A man who had a history of paranoid schizophrenia chopped off his own penis during an "act of deliberate self-harm" but had it reattached within 24 hours.

According to the Mail Online the 34-year-old, from Birmingham, was discovered unconscious at his home after the psychotic episode where a kitchen knife was used to amputate his genitalia.

Details regarding the gruesome injury were released by the British Medical Journal which included an account of further self-inflicted knife wounds on his body.

The unidentified man was taken to University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in an ambulance while his penis was packed with ice.

At the time he was resuscitated and taken into theatre his penis had been severed for 23 hours.

With previous medical evidence suggesting that a penis must be reattached within 15 hours, the chance of a successful operation appeared remote.

Doctors took a vein from the patient's arm to get the blood flowing again into the man's penis once it had been sewn back on.

Over the following weeks, his penis was cleaned daily with antiseptics to prevent infection and antibiotics were also prescribed.

The 34-year-old man also underwent skin grafts and according to the British Medical Journal the man was able to "achieve a full erection as early as 6 weeks".

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"Given the significance of the amputated organ, replantation was attempted in this case despite the long warm and total ischemia (loss of blood to an organ) time, which is the longest in reported literature," the journal read.

"The success of this case, therefore, should encourage surgeons to attempt penile replantation, even with prolonged ischemi time, due to possible success and the potential physical and psychosocial effects of organ loss for the patient."

Earlier this year two men found themselves in hospital suffering from swollen penises after they injected piles cream into their manhoods to achieve 'extra girth'.

The drunken pair were inspired by a bogus YouTube video that offered tips on how men can watch their penis grow.

Medical experts concluded that they had probably blocked their lymph vessels in the penis preventing normal filtering processes and were given medication to treat the swelling.

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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