Apotemnophilia (also known as body integrity identity disorder or amputee identity disorder) is "the overwhelming desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs or other parts of the body." Those suffering from psycho-sexual disorder feel incomplete with four limbs and trapped inside a body that is not truly their own. Although it is still debated, many atemnophiles are also said to experience sexual arousal from the desire to have limbs amputated.
According to Amputee Web Site, an apotemnophile becomes fixated on carrying out a self-contrived amputation, or obtaining one in a hospital. This uncontrollable desire to rid oneself of a healthy limb has sparked numerous debates in the medical world, where most surgeons refuse to perform such amputations. If nothing is wrong with an individual's arm or leg, it is simply not acceptable to remove it for cosmetic reasons.
Many apotemnophiles, however, cannot take "no" for an answer. The psychological urge is so overpowering that many inflict harm upon themselves (or more specifically, on the desired limb) so as to wind up in the O.R. One man became so desperate that he shot off his leg with a shotgun. Another man drank himself unconscious on a railroad track in order that his legs be amputed be a train.
For some who have not reached this stage of desperation, the act of pretending provides temporary comfort:
Pretenders are nondisabled people who act as if they have a disability by using assistive devices [e.g., braces, crutches, and wheelchairs] in private and sometimes in public, so that they 'feel' disabled or are perceived by others as having a disability.
Despite years of research on the psychological disorder, doctors are still unable to find a cure, aside from actual amputation - which surprisingly serves as an effective treatment. Unlike similar body dysmorphic disorders, atemnophiles who have a limb removed report feeling relieved and excited about their new bodies and lives. For others, the obsession continues. Researchers are left looking for alternative solutions and treatments that will help their patients feel whole - four limbs and all.
