Dysphoria Dilemma: Trans or Not? The Surprising Truth!

Dr. Z explains how experiencing gender dysphoria does not automatically equal being transgender. This represents a significant topic to unpack because considerable misinformation circulates, with the most detrimental and dangerous piece being: if you experience gender dysphoria, you are transgender, and if you are transgender, you must go through medical and surgical transition. This is absolutely not true and encourages people to medicalize their bodies when medical and surgical intervention was never their goal.

Medical and surgical transition represents a lifesaving, gender-affirming intervention for people who have gender dysphoria stemming from core gender identity issues and who need and want these interventions as part of their transition goals. However, some people detransition because gender identity was never the root cause.

Gender dysphoria is simply psychological distress—a cluster of symptomatic distress creating tension between gender assigned at birth and current feelings. The most important question becomes: what is the root cause? Cisgender people can experience transient dysphoria. People with severe sexual trauma, abuse histories, body dysmorphia, or social norm suffocation can all experience gender dysphoria symptoms from different root causes than gender identity.

Watch to understand why proper assessment of root causes matters critically before determining appropriate interventions.