2- Gender Identity Disorder, Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
2- Gender Identity Disorder, Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
One of the things that has spread in the media in recent years is talking about gender identity disorder, so a site for men only provides you in this article the definition of gender identity disorder and its statistics in addition to its symptoms, causes and treatment
gender identity disorder
Gender dysphoria, or what is sometimes known as gender dysphoria, is a condition in which a person suffers from a constant feeling of resentment toward their assigned sexual role, meaning that they refuse to be treated as male if they are male or vice versa
There is a difference between this and homosexuality or bisexuality, in that it is more oriented towards an individual’s sexual preference, rather than dissatisfaction with their gender
Gender dysphoria is officially classified as a medical disorder in the American Psychiatric Manual. According to the evidence collected, the condition is caused by a combination of behavioral, psychological, and biological factors. Although it is included as a disorder, it is important to stress that gender dysphoria is not a mental illness
Gender Identity Disorder Statistics
An accurate count of the percentage of transgender people or those with gender identity disorder is not available, especially in the Arab world, due to the conservative nature of society, in addition to the confusion between this disorder and other borderline diseases
For the Western world, according to the 2017 US Sexual Health Study, there is a remarkably high prevalence of 0.5% to 1.3% of self-reported transgender identity in children, adolescents, and adults
According to a 2016 random sample analysis, 390 transgender people per 100,000 adults were found in the United States. However, future investigations have suggested that the percentages will likely see a higher prevalence
Recently, 1.4 million individuals (0.6%) in the United States identified as transgender, and these numbers remain underrepresented due to the social stigma that one and one’s parents have from the subject, a large segment of the population unwilling to participate in studies which causes Predominance of the opinion that the true prevalence is still higher than what is reported
Symptoms of gender identity disorders in children
There are some common symptoms of cases that have been clinically examined in childhood, and these symptoms are
A clear inconsistency between the gender of the child’s birth and the desired gender
Strong desire for the child to be of the opposite sex or insistence that the child is indeed of the opposite sex
Dress for male children they have a strong preference for dressing or wearing female clothes, while for females they have a strong preference for wearing male clothes with strong resistance to wearing female clothes
An intense desire to switch their sexual roles in normal or imagined games in preference to activities and games of the opposite sex
Choose playmates all the time from the opposite sex
This turbulent condition is accompanied by a general feeling of distress as well as weakness in the social presence among peers of the same sex at school
Symptoms of gender identity disorders at puberty
Symptoms of gender identity disorder in puberty appear in the form of several symptoms, including
Finding comfort only in the role of the opposite sex
There is a noticeable contradiction between the gender of a person born with him and his desired gender, as his words and the way he communicates are expressed as if he is of the opposite sex
A strong desire to dispose of a person’s birth sex personality, whether in primary or secondary sexual characteristics due to perceived inconsistency
Hide the physical signs of the specific gender so that girls begin to hide the parts of their femininity
Loneliness and depression
Low self-esteem
Necessary stress and anxiety
social withdrawal
suicidal tendencies
Research has shown that individuals with gender dysphoria are at high risk of suicide. In fact, forty percent of transgender individuals in the United States have attempted suicide at some point in their lives, and research shows that they are more likely to suffer from a number of mental disorders, including Including eating disorders that can seriously jeopardize their overall health
Causes of gender identity disorder
At present, the exact cause of gender identity disorder is still undetermined, however, current research shows that the condition can start early in the development of the fetus while it is in the mother’s womb, which the hormonal imbalance also affects the body of the disordered condition, The imbalance includes the brain and reproductive organs as well
The causes of this disorder may be represented in the reinforcement of the behavior of the opposite sex by the family of the disturbed person in the event of their intercourse, and the lack of children of the same sex in the social environment, which makes the person inclined to the opposite sex in his interests
The reason for the occurrence of this disorder can be that the mother clings to her son or the father to his daughter, the child tends to the behavior of one of the parents and imitates him, and even the father reinforces this impersonation and imitation
gender identity disorder treatment
Individuals with gender dysphoria should be encouraged to see a doctor or psychiatrist, as these doctors will recommend appropriate treatment and will face potential disorders, not to mention that they will receive the appropriate evaluation and support they need
