Why “gender dysphoria” was taken off the mental-illness list – a detrans eye-view

1. A name-change, not a disappearance
In 2013 the DSM-5 swapped “Gender Identity Disorder” for “Gender Dysphoria.”
Detrans posters say the new label kept the insurance codes surgeons need while dropping the word “disorder.”
"It was merely renamed from ‘disorder’ to dysphoria... As long as drugs & surgeries are needed... it shall remain in the DSM to please the insurance companies." – xina08 source [citation:0406555b-d290-4f74-95fa-f4bf9ffafe20]

2. Politics over science
Many who lived the pathway feel the shift was pushed by activists, not new data.
"I’ve been arguing for 8 years that it was done unscientifically and was more politically-pushed by the boards." – GuyBroe source [citation:16018e05-1840-4e58-a270-47da255bb2cc]

3. WHO followed the same playbook
In 2019 the World Health Organisation moved the diagnosis from the mental-disorders chapter to “sexual health,” again to lessen stigma while keeping reimbursement alive.
"They moved stuff around so surgeries can take place on insurance, without a person TECHNICALLY being said to be mentally ill." – [deleted] source [citation:4580eddd-8b07-44b4-8b55-26eefa92f7b8]

4. A bigger, younger patient pool
Older detransitioners noticed that once the word “disorder” vanished, the door opened wide for teenage girls.
"By conflating the two, they diluted that with the GD population which is primarily angsty impressionable teenage girls." – ahinrichsen84 source [citation:e6f0c318-261c-4a6d-bdd9-afad47e0c07b]

Take-away
From the detrans stories, the removal was never about proof that the condition had changed—only about politics, stigma-reduction and keeping the billing codes intact. Understanding this history can help anyone questioning their gender see that medical pathways expanded for social reasons, not scientific ones, and that non-medical support—therapy, community, time—remains a valid route to peace.