Body Integrity Identity Disorder

[DriftingCrow]

Otherwise they're completely normal, one I know lives in Canada, is married, has a job, friends, and a couple of kids. She lives as if she was paralyzed and uses a wheelchair. I think she wrote a piece for this website: http://transabled.org/

i wasn't saying they shouldn't get benefits, it was just a question to see if that was a main reason why people would be opposed to people "becoming disabled" by their own means; I could def see opposition from ignorant people who would think people would do this just because they're lazy and don't want to work and would rather live in section 8 housing and get a $750 check every month. The people with BIID I know think that they shouldn't get benefits from it though. I am presuming it's like an informed consent sort of thing, and just merely sitting in a wheelchair all day doesn't come along with all the other complications that actual paralysis would, and not all amputees qualify for disability either. I guess unless BIID is considered a qualifying disablity, which it isn't as far as I know, that in itself wouldn't get someone disability. I don't think anyone would think it's okay to strip them entirely from all benefits present and future, like if someone cuts off a leg and then a few years later gets in a car accident and breaks their neck or their stump gets massively infected from an ill-fitting prosthetic and causes some complications, yeah they should def get benefits then.

I really didn't intend the OP to be to debate whether or not they're crazy or should or shouldn't do what they want, I am not really good at fully explaining myself in opening posts and really try to avoid starting new topics unless it's completely vanilla. I was more interested in people's thoughts on whether it's less accepted in society because it's more "taboo" than trans is. Like I think an average non-trans person could understand gender issues more than they would with disability/amputation issues, and that would be why it's more accepted to be transgendered than it would be to be transabled. Whatever is "weird" or "weirder" is crazy or more crazy, and therefore is seen as less legitimate.

[Beth Andrea]

The longer one studies the human condition...the stranger it gets.

That's one reason I like cats and dogs.

[AdamMLP]

Could I ask why should they have benefits removed? To prevent people removing their limbs just to get benefit? It seems like the only reason and one that you would have to crazy to choose,  in which case they wouldn't be approved anyway,  no?

I wouldn't put it past some people.  It's always on the news here about Mrs Chav with twenty children, never held down a job and getting a 8 bedroom house off the state.  If you're too lazy to work and willing to go through child birth several times (more kids=more benefits) then you would probably be stupid not to chop off a couple of limbs if you could.  Less painful and you don't have to feed them.

[/cynicism]

I don't see a problem with it if it doesn't effect anyone else and they have done some sort of RLE like the woman on transabled.org who uses KFOs to impair her leg mobility and discover that it really does make them feel better then it's up to them.  We should be responsible for our own bodies.

EDIT:  This is quite a good page on the subject, written by a woman who is both trans and has BIID, on transabled.org: http://transabled.org/thoughts/a-comparison-between-transsexuality-and-transableism.htm

[spacerace]

So,  I'll be honest - the comparisons being made between this and being transgender bother me. I feel like this is something completely unrelated, and I think associating the two together sorta delegitimizes what it means to be transgender.

Being trans is a physical medical disorder. It is the structure of the brain and body that is out of sync.  It is a physiological problem. Body Integrity Identity Disorder, as according to the wikipedia page, is a psychological problem. They are completely different from the core.

We are constantly fighting the notion that being trans is a mental illness of some sort. Grouping it with an actual mental illness is not helpful.

I am not judging those with BIID in the least. I think they should do what they want with their bodies, and I feel for the difficulties in their lives.

[Chaos]

Wow.

I am surprised by some of these comments. I don't know anything about this condition, in fact the only time I recall hearing anything about it is a vague memory from a TV program where the person did not feel the limb was their own, and it wanted it gone. As I recall it was a perfectly normal person who had some other problem that caused it.

Hmmm, seems I don't know very much about it, but I am guessing that nobody else here does either.

We should deny them support? They are just crazy?

You sound like the people who attack you, with the arguments that they use about you.

How about reserving judgement until you understand the issue? Like you would expect those to do before judging you.

This is an *opinion* based topic.Everyone is speaking their opinions on it and does not mean they are *judging* anyone.there is a difference between *i think/feel* and *you are! this is!* you are currently judging others on their opinion.MY opinion on it is the same as most of the people here.If i knew about this,would it effect their everyday life? i know that such things can leave one mentally broken and paralyzed but can one say *to be able to hold my children,walk alone,feed myself* is not more important then getting the help needed so you can retain these things? in my opinion no.i would rather get the help i need,knowing something was wrong then lose so many things about my lively hood.but thats me and about the support issue,no i do not feel they should receive support for something that can be avoided.in my opinion it is a simple way to gain support in ways one normally couldnt or wouldnt.it pretty much promises ones lack of dependency.i have sever mental issues and thus i can not work but IF i could and had a choice to fix it,i would in a heart beat but this is how i was born.BTW i do not see anyone negatively in anyway and people do/live as they feel is right.good luck to anyone with this issue but that is my opinion alone.