THE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN OVERT AND NON-OVERT SELF-INFLICTED LESIONS

Injuries following autoaggressive behaviour are found in patients exam ined in forensic medicine as well as in psychiatric clinics. Self-muti lation often is combined with a borderline personality disorder in psy chiatric patients. Our investigation compares injuries and wounds in p sychiatric patients and those in persons examined in the Institute for Forensic Medicine after referral by the police. Our intention was to show evident differences and/or conformities in both of these groups. Additionally we describe a 'third group' of patients which has not yet been mentioned. These women showed, at the same time, characteristics of patients with overt self-injuries and of those with non-overt self -injuries. In this 'third group' we can often find a mixture of realit y and fantasy/imagination. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.