Penile self-mutilation preceded by bizarre delusions: two case reports

INTRODUCTION: Genital self-mutilation is listed as a symptom of borderline personality disorder. The type of injury varies from simple skin laceration to total amputation of the penis and testicles. These injuries are urological and surgical emergencies. CASE PRESENTATION: We report two cases of penile self-mutilation precipitated by erotic and religious bizarre delusions. Our first patient is a 24-year-old Moroccan man who visited our emergency room with a metallic ring at the root of his penis which had caused marked edema of his entire penis. Our second patient is a 26-year-old Moroccan man evaluated in our emergency unit. A clinical examination revealed a wound at the dorsal side of his penis with complete transection of the dorsal vein and imperfect hemostasis. The two patients were treated in our emergency unit after which a favorable clinical course was observed. CONCLUSION: Cases of genital self-mutilation are urological and psychiatric emergencies, therefore it is important that surgical and psychiatric teams collaborate closely while managing cases of genital self-mutilation.