Abstract

Body Integrity Dysphoria (BID) is a rare condition now included in the ICD-11. The individuals affected experience a mismatch between their sense of Self and their body perception. Such a mismatch, recognised today as dysphoria, emerges during early adolescence and accompanies the individual throughout their life. This leads to a drop in the overall Quality of Life of those affected. The sense of dysphoria is often focalised towards a specific body part recognised as alien by the individual who often wishes to have it removed through amputation. However, amputation currently is not a feasible option as it is rarely recognised as a viable therapeutic approach for BID. Chapter 1 establishes a foundation for examining BID by analysing the relevance of concepts such as autonomy, identity and gender to today’s medical discourse. Such concepts are gaining renewed attention, especially considering postmodern critiques of traditional medical and ethical standards. By highlighting the constructed nature of identities and how medical categories impact these, the chapter discusses how historically shifting perspectives on sex and gender add complexity to contemporary understanding of the body, which brings an added value when debating the BID desire.