What is Body Integrity Dysphoria (BID)?
Body Integrity Dysphoria (BID) - also historically called Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), Amputee Identity Disorder, or Foreign Limb Syndrome - is a recognized neurological and psychological condition, formally classified as ICD-11 6C21. It is characterized by an intense, persistent, and involuntary mismatch between the physical body a person has and the body they experience as their own.
If you are reading this because you are experiencing these feelings and have never had a name for them, you are in the right place. You are not broken. You are not alone. Many people live full, functional lives with BID - and this community exists to help you find that path.
Is BID a delusion or a fetish?
No. BID is neither a delusion nor a paraphilia. People with BID are fully aware of their actual physical body - the condition is not about a false belief. Research, including neuroimaging studies examining the right superior parietal lobule, suggests BID has a neurological basis: the brain's internal body map simply does not include the limb or ability in question. The desire is persistent, ego-syntonic (it feels like a core part of who you are, not an intrusion), and not primarily driven by sexual motivation.
How does BID present?
BID spans a broad spectrum. While the desire to be an amputee is the most discussed expression (see Amputation Identity), BID also includes: paralysis identity - the desire to use a wheelchair or experience paraplegia/quadriplegia (see Wheelchair & Paralysis Identity); blind or deaf identity (see Sensory Identity); and other forms. The common thread is the felt mismatch between body and identity, not the specific target disability.
What is "xenomelia"?
Xenomelia (meaning "foreign limb") is a clinical term used especially in neuroscience literature to describe the specific subtype of BID where a limb - most often a leg - is experienced as not belonging to the body. The term was introduced by researchers to avoid the value-laden connotations of earlier names. In everyday community use, BID and BIID remain the most common terms.
Am I the only one who feels this way?
You are not. Many people discover the name BID only in adulthood, after years or decades of isolation and the belief that they were uniquely disordered. BID appears across all genders, ages, and geographies. Peer communities for people with BID have existed online since the late 1990s. You can introduce yourself in the BID room whenever you are ready.
Is there treatment for BID?
As of current research, there is no reliably effective treatment that eliminates BID. Some people find partial relief through acceptance-focused psychotherapy. Others find that controlled simulation (pretending or "simming") reduces the intensity of dysphoria. The cyclical nature of BID intensity - called The Wave in the community - means periods of acute distress are followed by periods of relative calm. Understanding this cycle is one of the most practical tools for long-term management.
If you are in crisis, please reach out. The community forum is here around the clock. For immediate crisis support, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) and international equivalents are available to anyone in distress, regardless of the nature of that distress.