary male or female roles, which may cause cultural stigmatization.

This can further lead to relationship conflicts with family, peers, and friends in various aspects of their daily lives and lead to rejection from society, interpersonal conflicts, symptoms of depression and anxiety, substance use disorders, a negative sense of well-being, and poor self-esteem, and increased risk of self-harm and suicidality.

More awareness must be created to perceive gender expression as a continuum from male to female rather than fixed binary norms. This might help society to understand the population and reduce the burden of mental health problems created by the associated stigma.

The term gender should not be confused with sexual orientation. A transgender man (biological female) may identify himself as heterosexual and still be sexually attracted to women and vice versa.[1]