Gender Dysphoria - Diagnosis And Treatment - Dysphoria.Org

Abstract

Gender identity is a sensitive issue in our current era and is considered a complex process involving biological, social, subjective and cultural factors, among others. It is constructed and formed through the individual’s identification process throughout the stages of psychological and sexual development. Psychologists can define it through the resolution of the Oedipus complex in the boy and the Electra complex in the girl, of course with a number of conditions, including the differentiation of the sexes, the abandonment of the gender binary and the overcoming of the primary love stage (mother-father), in which the individual feels his or her sex and determines his or her identity as male or female. Any disruption in the above factors can lead to the emergence of gender identity dysphoria, which manifests itself in various symptoms, including the desire to be of the opposite sex.

In this article, we have addressed the issue of gender identity disorder, which is considered to be one of the most sensitive issues of our time. It is a theoretical study in which we discussed the issue of gender identity in the individual, the conditions for its acquisition and the factors influencing it. We also discussed sexual function in children and adolescents, and then we discussed gender identity disorders and some of their types and ways of treatment.

We have concluded that an individual’s gender identity is formed from the early stages of development, involving various aspects such as the social, psychological and biological. Any disturbance in any of these aspects may lead to a disturbance in the acquisition of this identity, which may result in a gender identity disorder. This disorder, according to analytical psychologists, indicates a failure in the adolescent process to establish a gender identity that matches the individual’s biological sex. This disorder is a combination of hormonal, psychological and genetic imbalances, particularly the adolescent’s psychological mismatch with their body.

Among our conclusions is the role of psychologists in treating these disorders, especially through counselling and therapeutic programmes, and focusing on parents and the environment, as they play a significant role in mitigating these disorders. In addition, pharmacological treatment through hormones, suppression and activation, depending on the psychological identity of the adolescent.