There I was, minding my own business, and by that I mean I was trying to research a disorder called somatoparaphrenia, when I came across a blog called Transabled.org.*
It’s like a mini-mother lode for anyone who’s ever been curious about Body Integrity Identity Disorder. You know, the one where people feel that they can’t be happy unless they have a limb amputated. You have to love it. I actually saw a documentary about it, featuring several British guys with BIID. The Britishness was an excellent counterpoint to the disorder: It was like a surreal Monty Python sketch.
Anyway, over at this blog, there is a discussion about the disabled community’s ‘ableism’ in refusing to acknowledge the transabled as deserving of sympathy. Since ‘transabled’ is defined in the blog as ‘wanting to be disabled,’ you can see the problem.
I love disorders! Somatoparaphrenia is the delusion that one of your limbs belongs to someone else, like your doctor or even a stranger. It could be useful, like if you punch someone in the face you could blame your doctor! Or in my case, I could tell my husband that my new tattoo (which he hates) is actually on the wrist of someone we don’t even know!
I’ll try this when he gets home.
*sadly, this site is now gone
A couple points of correction.
BIID is not only about people requiring amputations. Many conditions / impairments may be sought. For instance, I need to be paralysed. A friend of mine needs to be blind, another needs to be deaf. Please note, we do not *want* to be disabled, we *need* to. It is outside of our control. It is called Body Identity Integrity DISORDER.
Further, my blog entry is not about wanting the sympathy of people with disabilities. If that’s what you took out of it, I invite you to read again.
Another site that might interest you if you are into researching this condition is BIID-Info, which has most of the research and academic writing about BIID.
Thank you, Sean. I will read again, and check out the link.
Meanwhile, the difference between ‘want’ and ‘need’ continues to be a somewhat murky area, from my perspective.
The difference between want and need isn’t really murky. If you live on the street and have nothing to your name, you might *want* money, but you *need* food.
I need to be paraplegic. I cannot live without that. Right now, I am not living, I am merely surviving, going through the motions. I am in hell. Every day, every minute, every breath I take is hell. I need to be paralysed. It’s that simple.
I’m so sorry to hear this. All blessings and prayers to you, my dear. I have lived in hell myself.
I had no idea any of this existed. I need to learn more.
Tattoos are all terrible. All tattoos should be banned, and the people who get them, imprisoned.
Mother of God!
Wow…I’m speechless.
no Sean, neither you nor they *need* to be disabled. you *need* help to let go of the desire to harm your body. you need intensive counselling and CBT. shame on you for wanting to take up medical resources that are limited enough for those who were disabled without choice. you are truly messed up.
Messed up we are, unreal our need is not, and no BIID sufferer I know has gotten anywhere with psychotherapy. No choice involved here, believe me.
I will kick Sean the douche so hard in the nuts I will give him paraplegia!
Rah rah sis boom bah! Let’s kick Sean in the nuts so hard!
I love you Joanne, you make me feel so……………..normal.Of course disorders are totally fascinating. I am the kind of person who spends 7-8 hours just reading about a particularly obscure one.Lots of the work of Found&Lost collaborative is based in the pathology of the Lost, the strange, the misfit, the damaged. All that adds to our humanity though loss in fact – in our eyes.
Pingback: Let’s Say You’re Missing a Leg |