Citation

Jornod P, Vannotti M, Dascal DR, Auer C, Berode M, Savolainen H, Buclin T, Nicod P, Waeber G. Praxis 1997; 86(22): 946-951.

Vernacular Title

Intoxication volontaire au mercure: consequences biologiques et signification

Affiliation

Département de Médecine Interne-B, CHUV, Lausanne.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Hans Huber)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9289793

Abstract

A young patient suffering from schizophrenia had intense headaches and photophobia which were induced by intra-ocular injections of mercury. The clinical diagnosis was established once foreign bodies were visualized on regular X-rays of the patients skull. The mercury intoxication in combination with the secondary irreversible lesions to the eyes necessitated a bilateral enucleation and the use of a chelating treatment with sodium-dimercapto-1-propane sulfate (DMP). Automutilation is a very rare and dramatic complication of schizophrenia. The psychiatric handling and meaning of such dramatic automutilation is discussed in this case report together with a recent review of the toxicologic treatment of mercury intoxication in humans.

Language: fr