Gender identity disorder, commonly associated with transgenderism, is a mental health diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—for now. The decades-long target of intense and relentless criticism by advocacy groups, the diagnosis will disappear from the newly revised DSM-V, replaced by the diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

Gender Identity Disorder vs. Gender Dysphoria
While many of the diagnostic criteria for GID and GD are similar, the American Psychological Association has incorporated significant changes into the DSM-V. While gender identity disorder focused heavily on behavior and outward manifestations of gender, gender dysphoria focuses primarily on a person’s sense of incongruence between his or her assigned gender and gender identity.

Under previous diagnostic criteria, a woman who engaged in stereotypically masculine behavior or who dressed in stereotypically masculine clothes met some of the criteria for GID. In the new scheme, such a person would not be diagnosed with gender dysphoria unless she felt that her assigned gender was incongruent with her gender identity.

Reasons for the Changes
As people become increasingly aware of gender-related issues, including transgenderism, there has been a strong push to avoid pathologizing gender-deviant behavior. While many mental health professionals and transgender rights advocates have pushed to remove any form of gender nonconformity as a mental health diagnosis, others argue that there are benefits to leaving such a diagnosis in the DSM. Many people who feel uncomfortable with their assigned gender prefer to transition to another gender. This process is sometimes accomplished through surgery, and some insurance companies will pay for surgery only when there is an associated diagnosis. Leaving the diagnosis in could preserve the ability of people to affordably transition to another gender.

Criticism of Gender Dysphoria
The APA has long been criticized for its stance on sex- and gender-related issues. Homosexuality remained a diagnosis until 1980, and many transgender rights activists argue that diagnosing people with a mental health condition because of their gender identity is stigmatizing and regressive. Because diagnosis is based on a mismatch between a person’s assigned gender and his or her gender identity, a person is “cured” only if he or she accepts his or her assigned sex. Some activists argue that this could push transgendered people into the proverbial closet or even encourage the use of abusive reparative therapy.

Gender dysphoria is classified as a sexual disorder, along with paraphilias and sexual dysfunction. Transgendered people have long felt pressed to explain that gender identity is a separate matter from sexual orientation, but the classification conflates the two. Sexual disorders tend to carry a strong stigma, so placing gender dysphoria alongside these disorders might contribute to the stigmatization of an already marginalized population.

Finally, although the new diagnosis removes some of the emphasis on gender nonconformity, many critics argue that it does not go far enough. Diagnostic criteria still focus largely on behaving, thinking, or feeling like the “opposite” gender. Many scholars of gender emphasize that gender is the result of a process of socialization and that gender roles are ever-shifting. Any diagnosis that presumes that people who do not meet these cultural norms are mentally ill could serve to bolster gender roles that many activists see as harmful and repressive.

References:

1. Beredjick, C. (n.d.). DSM-V to rename gender identity disorder gender dysphoria. Advocate.com. Retrieved from http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2012/07/23/dsm-replaces-gender-identity-disorder-gender-dysphoria
2. Decuypere, C., Knudson, G., & Bockting, W. (n.d.). Response of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health to the proposed DSM-5 criteria for gender incongruence [.PDF]. World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
3. Lowder, J. B. (n.d.). Being transgender is no longer a disorder. Slate Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2012/12/dsm_revision_and_sexual_identity_gender_identity_disorder_replaced_by_gender.html
4. Winters, K. (n.d.). The proposed gender dysphoria diagnosis in the DSM-5. GID Reform Weblog by Kelley Winters. Retrieved from http://gidreform.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/the-proposed-gender-dysphoria-diagnosis-in-the-dsm-5/