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Abasiophilia, considered by some to be a type of paraphilia, is a psychosexual attraction to disabled people who use orthopaedic appliances such as leg braces, orthopedic casts, spinal braces, or wheelchairs. However only a very small minority of people who engage in a sexual relationship with handicapped people are actually affected by this psychosis. The etymology is from the Greek language abasios, meaning "lameness". The attraction can be very strong. For some, it can be a source of guilt. It is not uncommon for those affected to want to use orthopaedic appliances themselves.citation needed] The majority of people who do find this a source of relief from what can be an overpowering desire.citation needed]
It is classed as a form of disability fetishism which starts in early childhood, usually long before puberty is reached. There is normally a trigger event in early childhood involving disabled children or adults. It is most common in those who were children in the 1940s, 50s and 60s when Polio was common and there were more people using leg braces than today.citation needed]
The term abasiophilia was first used by John Money of the Johns Hopkins University in a paper on paraphilias. It is listed as a paraphilia in the book "Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment and Treatment" by Laws, Richard and O'Donohue, published in 1997 by Guilford Press (ISBN 1572302410).
More recently, some have suggested that abasiophilia is a form of Body Integrity Identity Disorder, usually associated with people wishing to electively become amputees. The stimuli for abasiophilia are usually leg-braces, wheelchairs, crutches, spinal or neck braces and prosthetics worn by disabled people.
An interest in the appliances alone would be classified as a fetish whereas abasiophilia is an overwhelming fascination with the whole culture and lifestyle of physical disability.
There is a paucity of writings about how or why this phenomenon originates, how those affected deal with it and how society as a whole treats those who have this fascination.
