Self-inflicted transcranial stab wound of the pons

Long-term self-inflicted craniocerebral penetrating injury with a fatal outcome

A case of long-term continual self-inflicted penetrating craniocerebral injury to a 59-year-old man with a fatal outcome is reported. The man suffered from paranoid psychosis and alcohol dependence. Over five months, he continually scalped the skin and subcutaneous tissue of his head with a knife until he perforated the skull and dura mater and injured his brain. He eventually sought medical advice, but died after 10 days of hospitalization despite complex conservative treatment. The immediate cause of death was a combination of central nervous system failure and heart failure. The original case presented is sporadic in the forensic literature due to atypical long-term continual self-harm to the head and brain using a sharp object that resulted in perforation of the skull and a fatal outcome. This case also highlights the importance of autopsy to determine the mechanism of injury and cause of death.

Intracranial self-stabbing

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the psychiatric state of patients who stab themselves in the brain (intracranial self-stabbing), including whether the behavior is usually an attempt to commit suicide and whether it is performed in association with symptoms of psychotic illness.

METHOD

A search for cases of intracranial self-stabbing in New South Wales, Australia (NSW), and a systematic search for published case reports of intracranial self-stabbing.

RESULTS

We located 5 cases in NSW in the last 10 years and 47 published case reports of intracranial self-stabbing since 1960. Intracranial self-stabbing was associated with a diagnosis of a psychotic illness in 27 of 49 (55%) cases in which a diagnosis was available. Intracranial self-stabbing was not always performed with the intention of committing suicide and does not usually have a fatal outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Intracranial self-stabbing appears to be an under-recognized form of self-harm that is associated with, but not limited to, psychotic illness.