Report: Quebec man has healthy fingers amputated over body integrity dysphoria

A 20-year-old man in Quebec asked a surgeon to remove two healthy fingers from his left hand after years of distress tied to body integrity dysphoria, according to a clinical case report.

Dr. Nadia Nadeau of Université Laval detailed the case in a report. The man said he had felt his fourth and fifth fingers did not belong to him since childhood.

“He was aware self-harm wasn’t a safe solution and could have repercussions on his relationships, reputation and health,” the report said. “He couldn’t imagine himself living for the years to come with those fingers.”

The man described the fingers as “intrusive, foreign, unwanted.” He also had recurring nightmares about them and, at one point, considered removing them himself.

“He had contemplated asking a friend to watch over him and be prepared to call emergency services in case his attempt led to a need for resuscitation,” the report said.

Doctors tried therapy and antidepressants. Those steps did not resolve the distress. The man then asked for surgery. A surgeon at a local hospital agreed and amputated the two fingers.

Nadeau’s report states the man’s distress ended after the procedure, and he returned to normal activities.

“He won arm-wrestling games, was able to drive his four-wheelers, kept working with his hands without any problem,” the report said.

The case was the first known instance of finger amputation for body integrity dysphoria, a rare condition in which people think a healthy limb does not belong to them.

Similar cases have surfaced in the past. In the late 1990s, Scottish surgeon Robert Smith amputated the healthy legs of two men who wanted to become amputees, drawing widespread criticism at the time.

Critics say the case reflects a broader shift in medicine, with some institutions accepting permanent physical changes to address psychological distress instead of treating the mind. Similar criticisms have been made of sex-rejecting or “transgender” surgeries.

Jack Fonseca of Campaign Life Coalition said the case raises concerns.

“Where did the idea come from that the amputation of healthy body parts is an appropriate solution for mental confusion about the reality of one’s body?” he told LifeSiteNews.

When someone requests the removal of a healthy limb, the medical community should treat it as a mental health issue, not a physical one, Fonseca said.

“But now, all of that is out the window, and I predict we will begin to see this now with all BID patients. Instead of treating the sickness in the mind, psychiatrists and MDs will now mutilate perfectly healthy bodies,” he said.