Contents:
- Medical Video: Pediatrician: Transgender ideology causing child abuse
- What is gender dysphoria?
- What are the characteristics of a child with gender dysphoria?
- Characteristics of gender dysphoria in adults
- What can I do to deal with gender dysphoria?
Medical Video: Pediatrician: Transgender ideology causing child abuse
If you've ever watched a drama film The Danish Girl, You may be familiar with the character of Lili Elbe. Lili, played by actor Eddie Redmayne, was born a man by the name of Einar Wegener. He later grew up as a famous painter. At the age of 30, he began to feel confused because he felt uncomfortable with the sex he had since birth.
The story taken from this true story illustrates Lili's inner struggle because she was uncomfortable with her male body. He feels more comfortable as a woman. Medically, this inner struggle is referred to as gender dysphoria.
What is gender dysphoria?
Gender dysphoria is a condition in which a person experiences anxiety, doubt, and inner stress because he is not comfortable with the sex he has at birth. Gender dysphoria can lead to depression or inability to undergo daily activities such as going to school, working, or socializing.
For example, a person born as a man feels that his true identity is female. On the one hand, it has organs like men in general. However, on the other hand, he believes that the nature and vocation of his life is to become a woman. Because of the inconvenience, he became very anxious, stressed, withdrawing from relationships, or depressed.
Gender dysphoria is not the same as homosexuality. Homosexuality is a condition in which a person has sexual and romantic attraction to the same sex. A homosexual still feels comfortable with the sex he has since birth.
What are the characteristics of a child with gender dysphoria?
This inner struggle about gender identity can be experienced by someone even from childhood. The following are symptoms of gender dysphoria in children and adolescents.
- Girls refuse to wear skirts while boys refuse to wear pants.
- Children refuse to urinate according to their sex. Boys may prefer to urinate while squatting or sitting, while girls prefer to urinate standing.
- Children do not like the typical game of girls or boys, he prefers the opposite.
- Children prefer to play with the opposite sex, for example girls prefer to play bicycles and climbing trees with their male friends.
- Children become more depressed when entering puberty.
- Children cover up body parts that indicate their sex. For example, boys shave temporarily while girls wear loose clothes to cover their breasts.
The above symptoms will generally be experienced by children for more than six months. In the sense that the signs above are permanent, not just momentary desires. People with gender dysphoria may also grow up to save those inner struggles for years.
Characteristics of gender dysphoria in adults
In adults, symptoms that may appear include the following.
- Often wear clothes or arrange hair like the opposite sex.
- Just feel comfortable and calm when dressing and acting like the opposite sex.
- Not willing or feeling depressed if you have to see, especially touching his own genitals. This risks making him negligent in caring for personal hygiene.
- There was an urge to get rid of or change genitals.
What can I do to deal with gender dysphoria?
If you or the person closest to you has symptoms of gender dysphoria, you should immediately seek help. Without the help of others, you may have difficulty carrying out daily activities and accepting your identity. In addition, people in the gender dysphoria phase are very likely to experience depression, a tendency to hurt themselves, suicidal tendencies, and other psychiatric disorders.
Meet a psychologist or psychiatrist who is used to accepting cases of gender identity and sexuality. Handling offered usually focuses on how to deal with anxiety, mental stress, and stress. You will be taught various techniques to calm down and fight negative thoughts.
