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Apotemnophilia

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Apotemnophilia is a neurological disorder in which otherwise sane and rational individuals express a strong and specific desire for the amputation of a healthy limb or limbs. It is due to hypothesised damage to the right parietal lobe, as the disorder has features in common with somatoparaphrenia . When experienced very strongly, some people with apotemnophilia come to feel discontented with their bodies and want to actually remove an otherwise healthy limb, a condition called Body Integrity Identity Disorder. Some apotemnophiles seek surgeons to perform an amputation or purposefully injure a limb in order to force emergency medical amputation. A separate, though occasionally comorbid, definition of Apotemnophilia is erotic interest in being or looking like an amputee. This separate definition should not be confused with acrotomophilia, which is the erotic interest in people who are amputees.

Research Studies

Apotemnophiles are three times more likely to want removal of a left limb than right, in accordance with damage to the right parietal lobe, and also in concordance with sufferers of somatoparaphrenia; in addition, skin conductance response is significantly different above and below the line of desired amputation, and the line of desired amputation remains stable over time, with the desire often beginning in early childhood . Among a convenience sample of 52 apotemnophiles recruited from internet groups, the great majority wanted a single leg removed, cut above the knee. There are parallels between apotemnophilia as a motivation for Body Integrity Identity Disorder and autogynephilia as a motivation for some cases of male-to-female Gender Identity Disorder.

See also

References

  1. http://cbc.ucsd.edu/pdf/apotem.pdf
  2. http://cbc.ucsd.edu/pdf/apotem.pdf
  3. Bensler, J. M., & Paauw, D. S. (2003). Apotemnophilia masquerading as medical morbidity. Southern Medical Journal, 96, 674–676.
  4. Berger, B. D., Lehrmann, J. A., Larson, G., Alverno, L., & Tsao, C. I. (2005). Nonpsychotic, nonparaphilic self-amputation and the internet. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 46, 380–383.
  5. Money, J., Jobaris, R., & Furth, G. (1977). Apotemnophilia: Two cases of self demand amputation as a sexual preference. The Journal of Sex Research, 13, 115–124.
  6. Everaerd, W. (1983). A case of apotemnophilia: A handicap as sexual preference. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 37, 285–293.
  7. Dixon, D. (1983). An erotic attraction to amputees. Sexuality and Disability, 6, 3–19.
  8. http://cbc.ucsd.edu/pdf/apotem.pdf
  9. First, M. B. (2005). Desire for amputation of a limb: Paraphilia, psychosis, or a new type of identity disorder. Psychological Medicine, 35, 919–928.
  10. Lawrence, A. A. (2006). Clinical and theoretical parallels between desire for limb amputation and gender identity disorder. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 263–278.
  11. Lawrence, A. A. (2009). Erotic target location errors: An underappreciated paraphilic dimension. Journal of Sex Research, 46, 194-215.
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