Trans-abled woman pretends to be paralyzed to stay wheelchair-confined

A trans-abled woman was seen on Twitter using a wheelchair pretending to be paralyzed, which caused outrage among some. Trans-abled or trans-ableism is a troubling social issue and a newer term for body integrity identity disorder, where a person identifies as handicapped.

BIID is not new in psychiatric terms, but changing the context of a psychiatric condition to an advocacy term is a concern for many. In this article, we bring you all about the trans-abled woman who identifies herself as paralyzed even when she isn't, along with information about body integrity identity disorder in detail.

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Trans-abled woman uses wheelchair to pretend to be disabled

Video of an able-bodied woman in a wheelchair (Image via Twitter/Oli London)

A video surfaced on Twitter that showed a trans-abled woman, Chloe, using a wheelchair and other walking accessories for daily activities.

Chloe is an able-bodied individual who's supposedly suffering from body integrity identity disorder. People with BIID often feel themselves to be physically disabled and find it difficult to live among other able-bodied people. It's a complex type of mental disorder that's still being studied by scientists.

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What is body integrity identity disorder?

It's also referred to as body integrity dysphoria (BID), amputee identity disorder or Xenomelia. It was formerly known as apotemnophilia.

This condition usually starts in early adolescence and is associated with a desire to have a sensory or physical disability. People with BIID sometimes have a sense of sexual arousal associated with the feeling of being disabled. The trans-abled woman in the video could be having any of the most common signs and symptoms of the disorder.

BIID is also associated with the tendency of self-amputation, and there's no pattern observed for the choice of limb being thought by the individuals to have been disabled.

While it's not clear what causes the disorder, studies have indicated a lower amount of gray matter in the right side of the superior parietal lobule of the brain.

MRI scans were performed to check for possible causes. It's not known whether the trans-abled woman in the video has gone through any expert consultation or not.

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Treatment of body integrity identity disorder (BIID)

BIID is a rare psychological disorder. (Image via Unsplash/Ahmet Arslan)

As of now, there's no evidence-based treatment for BIID, and psychologists usually rely on conventional forms of psychological counseling.

The trans-abled woman seen in the video and similar individuals like her generally do not go for mental health therapy themselves. There's a rise in advocacy groups calling this disorder a form of trans-ableism and trans trend.

It's too early to understand how these psychological conditions affect the long-term mental health of individuals suffering from BIID.

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Indranil Biswas is a nutritionist and personal trainer with a diploma in dietetics and personal training with a specialization in sports nutrition and strength training.

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