Penile self-mutilation - two cases in one family.

Male genital self-mutilation is an infrequently reported event in the general medical literature. The majority of cases deal with a single episode of self-mutilation. These cases are usually focused on surgical repair. We present an extremely rare situation of two cases of male genital self-mutilation occurring in the same family. Both patients were treated for schizophrenia. Both patients had religious psychotic experiences and guilt feelings associated with sexual conflicts. Both patients had an experience of setting fire. Although they were close relatives, the younger did not imitate the older one when he mutilated his genitals. The possible causes of such behavior have been analyzed in the light of the recent literature.