@article{ref1,
title="Self-enucleation of the right eye by a 38-year-old woman diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder: a case report",
journal="BMC psychiatry",
year="2020",
author="Chechko, Natalia and Stormanns, Eva and Podoll, Klaus and Stickel, Susanne and Neuner, Irene",
volume="20",
number="1",
pages="e563-e563",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Autoenucleation 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 PRESENTATION: It 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.   CONCLUSION: Autoenucleation 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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-244X",
doi="10.1186/s12888-020-02974-6",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02974-6"
}