Gender Identity Dysmorphia

Affecting men women and children, GID can present itself in many different ways.

Common terms used to define GID can include:

Transvestitism / Cross Dressing

This is when a person finds a sense of comfort or pleasure in wearing clothes of the opposite sex.

Transsexual

Someone who has undergone hormone and surgical treatment to permanently identify as their chosen or destination gender.

Transgender

Individuals feel that they have been born in the wrong body. They may be considering options available to them to help assist them living in their destination gender.

Whilst these terms of reference provide us with useful information about the stages and identities of gender transition, it is important to remember that these are not labels and can change over time. In fact some people completely reject the idea of gender and use alternative frames as reference to acknowledge their physical appearance such as androgyny or gender defiant.

Gender and Sexuality

More often than not many people can make assumptions about the sexual preferences of people expressing GID. Gender and sexuality exist as two completely different identities and should be confused as being the same thing. A man transitioning into a woman can be straight if attracted to other men or a gay woman if attracted to other women.

Treatment

There are a range of treatment options available to help support those expressing gender concerns.

Counselling: Talking about your feelings and emotions can seem really daunting, especially if its with members of family, partners or friends. We can help provide support to help empower you in addition to signposting you to qualified counsellors specialising in the field.

Hormones: Available in both oestrogen and testosterone, these can help to Suppress menstruation, deepen voices and encourage facial hair in females transitioning into male gender (FTM).

Encouraging breast tissue and softer skin, these can be useful for Men transitioning into women (MTF).

Surgery: Can be used to remove or increase breast tissue in addition to reconfiguring sex organs. The permanent nature of surgical interventions requires individuals seeking gender reassignment to attend several counselling sessions to support them in their decision making processes.

Other interventions: Such as electrolysis can help to remove unwanted body hair as well as speech therapy to assist with gender transition. Of course, not everybody wants or needs surgery and can live happily without it.