Comments on: What's the name of this mental illness?

Question: What's the name of this mental illness?

anonymous78 — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:01:59 -0800

A couple of months ago, I read an article about a very rare illness primarily affecting men which caused them, among other things, to hurt themselves - sometimes quite seriously. Does anyone know the name of this disorder?

Some of the self-injuries were truly frightening - including stabbing oneself in the eye. Several of the men interviewed had to be restrained at all times. There were also verbal issues - a lot of seemingly involuntary cursing, etc. I think the disorder had a hyphenated name, one of which might have been a proper name.

By: xo

xo — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:04:35 -0800

Oh yeah, this was in the New Yorker (Aug 13, 2007) and I loved it so much I saved it. Lesch-Nyhan syndrome.

By: anonymous78

anonymous78 — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:10:47 -0800

Yup, that's it. I thought it was in the New Yorker but wasn't 100% sure. Thanks xo.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:15:55 -0800

The New Yorker article,"Error in the Code", is online here [PDF].

By: canine epigram

canine epigram — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:17:51 -0800

I think there must have been more than one article, because I remember a gruesome and heartbreaking story about little kids (boys, I believe) with a horrible compulsion to injure themselves - by mutilating and biting off their fingers.

By: Bora Horza Gobuchul

Bora Horza Gobuchul — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:37:27 -0800

canine, you may be thinking of The Cobra Event by Richard Preston, a thriller in which Lesch-Nayan has a major role.

By: brevator

brevator — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:44:59 -0800

That was a great article.

By: peep

peep — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:38:38 -0800

Wow, that was amazing.

By: disillusioned

disillusioned — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:56:57 -0800

Yeah, that's definitely Blue-able.

By: neuron

neuron — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:04:27 -0800

"Ah, ~~alcohol~~ The New Yorker...is there anything it can't do?" -- H. J. Simpson

By: Shohn

Shohn — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:22:02 -0800

There was something about this on the radio this week. I think the local NPR affiliate interviewed the guy that wrote that article.
I'm so sad and fascinated.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:30:21 -0800

The Cobra Event by Richard Preston, a thriller in which Lesch-Nayan has a major role.

Richard Preston is also the author of the New Yorker article.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:32:08 -0800

FYI -- other books and New Yorker articles by Richard Preston.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:40:34 -0800

Preston's new book (Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science) features more on Lesch-Nayan syndrome.

"One of the book's strongest stories captures the everyday hell of people living with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that creates 'self-cannibals' compelled to mutilate their own bodies and strike out at those they care about most....Preston: 'In 2000 I made contact with William Nyhan, the doctor who co-discovered the disease. He [introduced] me to two patients [James Elrod and Jim Murphy]. It took a total of seven years to figure out how to write about them in a way that didn't make them seem like freaks. What is it really like to have a compulsion to bite off your extremities and pull your eyes out? It took a long, long time until I had my sea legs in that story. James Elrod and I still see each other whenever I'm in Santa Cruz. He only throws punches once in a while. When you spend enough time around Lesch-Nyhan people, the fact that this person is trying to attack you drops out of sight and you find yourself just dealing with another person. And the fact that this person has already cut his nose off with a fork and is in restraints and takes swings at you with Kevlar gloves becomes invisible.'"^*

By: Bora Horza Gobuchul

Bora Horza Gobuchul — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:41:49 -0800

disillusioned's suggestion taken and run with, for better or worse, in the blue. I hope you find it helpful, anonymous78, although I'm sure ericb would have done a better job.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:55:15 -0800

Bora Horza Gobuchul -- you've done a fine job with your FPP.

By: canine epigram

canine epigram — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:11:18 -0800

Borza, holy carp, it was your FPP I read.

God, that was horrible.

By: sarcasticah

sarcasticah — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:14:34 -0800

Wow, that article was horrifying and fascinating.