Sometimes amputation is the solution.
[PT: Sometimes amputation is the solution. /End PT.]
Sometimes amputation is the only course of action that can help a person with body integrity dysphoria (BID)/body integrity identity disorder (BIID.)
This doesn't mean amputation should be the go-to practice. Other practices (therapy, medication, arm/leg braces, etc) should be attempted first - oftentimes, other practices improve the situation already, and so amputation is not necessary.
However, if other treatment plans are not improving an individual's life, amputation should be put on the table as an option.
And I am not speaking out of my ass here. This is medically proven to be the case. See my sources:
Successful treatment of body integrity dysphoria with amputation: A case report [link]
Quote 1: "In select cases of body integrity identity disorder or body integrity dysphoria where noninvasive treatments prove ineffective and the patient's distress is substantial, elective amputation may serve as a viable and highly satisfying intervention, aligning the individual's physical self with their perceived identity."
Quote 2: "This case is the first described about digits amputation and serves as a straightforward illustration of a clinical BID presentation that engaged in noninvasive treatments without success, [PT: Noninvasive treatments without success] then clearly benefited from elective surgery. He is now living a life free from distressing preoccupations about his fingers, with all his symptoms related to BID resolved."
Quote 3: "At one‐year follow‐up, his dysphoria was still in remission. He exhibited full adaptation in his social and occupational life, demonstrating increased ease in hand use compared to pre‐amputation. He reported sleeping well, happiness, good health and continued acceptance by friends and family. This one‐year post‐surgery follow‐up, at 22 years old, underscores the efficacy of amputation as a curative treatment, high patient satisfaction, and the quality of life gained through the procedure." [PT: This one‐year post‐surgery follow‐up, at 22 years old, underscores the efficacy of amputation as a curative treatment, high patient satisfaction, and the quality of life gained through the procedure.]
Amputation: does it treat body integrity dysphoria? [link]
Quote 1: "After receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy with Fluoxetine (up to 80 mg) and Aripiprazole (15 mg daily), which he tolerated well despite mild sedation over seven months, the patient's distress heightened during therapy sessions that included exposure, mirror exercises, and desensitization." [PT: the patient's distress heightened during therapy sessions that included exposure, mirror exercises, and desensitization.]
Quote 2: "After unsuccessful attempts with noninvasive treatments, the patient clearly experienced significant benefits from elective surgery. Now, he no longer experiences distressing preoccupation regarding his fingers, as all symptoms associated with BID have been resolved. The amputation enabled him to integrate his life with his perceived identity, deepening his recognition of the magnitude of his suffering and enabling effective communication with his medical team."
In cases like these, leaving the patient unamputated often leads them to have constant obsessions over their appearance, persistent nightmares, self-harm/dangerous attempts to self-amputate, and unhealthy practices to avoid looking at their amputated limb (example: in the second case linked, the man would walk with his toes curled, as to avoid looking at them, and it led to difficulty in walking, pain, irritability, and anger.)
If you truly, genuinely believe that - when all other treatment plans fail - a patient should continue their life in severe distress, all for the sake of having a "normal" amount of limbs, then I'd question your views on amputees in general. Typical number of limbs =/= better livelihood.
Would you rather have a person who is amputated and happy, or unamputated and miserable with no other treatment options being effective?
[PT: Would you rather have a person who is amputated and happy, or unamputated and miserable with no other treatment options being effective?]
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