Do people eat themselves? Is this a real and recognized thing? Is it a disease? Is it an actual mental health disorder? 

Autocannibalism can be defined as a mental health condition in which a person has compulsions to eat themselves. However, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), it is not recognized as a diagnosable mental health disorder. Some of the practises involved in autocannibalism include nail biting and pulling out one’s hair and eating it. At this point, you may be wondering: “ I bite my nails, does that mean I have auto cannibalism?” Even though most people who engage in auto cannibalism don’t go to the extremes, most of them eat things like their hair, skin, scabs, or even boogers.  

Autocannibalism is often linked to other mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. It can also be linked to the mental health disorders that are associated with impulse control such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Some of the mental health conditions or disorders which can be classified as autocannibalism include:

  1. Onychophagia – this is the uncontrollable desire to eat one’s nails and often leads to nail damage.
  2. Dermatophagia – it is characterized by eating one’s skin on their hands and fingers and usually leads to bleeding or skin damage.
  3. Trichophagia – one has the urge to eat their own hair. This leads to blockages in the digestive tract since hair can not be digested. 

Join us next week as we tackle the causes of autocannibalism, its signs and symptoms, and its treatment.  

SharonahKen ♥️♥️♥️