Citation

Bangash F, Megna JL, Leontieva L. Cureus 2021; 13(2): e13179.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Curēus)

DOI

10.7759/cureus.13179

PMID

33643751

Abstract

Deliberate foreign body ingestion (DFBI) is a rare psychopathological disorder that involves the swallowing of non-nutritive objects to cause self-harm. It is most commonly associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Very scant literature has been published on the psychopathological understanding or psychopharmacological interventions. Mostly, gastroenterological and surgical management regarding the removal of the foreign body has been discussed in the literature. DFBI can be very challenging in terms of the treatment of the patient and the morale of the health providers - it exhausts the patient and the family and evokes frustration among the medical staff due to its resistance to remission. By presenting the case of a patient in this article, we will discuss what is known about the poorly understood DFBI and the challenges and difficulties encountered while treating these patients. Further, we will discuss how a biopsychosocial approach can be used in treating these patients.

Language: en

Keywords

post-traumatic stress disorder; borderline personality disorder; childhood sexual abuse; deliberate foreign body ingestion; repeated self-injurious behavior