Autovampirism
A paraphilia involving self-blood consumption for sexual pleasure.
Autovampirism, also known as autohemophagia, is a paraphilia involving the drinking of one's own blood, typically for sexual gratification. It is classified as a form of masochistic behavior, distinct from the sadistic acts associated with general vampirism. Practitioners often engage in self-harm to obtain blood.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Psychiatry
- Symptoms
- Suturing, opening of wounds; self-harm
- Onset
- Puberty
- Causes
- Usually after traumatic incident
Facts from the source article.
Background
Autovampirism is considered a pathology of vampiristic behavior, also termed clinical vampirism, which includes violent or sexual acts involving the body of a dead being. Clinical psychologist Richard Noll introduced the term, which was coined after the mental patient who assisted Dracula in Bram Stoker's novel. Autovampirism is typically the first stage of clinical vampirism, known as Renfield's Syndrome, though it is not recognized in the DSM-IV-TR 2000.
Development
The habit of drinking one's own blood usually begins during childhood, often following a traumatic event that links pleasure with violence and blood. It starts with scraping or cutting the skin to extract and ingest blood, later progressing to cutting major veins and arteries for larger amounts. Some individuals store their own blood for later consumption or visual enjoyment. According to clinical psychologist Noll, autovampirism develops into clinical vampirism through three stages: autovampirism, zoophagia (involving eating animals or drinking animal blood), and clinical or true vampirism. During puberty, sexuality becomes linked to the pleasure derived from vampirism, and the behavior is considered fetishistic. There is often a sense that seeing or drinking blood provides power or increased health. In some cases, vampirism and autovampirism are symptoms of schizophrenia, as illustrated by a 35-year-old woman with schizophrenia who experienced depersonalization and auditory hallucinations commanding her to drink her own blood as part of a delusion about purification. Autovampirism can cause anemia, abdominal pain, and nausea, though the full range of consequences is difficult to determine due to the rarity of reported cases.
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