Longing for Absence

Walking down the street and admiring someone’s shoes or outfit is perfectly normal; it’s human nature to glance at others when we pass them. Seeing someone coming down the street that has clearly had an amputation and wishing that you were them may not be as widely accepted as the previously stated situation. Those who feel this way may be suffering from a condition called body identity integrity disorder. Someone suffering from this disorder actually longs for the absence of a limb. They may fantasize what it would be like to only have one arm or one leg. Although it may not be very common there are people who suffer from this disorder. This disorder can actually take over someone’s life. They may become overly obsessed with trying to obtain that absence of a limb. These sufferers feel that without a limb they will finally feel complete.

People who may be suffering severely from this condition may even hurt themselves in order to be able to receive an amputation. In past cases doctors may have amputated a limb per the patients request but this is no longer practiced as a form of therapy for a person suffering from biid. Without the proper form of therapy an individual may hurt themselves very severely. There is no cure for this personality disorder but like any other mental disorder there are treatments that may make the longing for the absence of a limb seem less and more controlled. Body identity integrity disorder affects both men and women and has been considered a personality disorder. There are several different avenues to get help. Generally some type of anti-depressant medication is used as well as talk therapy. Talk therapy for this condition is geared towards looking at past experiences and trying to figure out where this longing for the absence of a limb has come from.