Gender Dysphoria & Dissociative Identity Disorder in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Snigdha Nandipati; Anuradha Reddy

Gender Dysphoria & Dissociative Identity Disorder in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Psychopharmacol Bull. 2025 Jul 4;55(4):104-109.

Authors

Snigdha Nandipati¹, Anuradha Reddy²

Affiliations

¹ Nandipati, BS, Department of Psychiatry, Carilion Clinic, Roanoke VA.
² Reddy, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Carilion Clinic, Roanoke VA.

PMID: 40630975
PMCID: PMC12233935 (available on 2026-07-04)

Abstract

This patient is a 17 year old Caucasian transgender male (FTM) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD level 1), gender dysphoria (GD), and dissociative identity disorder (DID). The patient has multiple psychiatric comorbidities including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotional dysregulation, trauma and stressor disorder, and insomnia. Medical comorbidities include 16p13.3 and 16p24.3 microdeletions, hypotonia, bilateral cataracts (surgically corrected), and minimal change disease. To our knowledge, this is the first case report in which the patient is suffering from ASD, GD, and DID as comorbid diagnoses. Our review of this patient serves to highlight the complexity of providing care to patients with a comorbidity of ASD, GD, and DID, as well as the complexity in distinguishing these conditions from one another.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; dissociative identity disorder; gender dysphoria.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Autism Spectrum Disorder* / complications
Autism Spectrum Disorder* / diagnosis
Autism Spectrum Disorder* / psychology
Dissociative Identity Disorder* / complications
Dissociative Identity Disorder* / diagnosis
Dissociative Identity Disorder* / psychology
Gender Dysphoria* / complications
Gender Dysphoria* / diagnosis
Gender Dysphoria* / psychology
Humans
Male
Transgender Persons / psychology