Originally Posted by Claire_C

Many of us had normal childhoods so I don't think it's about having been abused or neglected as a child. That may be something to do with it but it doesn't explain why their are millions of abused/neglected children that don't grow up with BIID. Something else is afoot that goes beyond that.

I think you're bringing up another really good point. We're often told something like "I'm a paraplegic and I've learned to deal with it. Why can't you just learn to deal with BIID?"

That's an EXCELLENT and fair question. It think the difference is twofold. First, BIID is a mental illness, and paraplegia (or deafness, or whatever) isn't. Since our mental health is compromised and we're dealing with an untreatable pathological obsession, our ability to "deal with it" is also compromised.

Actually, you are incorrect. Mental disorders are treatable.

Secondly, there is no "cure" for paraplegia (or other disabilities that are untreatable). But there is a very easy cure for BIID. All it takes is a surgeon's willgness to help and a rather simple, short, uncomplicted operation. So relief from our condition is JUST out of our reach, tempting us.