Assessment and Treatment of Gender Dysphoria and Gender Variant Patients: A Primer for Psychiatrists.

Regardless of their area of specialization, adult psychiatrists are likely to encounter patients who are transgender; however, medical school curricula and psychiatric residency training devote little attention to caring for these patients. The primary aim of the present article is to assist adult psychiatrists who do not specialize in transgender clinical care in the delivery of respectful, clinically competent and culturally attuned care to gender variant patients including those who identify as transgender or transsexual or meet DSM-5 criteria for the diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria. The following are reviewed: The history and evolution of conceptualizations of gender variance, its classification and related terminology including differences between DSM-IV and DSM-5; the prevalence of transgender identity and Gender Dysphoria; the influences of biological and psychosocial factors on gender development; the clinical assessment and treatment of Gender Dysphoria in adults; and current societal trends, including increased societal acceptance of gender variance, legal protections for gender variant individuals and increased access to gender transition services. (Data