Psychopathological conditions and somatic consequences of a suicide attempt with a corrosive substance in a patient suffering from long-lasting paranoid schizophrenia - a case study

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness that affects 20 million people worldwide. Patients diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia are characterized by cognitive deficits and the so-called negative symptoms, which significantly lower their quality of life and have implications for their independence and ability to fulfill various social roles. Aim: This study aims to present the case of a 49-year-old woman who has been suffering from schizophrenia for a long time and, due to a psychotic exacerbation with delusions and auditory hallucinations in the form of ordering voices, attempted suicide by ingesting a highly corrosive chemical agent used for unblocking pipes (the so-called “mole”). Case report: The patient was admitted to the 1st Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Early Intervention of SPSK 1 in Lublin for psychiatric treatment, after being transferred from the SPSK 1 Surgery Clinic, where she was initially admitted after the suicide attempt. Discussion: The psychotic exacerbation in the patient could have resulted from sensory deprivation due to her feeling of loneliness and deep social isolation.