TY  - JOUR
AU  - Chechko, Natalia
AU  - Stormanns, Eva
AU  - Podoll, Klaus
AU  - Stickel, Susanne
AU  - Neuner, Irene
TI  - Self-enucleation of the right eye by a 38-year-old woman diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder: a case report
JO  - BMC psychiatry
VL  - 20
IS  - 1
SN  - 1471-244X
CY  - Heidelberg
PB  - Springer
M1  - FZJ-2021-04198
SP  - 563
PY  - 2020
AB  - BackgroundAutoenucleation is a rare form of self-mutilation typically associated with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, substance-induced psychosis and bipolar disorder. The act is usually unilateral, although bilateral attempts are also well documented in the literature.Case presentationIt is a case study involving a female patient (NN) diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder who self-enucleated her right eye following sexual intercourse with a fellow patient, and was forcefully prevented by staff from enucleating the second eye. We report recurrent episodes of her illness culminating in this severe act of self-mutilation. The motivational reasons behind this form of self-harm along with differential diagnosis and potential treatment options are discussed in the context of the available literature.ConclusionAutoenucleation is commonly associated with religious and sexual delusions, and patients are thought to be at a greater risk of further self-harm. Timely antipsychotic treatment is likely to reduce the risk of such extreme forms of self-harm, although they can occur despite robust therapeutic intervention and treatment attempts. While self-inflicted eye injuries are rare, their prevention in what is typically a difficult patient group is fraught with challenges.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - 33238922
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000595729000008
DO  - DOI:10.1186/s12888-020-02974-6
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/902349
ER  -