Accidental death in autoerotic maneuvers: Case series

Literature describe relatively few studies about accidental death in autoerotic maneuvers. Authors report three new cases on this topic that involved adult male individuals. The purpose of the paper is to increase the knowledge and the classification of the phenomenon and give a contribution for the forensic medicine and psychiatric implications. The dynamics of the investigation of the scene, the autopsy finding and the examination of the medical history are particularly important for forensic professionals that must classify the event as a suicide, homicide or as an accidental event. The Authors describe the phenomenon also from the epidemiological point of view that shows a high prevalence of men, even if in Italy there are not official estimates. Last but not least the Authors and take in consideration and discussed about the existence in the subject of a para-physiological habitude or a real type of pathology as paraphiliac disorders (masochism, fetishism, travestic fetishism).