Genital self-mutilation
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Date
2010-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Annals of African Medicine
Abstract
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.
Description
Keywords
Auto-castration, depressive illness, genital self-mutilatio
Citation
Ajape AA, Issa BA, Buhari OI, Adeoye PO, Babata AL, Abiola OO. Genital self-mutilation. Annals of African Medicine. 2010 Jan 1;9(1):31-4.