Overview
Dysphoria refers to a state of strong mental discomfort or distress, the opposite of euphoria. It’s not necessarily considered a mental illness itself, but it often accompanies mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, chronic stress, hormonal shifts, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and withdrawal symptoms. The ICD-11 includes dysphoria as a distinct diagnosis under “Mental or behavioural symptoms, signs or clinical findings,” where it’s defined as:
“An unpleasant mood state, which can include feelings of depression, anxiety, discontent, irritability, and unhappiness.”
“Gender dysphoria” is the clinical term to describe the distress experienced when someone’s gender identity feels misaligned with their sex or gender assignment at birth, leading to participation in gender presentations or roles that feel incongruent with someone’s true self. The DSM-5 uses the term “gender dysphoria” in place of “gender identity disorder” from previous editions.