Skip to content

The patients often try to starve themselves, to hang…

“The patients often try to starve themselves, to hang themselves, to cut their arteries; they beg that they may be burned, buried alive, driven out into the woods and there allowed to die. One of my patients struck his neck so often on the edge of a chisel fixed on the ground that all the soft…” quote by Emil Kraepelin
Download Open image
“The patients often try to starve themselves, to hang themselves, to cut their arteries; they beg that they may be burned, buried alive, driven out into the woods and there allowed to die. One of my patients struck his neck so often on the edge of a chisel fixed on the ground that all the soft parts were cut through to the vertebrae.”

Emil Kraepelin

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Describes extreme self‑harm behaviors in patients, highlighting severe distress.

In simple terms: Patients exhibit extreme self‑destructive urges.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and intervene in severe self‑harm.

Themes

mental health despair clinical observation

Mood

somber urgent

Type

clinical philosophical

When to use this quote

  • hospital
  • crisis intervention
  • therapy

Key Concepts

psychiatry patient care

Questions to Reflect On

  • What triggers such extreme behaviors?
  • How can clinicians better support these patients?
A Different Perspective

May be sensationalized without context.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Emil Kraepelin

Explore all 3 Emil Kraepelin quotes

More Alive quotes

Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes