Patty and Joe have a healthy and happy daughter, Maeve, who has been part of your primary care since she was born.

At the 4-year-old well child visit, Patty shares with you that it has been a battle for the last several months to get Maeve to wear dresses, have her hair brushed, and go to sleep. Recently, Maeve has started declaring that she is not a girl and wants her parents to call her Mark. Patty reminds you when Maeve was 3 she wanted to be referred to as a kitten, which passed after a few months. Patty is worried now that if she uses Mark as a name, it will confuse Maeve and cause her to become a boy.

The family is now back for the 5-year-old well visit, and Maeve is now going by M, a compromise the family made, and dressing in more male-typical clothing. M is now having stomachaches before kindergarten and says she doesn’t want to go to school anymore.

Have you figured out the diagnosis? The correct answer is gender dysphoria, the subject of the Fall 2018 issue’s cover article.


Next Steps
Provider Priority Line: Dial 800-TRY-CHOP and Press 2
Central Fax Line (844-FAX-CHOP)