AUTOPHAGIA – Rare & Horrifying Mental Disorder You Must Know

What is autophagia?

AUTOPHAGIA – Here are some facts and information one didn’t probably know yet about Autophagia, a rare and horrifying mental illness.

A lot of things are happening in our brain. Truly, it functions but the way we think is different from how others do. And sometimes, harmful thinking can be identified as a mental disorder and one of most rare and the most horrifying is the Autophagia.

Autophagia
Photo lifted from Sreerudra Ayurveda Hospital

Autophagia is a mental disorder characterized by someone, who is suffering this, has a compulsive need to bite the flesh without considering the consequences. It is in many ways similar to cannibalism but what makes it just worse is that people with this disorder eat their own flesh which, on an extreme end, might lead to mutilation.

There was a case where a 66 years old man admitted of self-mutilating due to insomnia which accordingly lasted for six years. The report says as per doctors, “This behavior started as serious nail biting and continued as severe finger mutilation (by biting), resulting in loss of the terminal phalanges of all fingers in both hands.”

Autophagia
Photo lifted from Sarah Max Research

Moreover, the most common symptom of this disorder is the desire of one person to cause self-harm resulting to biting off their flesh and cutting portions of body to eat it after cooking it. People suffering this may experience many chronic infections and contagious disorders.

There had been no single cause noted yet but it can be triggered by the following:

  • acute psychological distress
  • actual malnutrition
  • abnormal appetite
  • desire to experience sensation as result of sensory loss

When it comes to treatment, the patient also needs physical health treatment aside from psychological treatment. Wounds from biting it off might be infectious, thus, needed to be prevented. Moreover, control therapy also helps as prevention for any physical harm.

Autophagia
Photo lifted from NewsGram

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Sources: Medical Daily / Procaffenation

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