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Intentional ingestion and insertion of foreign objects: a forensic perspective

Carolina A Klein1

  • 1Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA. forensics@ckleinmd.com

The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
|March 8, 2012
PubMed

Intentional ingestion and insertion of foreign objects is a topic that has generated mounting interest among medical professionals over the past two decades. When featured in the literature, it has been typically discussed in medical subdisciplines, such as emergency medicine, surgery, gastroenterology, and urology. However, in-depth exploration of this multidimensional phenomenon in the field of psychiatry has thus far been limited. This article presents illustrative clinical vignettes from forensic practice of deliberate ingestion/insertion of objects and then examines specific aspects of this behavior that are critical to achieving a better understanding of it. The clinical, legal, and ethics-related implications surrounding this conduct are also explored. By taking a comprehensive approach, the aim is to foster a greater appreciation of this syndrome by clinicians and ultimately to arrive at improved practice guidelines surrounding these cases, including a more informed therapeutic plan and an enhanced management approach.

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