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Self-Inflicted Traumatic Bilateral Upper Extremity Amputation as a Suicidal Gesture?
Chinwe Ogedegbe1, Ndausung Udongwo2, Ayoola Kalejaiye3
1Emergency Medicine, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, USA.
Cureus
|September 17, 2021
Summary
This case study highlights a severe suicide attempt involving traumatic bilateral upper extremity amputations in a woman, challenging notions about gender and suicide attempt severity. It underscores the critical need to address depression as an undertreated condition.
Area of Science:
- Trauma Surgery
- Psychiatry
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Traumatic amputations, often accidental, are rarely associated with suicide attempts.
- Major depressive disorder is a significant public health concern, with suicide attempts varying in severity.
- Societal perceptions often categorize suicide attempts by gender, with severe attempts linked to men and gestures to women.
Observation:
- A 37-year-old female with major depressive disorder self-inflicted traumatic bilateral upper extremity amputations via a railroad track.
- Emergency resuscitation and surgical debridement were performed, with limb reattachment deemed unfeasible.
- The patient underwent successful hemostasis and flap creation for distal extremity management.
Findings:
- This case presents a severe suicide attempt (bilateral upper extremity amputation) in a woman, contradicting typical gender-based observations of suicide severity.
- The findings question the generalization that severe suicide attempts predominantly occur in men.
Implications:
- Depression remains a potentially undertreated condition, necessitating improved mental health interventions and suicide prevention strategies.
- This case challenges established gender-based assumptions regarding suicide attempt severity, emphasizing the need for individualized risk assessment.
- Healthcare providers should be aware of the diverse presentations of severe suicide attempts, irrespective of patient demographics.