Final answer:
After consulting with a doctor, Latisha has been diagnosed with gender identity disorder, now known as gender dysphoria. This condition describes the significant distress related to the incongruence between an individual's experienced gender and their assigned sex at birth. Various treatments, including surgery, may be pursued to align one's physical sex with their gender identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fifteen-year-old Latisha feels that she has been a "boy trapped in a girl's body" for as long as she can remember. After consulting with a doctor and her supportive mother, she learns about sexual reassignment surgery. The doctor diagnosed her condition as gender identity disorder, which is now more commonly referred to as gender dysphoria in the DSM-5. Gender dysphoria describes the distress associated with the incongruence between one's experienced or expressed gender and one's assigned gender at birth. This condition must persist for at least six months and cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning to meet the diagnostic criteria.
It is important to recognize that not all transgender individuals experience gender dysphoria, but for those who do, it represents a profound discomfort with their assigned sex and a strong identification with a different gender. Various treatment options are available, including counseling, hormone therapy, and, for some, gender reassignment surgery, helping individuals transition to the gender with which they Identify.