It seems this is a variant of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, though people actually feeling compelled to amputate parts of the body is extreme, there are certainly many people who have many plastic surgeries, Botox treatments, etc.
From the Anxiety and Depression Society of America:
BDD is a body-image disorder characterized by persistent and intrusive preoccupations with an imagined or slight defect in one’s appearance.
People with BDD can dislike any part of their body, although they often find fault with their hair, skin, nose, chest, or stomach. In reality, a perceived defect may be only a slight imperfection or nonexistent. But for someone with BDD, the flaw is significant and prominent, often causing severe emotional distress and difficulties in daily functioning.
BDD most often develops in adolescents and teens, and research shows that it affects men and women almost equally. About one percent of the U.S. population has BDD.
The causes of BDD are unclear, but certain biological and environmental factors may contribute to its development, including genetic predisposition, neurobiological factors such as malfunctioning of serotonin in the brain, personality traits, and life experiences.
Anyway…it seems that in general, secular society seems to be going in the direction that in a perfect world, there would be no suffering. Therefore, any means used to alleviate suffering is licit, including amputation and mutilation of body parts.
Indeed, where transgenderism is concerned, many Catholics believe that if “gender transition” is the only way to alleviate the suffering of such individuals, it is licit. Many cite the high suicide rate of transgendered people as justification, indeed many transgender advocates themselves use the argument “if you deny us treatment, we’ll kill ourselves instead, and the blood will be on YOUR hands!”
I must admit I really don’t understand why so many people accept this line of reasoning. So, what if someone suffers from erotomania, the delusion that someone else is in love with him or her. (One of the more famous examples being the woman who stalked David Letterman and claimed to married to him.) What if such a person threatens to commit suicide, if the object of the delusion refuses their advances. No one would suggest that if this deluded person actually commits suicide, that the object of the delusion is responsible.
Indeed, threats of suicide used to coerce a partner into staying in a relationship are actually considered abusive! But it seems when it comes to political discourse, some think threats of suicide are perfectly legitimate.
I suppose there may also be a backlash against the use of psychotropic medications, that some may even think that amputation is a superior treatment both morally and pragmatically, compared to someone being on medications indefinitely.
