Bizarre: You may willingly amputate a healthy limb if you have body integrity identity disorder

Body integrity identity disorder is a neuropsychological disturbance that can cause you to inflict irreversible bodily damage on yourself.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Updated: March 31, 2020 10:02 pm

Patients sometimes, knowingly and willingly get amputations done to remove the offending limb. @Shutterstock

There are many rare conditions that people suffer from. Some of these conditions have no explanations and defy all medical logic. Some of these rare conditions come up occasionally to perplex the medical community. One such disease is the “body integrity identity disorder” (BIID). If you have this condition, you may feel as if one of your body parts shouldn’t be there. For example, you may suddenly feel that your left leg should not exist below the knees. It is disconcerting because the limb may feel horrific and alien to you. Patients sometimes, knowingly and willingly get amputations done to remove the offending limb. Also Read - Bizarre: Progeria can make a child of 8 look like an 80-year-old

It is basically a neuropsychological disturbance. Experts agree that instead of curing the symptom for the price of an irreversible bodily damage, a causal therapy needs to be developed. This will help integrate the alien limb into the body image. Also Read - Bizarre: Dr. Strangelove syndrome gives your hands a will of its own

Cause of Body integrity identity disorder

This condition occurs because patients do not have part of their body image map in their brains. In other words, the unwanted limb is not mapped correctly in the corresponding brain region. This is what makes them so uncomfortable with their body part. After amputation, patients feel a sense of relief and happiness. A brain tumour may also cause this disorder. Also Read - Bizarre: Walking corpse syndrome will make you believe that you are a zombie

A recent case

There was a case of body integrity identity disorder in 2015. A 30-year-old woman convinced her psychologist to pour drain cleaner into her eyes so that she could go blind. This is a classic example of his rare disorder where a patient has lifelong obsessions that result in considerable psychic suffering and trauma.

Treatment options

It is difficult to treat this disease. Often, it may be confused with some other mental health problem like schizophrenia. Most of the time, a doctor may recommend anti-depressants and psychotherapy. Therapy can help manage symptoms for some time, but the feelings of having an alien appendage soon overcomes the patient. So, in effect, there is no cure to this rare disease.

Published : March 31, 2020 8:25 pm | Updated:March 31, 2020 10:02 pm

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