Overview
Gender dysphoria is a feeling of distress that can happen when a person’s gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth.
Some transgender and gender-diverse people have gender dysphoria at some point in their lives. Other transgender and gender-diverse people feel at ease with their bodies and gender identities, and they don’t have gender dysphoria.
A diagnosis for gender dysphoria is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The DSM-5 is published by the American Psychiatric Association. The diagnosis was created to help people with gender dysphoria get access to the healthcare and treatment that they need. A diagnosis of gender dysphoria focuses on the feeling of distress as the issue, not gender identity.
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