Attempted suicide by snake bite. Case report and literature survey

Unusual suicide attempts often remain undetected, and bizarre methods can be a clue to psychotic origin. We report a suicide attempt by proxy--the bite of a puff adder--and provide a brief literature survey about further archaic self-injurious behaviour. Due to the easy availability of venomous snak...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nervenarzt 2008-05, Vol.79 (5), p.604
Main Authors: Strubel, T, Birkhofer, A, Eyer, F, Werber, K D, Förstl, H
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Adult
Animals
Humans
Male
Snake Bites - diagnosis
Snake Bites - therapy
Suicide, Attempted
Viperidae
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Unusual suicide attempts often remain undetected, and bizarre methods can be a clue to psychotic origin. We report a suicide attempt by proxy--the bite of a puff adder--and provide a brief literature survey about further archaic self-injurious behaviour. Due to the easy availability of venomous snakes and the close networking of suicidal patients via the Internet, an increase in similar cases can be anticipated. A failed suicide attempt should always be considered in patients surviving bizarre accidents.
ISSN:0028-2804
DOI:10.1007/s00115-008-2431-4