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Gender Identity Disorder - Gender Identity Disorder Symptom, Cause, Treatment
Gender identity disorder is a condition characterized by a persistent feeling of discomfort or inappropriateness concerning one's anatomic sex. The psychological diagnosis gender identity disorder (GID) is used to describe a male or female that feels a strong identification with the opposite sex and experiences considerable distress because of their actual sex. Gender identity disorder, as identified by psychologists and medical doctors, is a condition in which a person has been assigned one gender (usually at birth on the basis of their sex, but compare intersexuality), but identifies as belonging to another gender, or does not conform with the gender role their respective society prescribes to them. It is a psychiatric term for what is widely known by terms like transsexuality, transgender and (subject to debate, but full-fledged GID is present in at least some cases of) transvestism or cross-dressing. Another proposed term for the condition is Benjamin's Syndrome, named for Harry Benjamin, a pioneering researcher in the field of transsexuality.
Symptoms of Gender Identity Disorder
The following symptoms of cross-gender identification for a diagnosis of gender identity disorder:
Children:
- Express the desire to be the opposite sex
- Have disgust with their own genitals
- Believe that they will grow up to become the opposite sex
- Are rejected by their peer group, feel isolated
- Have depression or anxiety
Adults:
- Desire to live as a person of the opposite sex
- Wish to be rid of their own genitals
- Dress in a way that is typical of the opposite sex
- Have depression or anxiety
- Feel isolated
Either adults or children:
- Withdraw from social interaction
- Cross-dress, show habits typical of the opposite sex
Causes of Gender Identity Disorder
A gender identity disorder is one in which a person wants to be the opposite sex. The person may also believes that he or she is "trapped" in a body of the wrong sex. The cause of gender identity disorder is not known. It has been theorized that a prenatal hormonal imbalance may predispose individuals to the disorder. Problems in the individual's family interactions or family dynamics have also been postulated as having some causal impact. The feeling of being in the body of the "wrong" gender must persist for at least 2 years for this diagnosis to be made. The cause is unknown, but hormonal influences in the womb, genetics, and environmental factors (such as parenting) are suspected to be involved. The disorder may occur in children or adults, and is rare.
Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder
One common form of treatment for gender identity disorder is psychotherapy.
- Transsexual adults often request hormone and surgical treatments to suppress their biological sex characteristics and acquire those of the opposite sex.
- Sex reassignment through surgery and hormonal therapy is an option, but identity problems may persist after this form of treatment.
- The initial aim of treatment is to help individuals function in their biologic sex roles to the greatest degree possible.
- Medical treatment for changing a person's sexual characteristics is not considered a cure for transsexual or transgender feeling or behaviour, but it can help transsexual persons to live in a gender role that is more appropriate for their gender identity.
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