title: An unusual case of attempted suicide by a depressive woman: self-inflicted intracranial stabbing.
abstract: Self-inflicted stab injury to the skull, particularly in the neurocranium, is a rare method used to commit suicide. Herein is presented a case of a 26-year old woman with a temporal wound found by her partner in their home. No weapon was found in the approximate environment and the victim said that she fell. A CT scan performed at admission to the emergency room was interpreted as being compatible with injury from falls. A second CT scan in a neurosurgical unit suggested a cranio-cerebral injury from a sharp object; aggression was suspected. The discording elements led to an interview with a psychiatrist and diagnosis of attempted suicide through the action of a knife in the context of severe depression. This is a rare case that implicates a depressive woman and stabbing directly to the neurocranium.
authors.affiliation: Pôle Médico-Judiciaire, CHU Pellegrin, 33076 Bordeaux, France. larbi.benali@chu-bordeaux.fr
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benali
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abalan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Christin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abriat
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liguoro
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gromb
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D002426:Cavernous Sinus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*