Body Integrity Identity Disorder: For Thinker

[seer]

And others who support sex reassignment surgery:

Introduction

Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) is a rare, infrequently studied and highly secretive condition in which there is a mismatch between the mental body image and the physical body. Subjects suffering from BIID have an intense desire to amputate a major limb or severe the spinal cord in order to become paralyzed. Aim of the study is to broaden the knowledge of BIID amongst medical professionals, by describing all who deal with BIID.

Results


Based on the subjects' reports we found that BIID has an onset in early childhood. The main rationale given for their desire for body modification is to feel complete or to feel satisfied inside. Somatic and severe psychiatric co-morbidity is unusual, but depressive symptoms and mood disorders can be present, possibly secondary to the enormous distress BIID puts upon a person. Amputation and paralyzation variant do not differ in any clinical variable. Surgery is found helpful in all subjects who underwent amputation and those subjects score significantly lower on a disability scale than BIID subjects without body modification.

Conclusions

The amputation variant and paralyzation variant of BIID are to be considered as one of the same condition. Amputation of the healthy body part appears to result in remission of BIID and an impressive improvement of quality of life. Knowledge of and respect for the desires of BIID individuals are the first steps in providing care and may decrease the huge burden they experience.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3326051/

So making one blind or paralyzed or cutting off a left arm clearly alleviates their psychiatric problems. Even so, is this a good idea?

[Cow Poke]

To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

[Sparko]

To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

In this case not a hammer, a hack saw.

[seer]

In this case not a hammer, a hack saw.

Ouch!

[Sparko]

Let's say surgery for this becomes "normal" and you then have an entire group going around claiming how they need to be surgically altered into handicapped individuals. Transicapped, let's call them. They insist that since they are now handicapped that not only does the government have to provide them with social security because they are handicapped and can't work, but that society has to accommodate them by making all bathrooms handicapped, giving them handicapped tags, free wheel chairs, etc. - and the army should allow their soldiers to handicap themselves and pay for the surgery. - how would the actual handicapped feel, knowing that these clowns handicapped themselves on PURPOSE, while the real handicapped would give anything to have their mobility and lives back? But you know what would happen if they complained? They would be told that they were being bigots against the transicapped. That is how screwed up this society is.

[seer]

Let's say surgery for this becomes "normal" and you then have an entire group going around claiming how they need to be surgically altered into handicapped individuals. Transicapped, let's call them. They insist that since they are now handicapped that not only does the government have to provide them with social security because they are handicapped and can't work, but that society has to accommodate them by making all bathrooms handicapped, giving them handicapped tags, free wheel chairs, etc. - and the army should allow their soldiers to handicap themselves and pay for the surgery. - how would the actual handicapped feel, knowing that these clowns handicapped themselves on PURPOSE, while the real handicapped would give anything to have their mobility and lives back? But you know what would happen if they complained? They would be told that they were being bigots against the transicapped. That is how screwed up this society is.

One wonders how long before society will collapse under this insanity.

[Starlight]

So making one blind or paralyzed or cutting off a left arm clearly alleviates their psychiatric problems. Even so, is this a good idea?

Didn't you just answer your own question?

A problem with this people is that if the doctor doesn't help them by cutting off their arm, then they usually do it themselves. It's honestly better that a doctor does it professionally in a sterile environment than the patient does it at home with a hacksaw.

More generally speaking these people clearly have a problem: Their mental image of themselves doesn't match their physical body to the point where it's causing them really serious mental issues. Current medical science has no known solution to change their mental image of themselves. We just don't know how to do that. The only way we know how to fix their issues, is to change their physical body to conform to their mental image. And it works. Really well. So we do that. Because that is all we can do to help them.

And conservatives here, apparently because they are completely heartless, get upset by doctors using what medical treatment we have available in order to help these people and alleviate their suffering, and apparently instead think that we should do nothing to help these people.

[Cow Poke]

And conservatives here, apparently because they are completely heartless, get upset by doctors using what medical treatment we have available in order to help these people and alleviate their suffering, and apparently instead think that we should do nothing to help these people.

That's bunk. We get upset because there seems to be this backward "brain has a problem, let's chop off parts" instead of "brain has a problem, let's focus on brain".

[Starlight]

"brain has a problem, let's focus on brain".

And what, precisely do you propose to do about the brain, doctor CP?

Nothing. Because we can do nothing. Because currently medical science has no solution for that.

[Psychic Missile]

I support whatever medical procedures have been deemed necessary by a person's doctor if that procedure is supported as a solution to whatever health problem they have by medical experts and modern medical science. It doesn't matter whether that procedure is amputation or paralyzation for BIID or hormone therapy or SRS for GD.

[Cow Poke]

And what, precisely do you propose to do about the brain, doctor CP?

Nothing. Because we can do nothing. Because currently medical science has no solution for that.

Well, when the focus is "let's chop off parts to make the body conform to the messed up brain, Dr Starlight, we could easily be overlooking fixes for the brain - or the PERSON, rather than the body.

[Cow Poke]

I support whatever medical procedures have been deemed necessary by a person's doctor...

And, if he's going to the wrong doctor?

[Psychic Missile]

And, if he's going to the wrong doctor?

That's why I added the rest of that sentence.

[Cow Poke]

That's why I added the rest of that sentence.

Unfortunately, the way things work in the real world -- when somebody decides they want (or thinks they need) a certain outcome, they tend to find a doctor who does supports that. And there will always be cosmetic surgeons who will specialize in that arena and draw that crowd.

[Psychic Missile]

Unfortunately, the way things work in the real world -- when somebody decides they want (or thinks they need) a certain outcome, they tend to find a doctor who does supports that. And there will always be cosmetic surgeons who will specialize in that arena and draw that crowd.

Right, but that's not a problem specific to "wrong body" disorders. It's equally a criticism of doctors supporting pain medicine addictions or overprescribing of antibiotics or even of how medical license revocation should be stricter. HRT/SRS are actually protected from this effect somewhat because the path to treatment is well-established and involves jumping through many hoops and involving many doctors.