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My New Patient - Original Writing Essay

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My new patient, a sprightly five-year-old named May, is a determined kid. Just moments after our first introduction, she had bee-lined for the train-track carpet in the corner of my clinic, skidding across its surface and collapsing near the toy chest that sat against the back wall. Her mother chuckled alongside me. May furrowed her brow, digging furiously through the chest until her eyes lit up. “Bam!” Her tiny arm shot through the air, lifting a Transformers toy like a beacon high above her head. Sitting down, she happily arranged a battalion of trains and dinosaurs for herself, hurling pink toys away as she focused on her mission. Her mother pursed her lips. “See, that’s the problem, doctor.” Taking a deep breath, May’s mother began to tell me her story. Four years ago, she and her husband had adopted May from an Ethiopian orphanage, but soon after their return, her husband passed away. She had been doing her best to raise their daughter alone, but her situation grew complicated a few months ago, when May began to affirm that she was a boy, and that she wanted to become one.
Accordingly, I explain to the mother that May was potentially experiencing gender dysphoria, a condition wherein an individual persistently feels that their psychological identification as male or female―their gender―does not align with or is opposite to their natal sex. (Vilain, Lecture XV) “Left untreated, she could become seriously distressed,” I added. Flustered, her mother told me that May did

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