Incidentally Discovered a Self-Inflicted a Nail in the Brain of Schizophrenia Patient.
- Author:
Seungnam SON
1
;
Dong Ho KANG
;
Byung Hyo KIM
;
Nack Cheon CHOI
Author Information
1. Department of Neurology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, Korea. brevis1@naver.com
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
Hallucination;
Intracranial self-stabbing;
Nail;
Penetrating injury;
Suicide attempt;
Schizophrenia
- MeSH:
Brain;
Foreign Bodies;
Hallucinations;
Humans;
Middle Aged;
Nails;
Schizophrenia;
Self-Injurious Behavior;
Skull;
Suicide
- From:Psychiatry Investigation
2011;8(3):272-274
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The self-infliction of foreign bodies into the brain represents rare a clinical phenomenon that has been reported primarily in cases involving accidents and suicide attempts. However, various motivations for self-injurious behaviors as well as suicide attempts have been reported, especially in patients with psychotic illnesses. A 47-year-old man with a history of schizophrenia presented to our hospital due to the presence of a nail on his plain skull X-ray. He diagnosed paranoid type of schizophrenia about 17 years earlier, and his psychiatric symptoms were well controlled by medication. Interestingly, he was not aware of the presence of the nail in his brain and showed no neurological deficits. In the course of detailed history taking, we discovered that the nail was driven into his brain during a hallucinatory experience that had occurred more than 10 years earlier. Because we believed that removing the nail from his brain would be more dangerous than maintaining the status quo, the nail was not removed. This is a very rare case of a self-inflicted injury involving inserting a nail into the brain under the influence of hallucinations. The absence of adverse effects or neurological symptoms/signs related to the presence of a foreign metallic body in the brain for over 10 years is exceptional.
