Perhaps the most controversial of all current DSM disorders is gender identity disorder. Under the DSM-IV, people who feel that their physical gender does not match their true gender are diagnosed with gender identity disorder (GID). The DSM-5 proposals would revise the criteria for the disorder and change the name to the less-stigmatizing gender incongruence.

But to many, the DSM changes don't go far enough.

"To have gender incongruence in the DSM-5, as they've defined it, still leaves it open to a child being sent to be 'fixed' when a child doesn't have any problems," said Diane Ehrensaft, a clinical psychologist in Oakland, Calif., who specializes in gender identity issues in children.

In fact, the largest controversy over GID is about an area the DSM doesn't cover: treatment. Should kids who feel gender mismatched be allowed to define themselves, or should they be encouraged to identify with their physical gender? Those who argue for the latter see their role as helping kids get comfortable in their own skin. Those who argue for letting the child take the lead, like Ehrensaft, say that forcing a kid to live as an unwanted gender causes depression and anxiety.

Therapies like Ehrensaft's are relatively new, so there are no long-term studies comparing the two approaches. When it comes to examining differences in how the kids turn out, "We don't know," said Kenneth Zucker, a University of Toronto psychologist who advocates teaching kids to identify with their physical gender. "We should know in another 10 years."

Top 10 Controversial Psychiatric Disorders