Treatment of all kinds aims to deal with the anxiety and discomfort that accompanies this disorder, so treatment depends on a dialogue with the psychiatrist about the psychological disorders accompanying or causing the gender identity disorder
Some sufferers choose to take actual steps to transform their physical appearance to match their gender identity, this may mean wearing clothes designed for the opposite sex or changing the name from a masculine name to a feminine one or vice versa, and there are some medical or surgical treatments that may be Useful in these cases
puberty inhibitors
We know that the period of puberty occurs in the early teenage years, and during this period the boy or girl turns into a mature appearance that carries sexual physical characteristics such as the appearance of hair on the face in males, the start of breast growth and the increase in the width of the hips in females
This process is carried out by the influence of hormones that increase secretion rapidly. If gender identity disorder is diagnosed at an early age, hormonal drugs can be prescribed that play a role opposite to those that cause the emergence of male or female physical characteristics
This gives the teenager plenty of time to reach puberty and make the appropriate decision about his gender identity. Giving these medications must be subject to the supervision of a pediatrician, and psychological counseling must be conducted for the child, and the pros and cons of treatment must be explained in detail
hormonal therapy
It can be prescribed to adolescents and adults alike, and aims to develop physical characteristics that are compatible with the sex of the person being treated.
surgeries
These operations are by sexual correction or sex reassignment surgery, which is a wide spectrum of surgical operations that aim either to change some physical characteristics such as breasts or hair transplantation in the face, or a complete sex change operation in which the sexual organs are transformed in addition to the characteristics Physical therapy and hormonal therapy later
Each person chooses the treatment procedure that suits him based on the doctor’s choice and the advice he provides, and psychological treatment must continue all the time because the patient is under great psychological pressure due to the difficulty of accepting the change by friends, relatives and people surrounding the patient
Gender Identity Disorder in Islam
Muslim scholars believe that gender identity disorder is a psychological behavioral disorder that expresses the dissatisfaction of the male or female patient with his gender identity with which he was born, and it is more in males than in females
Scientists have pointed out that the troubled family and the environment around him play a major role in the development of his view of himself, and correctly and properly represent his natural sexual identity. The family may encourage sexual behavior that does not correspond to the sex of the child
There are some factors to counteract this disorder, which are
Emphasizing that the child belongs to his gender, starting with choosing the name and comparing it to the father, brother, uncle, uncle, or other males, as well as for the girl to confirm her affiliation to her gender by likening her to her mother and female sisters
Stay away from encouraging everything that disturbs the natural sexual identity, especially in childhood, such as: excessively long hair for the male, and excessively short hair for the female
Encouraging the child’s consistent behavior in accordance with his gender, and the participation of the child in selecting toys, gifts, and clothing, and paying attention to their implications and links to the appropriate gender identity
The correct educational and social upbringing plays a major role in achieving a healthy enough degree of self-confidence, body, position and appropriate appreciation, in proportion to masculinity or femininity. Including: merging the male into a group of males, playing with them and their toys, and spending long times with them, as well as females. In addition, the boy spends more time with the father and his friends, and the girl spends more time with the mother
The previous points are valid with young patients, as for older patients, psychological and behavioral therapy will benefit them in modifying the individual’s view of himself, and in adopting his natural sexual identity. The therapeutic efforts represent a kind of gradual re-learning. Female A female therapist is recommended to facilitate re-enactment
On the religious level, the patient must be taught to create contentment with what God has decreed for him, and that he should not wish for a sex other than what he is; Some women at the time of the Prophet – may God bless him and grant him peace – wished that if they were men fighting in the cause of God, then the divine command was revealed to forbid that
Sex reassignment operations may not be performed according to Islamic law except in the case of a hermaphrodite in which male and female bodily members have combined. It is also not permissible to rely in determining sexual identity on his behavior and inclinations except when it is not possible to determine based on the mentioned physical signs, or if he does not have a male male or female. Female vagina, otherwise it is not permissible to rely on the heart’s tendency to belong to the opposite sex
At the end of the article, we have reviewed the definition of gender identity disorder with an explanation of its causes and symptoms in children and adults and the methods of treatment identified by doctors in addition to clarifying the position of Islam on this disorder