Gender identity in schizophrenia.

The aim of this paper is to present actual knowledge on how do people with schizophrenia experience themselves in the context of gender and how it affects their functioning. A review of the literature available in PubMed, PsycNET and Google Scholar was performed accordingly. Study of gender identity issues in schizophrenia should take into account both the personal and social dimensions of patients' functioning. The research on the core gender identity poses numerous difficulties and has not yet provided reliable conclusions. Some indications allow to assume higher than in the general population incidence of gender dysphoria among people with schizophrenia and a higher incidence of schizoid and schizotypal traits among people with gender dysphoria. Some patients experience positive symptoms regarding sex change. The data on the gender roles in schizophrenia patients show that they differ from the general population in terms of typically female and male characteristics. This may cause adaptive difficulties and negatively influence social interactions, especially in males who suffer from this illness. To sum up, published reports indicate specific difficulties in relation to gender identity among people with schizophrenia.