[Electroconvulsive therapy for multiple major self-mutilations in bipolar psychotic depression]

Self-mutilation is form of self-injurious behavior which is either low intensity, high frequency form seen in personality disorder and mental retardation or low frequency, highly destructive form which occurs in the context of psychosis or acute intoxications. We report a 32 yr-old male with bipolar affective disorder presenting with multiple acts of major self-mutilation during an episode of psychotic depression. At presentation he had broken upper central incisors, circular burn scar on right palm, crush injury of left index finger with avulsed nail and cut injury over glans penis. In view of his extreme self-mutilating behavior, he was administered electroconvulsive therapy on second day following which self-mutilating behavior improved after fourth ECT. After 8 ECT sessions, he was started on lithium carbonate with a serum level of 0.82 meq/L and haloperidol 15 mg/day and there was no recurrence of self-mutilating behavior during follow up after four months.