Quote:
Originally Posted by Liza
I see there is an entry at this website transabled.org about how being transabled is not a choice, like being gay is not a choice. That is a pretty strong point made in this website.
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Yes, it is a pretty strong statement. Do you agree that being gay is not a choice? I hope you do, because I feel that way. And having Body Integrity Identity Disorder is also not a choice. Who would chose to be dealing with so much pain and anguish, who would chose to be rejected by family and friends, and be ostracized by people with disabilities, and to be rejected by the medical community? No, it's not a choice. I have BIID, I accept it. I wish I didn't, because my life would be much simpler. But I have it, and the only way I will be able to find some peace will be to become a paraplegic. I am not saying that becoming paralysed would eliminate BIID, but it would give me peace of mind and the ability to move on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaitin
Sean: Thank you for answering.
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You're most welcome.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaitin
I was thinking "odd!" until I read your quote. I have read "like I was born in the wrong body" about people wanting sex change operations. When they say this I don't understand but accept it. And sex change must be painful expensive surgery, with removal of healthy organs. I guess if you are saying the same I accept it.
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Yes, I am saying that BIID is very similar to people who need sex change operations. Please note, it is a question of NEED, not of WANT.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaitin
Do you think such feeling is a mental illness? I don't think most transgender people believe they are sick. Again, no offense meant, but transgender seems similar. Do you think this?
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I have written on this topic a lot. The best entry I think is found here:
BIID as a mental illness - BIID-Info.org
In short, we don't know whether it is a mental illness or not. There are many suggestions, from mental illness to neurological disorder. For me, I don't really care what label you slap on me, as long as it gets me where I need to be - paralysed. I simply don't understand why society in general has such a negative view of mental illnesses anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaitin
I hadn't read about this problem before and didn't think PubMed would have articles. I still don't understand really, but very interesting. I like reading about such differences that I haven't imagined before.
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There are many more places than PubMed that have published articles about BIID. On
Main Page - BIID-Info.org I have collected everything I could find. There are currently 30 entries in the Research category of the site (
Category:Research - BIID-Info.org), all published research articles or similar entries, and I have more to upload later. We have made comments and given feedback on these entries, so not only can you find the reference to the original article, but our take on it. There are some that we think are very good, and others we think are very bad
