These two words might sound similarand overlap in definitionsbut they’re two separate conditions.
Treatment for dysphoria often includes gender-affirming surgeries whereas dysmorphia requires psychiatric help and even medication.
Despite their different treatment plans, they also have a few similarities such as the barriers to treatment.
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Ahead you’ll find everything you should probably know about dysmorphia and dysphoria.
This condition lives under the obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in the DSM-5 and is driven by anxiety and misperception.
A Quick FYI
Anyone can experience dysmorphia, regardless of their gender.
Chances are you have known people who believe their nose is too big or their mouth is oddly shaped.
While others may see their body as completely normal in size, the person with dysmorphia perceives it differently.
Either way, it can negatively impact one’s quality of life.
Dysmorphia can mistakenly be seen as vanity or self-obsession.
It is an obsession in the disordered sense, but it isn’t solely about vanity.
Rather, it’s a mental health condition that can become debilitating.
Gender dysphoria involves persistent distress around one’s embodied experience of gender, says McCullough.
It can coincide with anxiety and depression, and be detrimental to how people carry themselves in the world.
It might take years for someone to speak about their condition or seek out gender-affirming help.
Did You Know?
While most people with gender dysphoria aretransgender, that’s not the case for everyone.
Anon-binary personor agender person can have dysphoria.
Really, anyone who feels their body isn’t aligned with their gender identity can suffer from dysphoria.
Conversely, a trans woman might see her shoulders as more broad than others do.
Dysphoria is about gender identity while dysmorphia is about body image.
Anxiety that your body is less than and a compulsive need to fix any flaws.
Several boundaries hinder one from getting diagnosed.
One of them is the societal stigmas around these conditions.
Even after being assessed for these conditions, there’s a barrier to treatment.
This can involve mental health services like talk therapy or gender-affirming physical changes such as surgery.
When it comes to body dysmorphia, treatment usually involves therapy, medication, or both.
Medications like SSRIs are often prescribed for body dysmorphia as they can help lessen anxiety and depression symptoms.
If therapy is unavailable, consider community care instead.
LGBT centers often have virtual and in-person support groups that center around gender issues.
There’s alsoGLAAD, which has various resources for trans and queer people.
Meeting other people experiencing body dysmorphia or gender dysphoria and discussing coping mechanisms are useful tools for recovery.
Conclusion
Gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia are both serious conditions about our perceptions of our body.
However, that’s where the similarities end.
And each has available treatments.
For gender dysphoria, you’ll need gender-affirming care, which includes gender-affirming physical procedures and therapy.
