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Recurrent Deliberate Foreign Body Ingestion: Psychiatric Comorbidities, Management Strategies, and Ethical
Christina V Raghunandan1, Elizabeth Hoffman2, Heather Schultz2
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA. chraghun@umich.edu.
Current Psychiatry Reports
|August 14, 2026
Summary
Deliberate foreign body ingestion (DFBI) is a complex behavior often linked to psychiatric conditions. Effective management requires integrated medical and psychiatric care, including behavioral therapies, to reduce recurrence.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Gastroenterology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Recurrent deliberate foreign body ingestion (DFBI) presents significant medical and psychiatric challenges.
- The psychiatric drivers and optimal management strategies for DFBI are not fully understood.
- DFBI is associated with high healthcare utilization and costs due to its chronic, relapsing nature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize current evidence on the epidemiology, psychiatric comorbidities, behavioral mechanisms, management, and ethical considerations of DFBI.
- To provide a comprehensive overview of the factors contributing to recurrent foreign body ingestion.
- To inform clinical practice and future research directions for DFBI.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of existing literature on DFBI.
- Analysis of epidemiological data, psychiatric comorbidities, and behavioral mechanisms.
- Evaluation of current management strategies, including medical, surgical, and psychiatric interventions.
Main Results:
- Emotion dysregulation, personality pathology (especially borderline personality disorder), and reinforcement mechanisms drive recurrent DFBI.
- A small patient subset accounts for a large proportion of hospitalizations, highlighting the condition's severity.
- Effective management necessitates multidisciplinary care integrating medical stabilization with psychiatric treatment, behavioral plans, and ethical considerations.
Conclusions:
- DFBI is a complex behavior with diverse psychiatric, behavioral, and systemic underpinnings.
- Coordinated multidisciplinary care is crucial, combining medical, psychiatric, and behavioral interventions.
- Addressing ethical challenges and focusing on structured behavioral approaches improves outcomes and reduces recurrence.
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