Amputee Wannabes

An “amputee wannabe” is an individual seeking to have a medically healthy part of his or her body voluntarily amputated in order to alleviate a perceived physio-psychological ailment. The desired self-demand amputation is communicated by patients, although the request can vary from removal of an entire limb to just a small segment of the body. Those seeking the procedure typically report that the affected area feels distinctly different from the rest of their body, as though a foreign object has been attached to them. For example, a patient desiring to have their leg amputated below the knee may describe that area as though it were an unnatural continuation of their leg, and they can identify precisely where they feel their “real” leg ends and the ...