The article said he decided to attempt the surgery himself due to the wait times for a referral in the public system, an inability to afford private surgery and the “significant psychological stress of having breasts at an upcoming pool party.”
“He had demonstrated premeditation by watching a ‘how to’ video on YouTube,” said the doctors who wrote the case study.
Patient Z had also prepared ‘appropriate equipment’, marked the incision and considered how to numb the pain and stop the bleeding.
After spending several hours trying to remove his left breast, he became worried he would damage a nerve and went to hospital.
Surgeons then performed a double mastectomy.
“After discussing the risks, including irreversibility, poor cosmetic outcome/asymmetry and loss of both nipples, he proceeded to have a completion left mastectomy and symmetrising right mastectomy,” the article said.
“He was reviewed by the acute mental health team and was deemed to have capacity to consent, with no active mood disorder, psychosis or suicidality.”