A surgical and psychological procedure to alter the obvious sex of a person. A condition in which a person, especially a man, feels uncomfortable with their birth gender.
Condition in which a person assumes the psychological identity of the sex opposite to his or her biological gender.
Belief of an individual that he or she has been assigned (by anatomy, parents, or society) the wrong gender identity, and needs to change his or her outward appearance to the opposite sex in order to match what is already felt in the mind.
Acting and presenting oneself as a member of the opposite sex, combined with strong feelings of discomfort in one’s physical sex, for a period of at least 2 years. This rare disorder appears in both children and adults. The course of the disorder depends on when it begins. In boys, the disorder usually begins between 2 and 4 years of age and may be resolved by the time of adolescence. However, in a minority of cases the disorder continues into adulthood. These individuals usually seek sex-reassignment surgery as adults. If the disorder begins in late adolescence or adulthood, the degree of cross-gender identification is more changeable, and the individual is less likely to seek surgery as a solution. The course of the disorder in girls remains unclear.
The condition of one who firmly believes that he (or she) belongs to the sex opposite to his (or her) biological gender. The roots of such a belief usually go back to childhood. Children with such beliefs are treated with encouragement to engage in the activities appropriate to their biological sex and to work through their difficulties in psychotherapy. Adults with such beliefs can seldom be persuaded to change them; surgical sex reassignment is sometimes justifiable, to make the externals of the body conform to the individual’s view of himself (or herself).
The psychosexual condition characterized by feelings of belonging to the gender opposite to that of the genitalia and the secondary sex characteristics. Subjects may be helped by counselling, drug therapy and in some circumstances an operation to change their physical sexual characteristics. Transsexuals or their families in the UK wanting help and guidance should contact the Gender Recognition Panel.
The condition of being of a certain definite sex (i.e., male or female) but feeling and acting as if a member of the opposite sex. In some instances, the desire to alter this situation leads individuals to seek medical and surgical assistance to alter anatomical characteristics so that their anatomy would more nearly match their feelings about their true sexuality.
An uncommon circumstance where a person desires to identify and live as a member of the opposite gender is known as transsexuality. Individuals who identify as transsexual often pursue hormonal or surgical interventions to facilitate a physical transition to their desired gender. Before undergoing such treatments, a psychiatric assessment and a physical examination are prerequisites.