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Assaultive eye injury and enucleation
A O Bukhanovsky1, A Hempel, W Ahmed
1Department of Psychiatry, Rostov State University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
|January 19, 2000
Summary
Assaultive eye gouging is a dangerous behavior in forensic settings. This case series examines ten individuals who committed eye gouging, highlighting associated psychiatric conditions and violent contexts.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Criminology
Background:
- Assaultive eye gouging is a rare but severe behavior, particularly within forensic and security hospital settings.
- While self-inflicted eye injury (auto-enucleation) is documented, interpersonal eye gouging remains underreported in scientific literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a case series of individuals who committed assaultive eye gouging.
- To explore the psychiatric and situational contexts associated with this violent behavior.
Main Methods:
- A case series (n=10) was compiled using clinical contributions from forensic populations in the United States and Russia.
- Data collection focused on the psychiatric status of the perpetrators during the eye-gouging incidents and the nature of the assaults.
Main Results:
- Four perpetrators were psychotic at the time of the eye-gouging incident.
- One perpetrator had mental retardation without psychosis.
- Five perpetrators, without psychosis or mental retardation, committed eye gouging during acts of extreme sexual violence.
Conclusions:
- Assaultive eye gouging can occur in individuals with and without diagnosed psychiatric conditions.
- The behavior is associated with severe violence, including sexual assault, in some cases.
- Further research is needed to understand the motivations and risk factors for eye gouging in forensic populations.