When discussing disorders of sex and gender, why is it important to include a discussion of normal variations in sex, sexuality, and gender?

Question

Disorders of sex and gender

Answer 1

It is important to discus normal variations in order to define what a disorder is. In other words, where is the line between normal and abnormal? If there is a lot of variation on normal sex, sexuality and gender, then it is harder to define what would be called abnormal. Aside from using DSM criteria to diagnose a disorder, a good guideline for determining if something is a disorder or a normal variation is to decide whether or not a behavior or thought process is interfering with one’s normal function, or causing a problem in one’s life in some way.