Comments on: Cutting – a symptom or a mental health issue? http://www.generationnext.com.au/blog/?p=1006 Australia’s Leading Experts on Children & Teenagers in one Event Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:21:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Ginger http://www.generationnext.com.au/blog/?p=1006&cpage=1#comment-784 Ginger Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:20:25 +0000 http://www.generationnext.com.au/blog/?p=1006#comment-784 As the mother of a cutter, I welcome addition attention and focus on the problem. However, I remain concerned that it is possibly to be categorized as "non-suicidal cutting". It is not just a "girl" problem, though girls predominate the statistics. And for the record, the problem with my son was definitely exacerbated by suicidal tendencies. The level and aggression of his cutting was a definite indicator of how close to the edge he was suicidally. I have read Australian research performed in the wake of a suicide at an all boys' school which did correlate cutting as the most telling sign of impending suicidal behaviour in future by boys. Maybe researchers want to open their parameters here a bit and consider that the behaviour in boys and girls may differ, in the same way that attempts vs successful completion varies between girls and boys. My own message is that cutting behaviour in boys need to be taken very seriously. The violence of the behaviour, and the likelihood of suicide, may well be greater in young males than young females. As the mother of a cutter, I welcome addition attention and focus on the problem. However, I remain concerned that it is possibly to be categorized as “non-suicidal cutting”. It is not just a “girl” problem, though girls predominate the statistics. And for the record, the problem with my son was definitely exacerbated by suicidal tendencies. The level and aggression of his cutting was a definite indicator of how close to the edge he was suicidally.

I have read Australian research performed in the wake of a suicide at an all boys’ school which did correlate cutting as the most telling sign of impending suicidal behaviour in future by boys. Maybe researchers want to open their parameters here a bit and consider that the behaviour in boys and girls may differ, in the same way that attempts vs successful completion varies between girls and boys.

My own message is that cutting behaviour in boys need to be taken very seriously. The violence of the behaviour, and the likelihood of suicide, may well be greater in young males than young females.

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