Genital self-mutilation

• Published in: Annals of African medicine 2010-01, Vol.9 (1), p.31-34
• Main Authors: Ajape, A A, Issa, B A, Buhari, O. I. N, Adeoye, P O, Babata, A L, Abiola, O O
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Auto-castration, depressive illness, genital self-mutilation; Case studies; Castration; Castration - psychology; Castration - rehabilitation; Demographic aspects; Depressive Disorder, Major - complications; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; English literature; Humans; Injuries; Male; Penis - injuries; Penis - surgery; Psychopathology; Scrotum - injuries; Scrotum - surgery; Self Mutilation - complications; Self Mutilation - psychology; Self-mutilation; Suicide, Attempted - psychology; Suicides & suicide attempts; Testis - injuries; Testis - surgery; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1596-3519; 0975-5764
• DOI: 10.4103/1596-3519.62622

We present a case report of a 22-year-old Nigerian student who presented to the accident and emergency unit of a Nigerian Teaching Hospital with a history of self-inflicted genital injury following a suicide attempt. He had background history of predisposition to depressive illness, a current diagnosis of a major depressive disorder, and had had two attempted suicidal episodes in the last 3 months prior to this event. The clinical finding shows a patient with sad affect, feeling of hopelessness, and worthlessness; however, the vital signs remained fairly stable. At examination under anesthesia, the testes were exposed and the right already self-castrated. The penis was degloved to the level of the Buck′s fascia with intact corpora cavernosa and urethra. He had surgical excision of the hanging self-castrated right testis with debridement and primary closure of the genital laceration. He was promptly reviewed by the psychiatrists who comanaged appropriately.