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Apotemnophilia (from Greek αποτέμνειν "to cut off") or amputation fetish is the overwhelming desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs. Some authorities hold that the condition is often sexual in origin.
A person with apotemnophilia wants his or her own limbs cut off. In contrast, a person suffering from acrotomophilia is attracted to other persons who are already missing limbs. In some cases, a person may pursue amputations for sexual excitement or orgasm.
Except for sex organs, very few surgeons will treat apotemnophilia patients by giving them what they want. There are hence several recorded cases of sufferers resorting to self-amputation of their "superfluous" limbs, for example by allowing a train to run over it. Often the obsession is with one specific limb, with patients "not feeling complete while they still have a left leg", for example. The condition is usually treated as a psychiatric disorder.
Some males practice what is known as male circumcision, especially if a circumcision fetish is involved in the process. Some cultures practice castration, or have other rituals, often voluntary, involving removal of body parts. In many cases this involves the sex organs.
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