[Attempted suicide by snake bite. Case report and literature survey].
Unusual suicide attempts often remain undetected, and bizarre methods can be a clue to psychotic origin. We report a suicide attempt by proxy--the bite of a puff adder--and provide a brief literature survey about further archaic self-injurious behaviour. Due to the easy availability of venomous snakes and the close networking of suicidal patients via the Internet, an increase in similar cases can be anticipated. A failed suicide attempt should always be considered in patients surviving bizarre accidents.
Strubel
T
T
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie der TU München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Ismaningerstrasse 22, München, Germany. strubel@lrz.tu-muenchen.de
Birkhofer
A
A
Eyer
F
F
Werber
K D
KD
Förstl
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D017819:Viperidae