Final answer:
Gender dysphoria in adolescents and adults is a diagnostic category in the DSM-5 that describes individuals who do not identify as the gender associated with their biological sex. This dysphoria must persist for at least six months and result in significant distress or dysfunction.
Step-by-step explanation:
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 associated with their biological sex. To meet the DSM-5 criteria, this dysphoria must persist for at least six months and result in significant distress or dysfunction. 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 its diagnostic categorization is not universally accepted.