Transgender Teen Survival Guide

Hi! I'd like to contribute re: dysphoria/dissociation. A lot of times, the two can go hand in hand, and sometimes a person may not even necessarily realise they are feeling either of these things. My dysphoria has come to be very dissociative within the last few months, and it's really difficult to deal with at times. For anyone whose dysphoria/dissociation are hand in hand, it's ALWAYS a good idea to get help for it, because dissociation is known to be dangerous for one's physical self.

Ren says:

Like I said, dysphoria is actually a kind of dissociation, just by definition!! Whether or not it’s noticeable depends on the severity and the way it’s experienced.

However…dissociation is not always dangerous! (And I say this as someone with clinically significant dissociative disorders, too.) While it can be severe, frightening, impairing, and harmful, it can also be a perfectly healthy coping mechanism, or even just a regular old thing that your brain does. For instance, zoning out or daydreaming during a boring class is actually dissociation. That’s totally healthy and is nothing to worry about!!

You should seek help for dissociation (dysphoria-related or not) if:

it’s impairing your functioning (making your life difficult)
it’s causing you to harm or consider harming yourself (or others), either accidentally or purposefully
it’s distressing to you
you’re missing a lot of memories
you feel dissociated all the time (or even just most of the time)

You’re absolutely right in that sometimes it’s hard to even notice if you’re dissociating or experiencing dysphoria, and that’s a pretty significant problem for both dissociative and dysphoric folks - not reliably knowing what you’re experiencing. Not to mention all the misinformation that’s tossed around about both things!

I hope this clarified a few things, and thanks so much for your input. : )

Lee says:

This has more on depersonalization and dissociation and dysphoria:

A few links on coping that might be helpful: