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The Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorder ( Dsm 5 ) Essay

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Gender dysphoria is a complex struggle between a person’s physical gender and who he or she identifies, and this could be an individual physically born as a male that identifies as being female and vice versa. Biological sex is determined at birth based upon the appearance of the infant, but gender identity is how the person feels or how they identify themselves, which is where the dysphoria comes in. It is from highly complex genetic, neurodevelopmental, and psychological factors (Mandal, 2012), and is not the same as homosexuality or gender nonconformity. Symptoms and signs of gender dysphoria may vary depending upon age and gender. Gender dysphoria becomes known as a disorder when it fits certain criteria. Treatment is available when needed. There are speculations on the cause, but no real answer. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5) made changes to ensure clinical care that is proper and without stigma for individuals with gender dysphoria. The DSM-5 does provide an overarching diagnosis, but with specific criteria for children and for adolescents and adults (DSM, 2013). A marked discrepancy between the individual’s communicated gender and his or her natal gender must be ongoing at least six months (Parekh, 2016). Children and adults must verbalize or show a desire to be the other gender under the guidelines of DSM-5. Children must meet six of the eight listed criteria, which are: strong desire to be the other gender or insisting one is the

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