Depressed man cooked and ate his finger with vegetables

A man who has had repeated bouts of depression cut off one of his own fingers, cooked it with some vegetables and ate it. The bizarre case of "self-cannibalism" is the first known in New Zealand and one of only eight reported around the world.

South Island forensic psychiatrist Erik Monasterio and clinical psychologist Craig Prince reported it yesterday in the journal Australasian Psychiatry to alert colleagues to the rare behaviour. Their patient, "Mr X", aged 28 at the time, was moderately depressed and had not consumed drugs or alcohol at the time of his extreme act in 2009.



In an effort to seek reprieve from thoughts about cutting off his fingers, he tied a shoelace around his [little] finger to act as a tourniquet and cut the finger off with a jigsaw. He then cooked it in a pan with some vegetables and ate its flesh. His plan was to amputate another two fingers the following day.

Mr X reported initial excitement - non-sexual - and a sense of relief from his ruminations. Given the instantaneous benefit, he felt that there was no point in cutting off any more fingers. The man later regretted the act of self-harm - his first - "because of its debilitating effect".