Self-embedding Disorder, Gangguan Psikologis Baru?

Ketika sedang mengujicoba alat baru untuk mendeteksi benda-benda asing yang masuk ke dalam tubuh karena kecelakaan (misalnya pecahan kaca yang terinjak), sebuah rumah sakit di Ohio, Amerika Serikat, menemukan belasan anak remaja perempuan yang dengan sengaja memasukkan berbagai benda asing ke dalam tubuhnya, mulai dari serpihan kayu, mata pensil, hingga jarum dan staples. Gejala yang diduga sebentuk gangguan psikologis ini disebut sebagai self-embedding disorder, dan diduga merupakan fenomena puncak gunung es karena belum pernah ada penelitian mengenai ini sebelumnya.

clipped from archives.chicagotribune.com Personnel at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, report extracting 52 foreign objects that 10 teenage girls deliberately embedded in their arms, hands, feet, ankles and necks over the last three years, including needles, staples, wood, stone, glass, pencil lead and a crayon. One patient had inserted 11 objects, including an unfolded metal paper clip more than 6 inches long. They call the behavior “self-embedding disorder.” Self-injury is a disturbing trend among teenagers, particularly girls. All the cases in the Ohio study involved girls living in foster homes, group homes or mental health facilities. Many had experienced or witnessed physical or sexual abuse, and most had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety or other mental health problems. But until more information is gathered, it cannot be known if teens living outside the homes of their birth families are at higher risk for this behavior, said Dr. Jarrod M. Leffler, clinical psychologist at Nationwide Children’s.