Psychomedical care in gender identity dysphoria during adolescence

Abstract Introduction In the clinical literature, the term gender dysphoria is used to define the perception of rejection that a person has to the fact of being male or female. In children and adolescents, gender identity dysphoria is a complex clinical entity. The result of entity is variable and uncertain, but in the end only a few will be transsexuals in adulthood. Objectives - To review the current status of the aetiology and prevalence, Spanish health care protocols, DSM-V, ICD-10 and international standards. - Psychomedical intervention in under 18 year-olds. Methodology - A review of PubMed and UpToDate databases. - Presentation of a clinical case in adolescence woman > man. Results and conclusions - There is evidence of a hormonal impact on the aetiology of gender identity dysphoria and an underestimation of its prevalence. - Relevance to DSM-V, including the replacement of the term “gender identity disorder” by “dysphoria gender identity”, and thus the partial removal of the previous disease connotation. - The seventh edition of the international standards World Professional Association for Transgender Health highlights the role of the therapist for advice on the way to the transition. - The Spanish 2012 guide stands out for its wealth of details and explanations, with a language targeted at different professionals. - Dysphoria gender identity must be studied by a multidisciplinary team, in which the psychotherapist must be expert in developmental psychopathology and evaluate emotional and behavioural problems.