Final answer:
Gender dysphoria is a diagnostic category in the DSM-5 that describes individuals who do not identify with the gender associated with their biological sex and experience significant distress or dysfunction. The individual must persistently feel this way for at least six months.
Step-by-step explanation:
When individuals do not feel comfortable identifying with the gender associated with their biological sex, then they may experience gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a diagnostic category in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) that describes individuals who do not identify as the gender that most people would assume they are. This dysphoria must persist for at least six months and result in significant distress or dysfunction to meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. In order for children to be assigned this diagnostic category, they must verbalize their desire to become the other gender. It is important to note that not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria, and that its diagnostic categorization is not universally accepted. However, health and mental health professionals indicate that the presence of the diagnostic category does assist in supporting those who need treatment or help.