What is body integrity dysphoria? Why a man amputated 2 good fingers
Newsy
A 20-year-old man recently had two of his healthy fingers amputated to resolve his persisting distress that they didn't belong on his body.
A 20-year-old Canadian man no longer has two of his healthy fingers after deciding to get them amputated, and body integrity identity disorder is why doctors agreed to it.
The extremely rare mental health condition — also known as body integrity dysphoria — describes a disconnect between a person's mental image of themselves and their physical self that manifests in believing a healthy body part doesn't belong, according to Cleveland Clinic. A desire to amputate that body part may make the patient feel more complete, but there's no way to know whether the procedure will achieve that goal, the medical center says.
In this recent case, the ambidextrous male had been experiencing "profound distress" over his left hand's fourth and fifth fingers. After they were amputated, he experienced "immediate relief," highlighting the "unique challenges" people with BIID face and the importance of understanding the condition, Dr. Nadia Nadeau wrote in a clinical case report.
"Despite ethical concerns and limited literature on BIID, the decision to proceed with elective surgery was based on the patient's sustained desire, potential risks of self-harm and the distinct presentation involving two fingers rather than a complete limb," Nadeau said.
The male patient reported that since childhood, he felt his fingers were "intrusive, foreign, unwanted" and didn't belong to him, "even if he knew they were indeed his own," the report says. This caused him to hide and keep them flexed, causing dexterity issues, pain and anger. Meanwhile, his traumatizing "incessant" thoughts that the fingers "encroached" upon his being caused nightmares, including that the fingers were rotting or burning.
