JAKARTA, Aug 30, 2007 (AFP) - A mentally ill in Indonesia woman drove a rusty nail into the skull of her 22-month-old son, a hospital spokesman said on Thursday.

The 28-year-old mother reportedly turned violent suddenly on Monday, beating two older children who managed to run away and then hammering the nail into the head of her child.

The mother then drove two nails into her own head, but later retrieved them herself as they had not been driven deep, press reports said.

Neighbours were alerted by the cries of the children and notified police. The nail was successfully removed from the boy's skull, said a spokesman for Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital in Jakarta.

"The boy's condition is quite good," he said.