Self-enucleation and the real meaning of Oedipus

Abstract

The guidelines are excellent; but real advocacy is required too. It is good for patients, and for us.

Bilateral Self-enucleation of the Eyes

“…But it may not be correct to solely implicate Christian teachings for the incidence of oedipism. [ 1 2 4 5 ] Self-enucleation has also been reported among non-adherents of Christianity. Aksray et al .…”

“…Thus, published works on the subject continue to be case reports on one or two cases with uniocular involvement predominating. [ 1 2 4 5 13 16 17 ] An extensive literature search, via MEDLINE, reported that there were 37 published papers on the subject. [ 1 ] These papers documented 56 patients (71 globes) worldwide who had auto-enucleation in at least one eye.…”

“…[ 1 13 ] The patient, although not a diagnosed psychiatric patient and without history of drug abuse, nevertheless showed some features suggestive of psychiatric disorder which is frequently associated with auto-enucleation. [ 1 2 4 5 ] He was a nominal Christian and so religious ideation was unlikely to be an underlying cause.…”

“…[ 2 ] It is equally termed Oedipism , after Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who as a character in Sophocles’ drama, Oedipus Rex ,[ 3 ] plucked out his two eyes due to guilty conscience after he realised that he had unknowingly killed his father and married his own mother. [ 2 3 4 5 ] It was Blonel[ 2 ] who in 1906 referred to this act of regret and recompense for patricide and incest as oedipism . In Norse mythology, Odin , eager to have the right to drink from the spring of Mimir (thought to confer wisdom and understanding), enucleated and bartered his eyes for the drink.…”

Ocular self-mutilation: a case series

“…It is traditionally referred to as oedipism, in reference to the Greek play Oedipus Rex, in which the Theban King Oedipus gouges out his eyes in an attempt to "cleanse" himself after killing his father and marrying his mother. [1][2][3] It is considered a form of selfmutilation alongside the amputation of body parts, such as the upper limbs or genitalia. 4 Self-enucleation is commonly associated with psychotic paranoid delusion, either functional, which is mainly associated with schizophrenia, or drug induced, related to alcohol, lysergic acid diethylamide, or amphetamines.…”