Deliberate self‑harm with multiple lacerations in a 23‑year‑old depressed Nigerian male
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Abstract
Deliberate self-harm is an extreme reaction to psychological stress. It remains the strongest known risk factor for imminent suicide. There is a dearth of information on the extent of risk, especially in this environment. Psychiatric treatment should commence as soon as the patient is clinically stable. This is to report a case of deliberate self-harm with multiple lacerations in a depressed 23-year-old male with a history of cannabis abuse. The case is a 23-year-old male student with a history of cannabis abuse and depression following psychological stressors who sustained multiple self-inflicted deep lacerations to his neck and phallus. He had multidisciplinary management by the surgical and psychiatric teams. Reducing the risk of suicide by psychotherapy and treatment of underlying psychiatric conditions should be the mainstay of management in cases of deliberate self-harm beyond treatment of injuries sustained,
irrespective of their severity.
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