Cutting Is it a form of suicide? Presented by Cameron Haines and Andre Jones

Introduction What we’re talking about.  What is cutting?  Why would people cut themselves?  Who cuts?  Is it a common problem?  Why don’t families and friends know?  What are the available treatments?  How you can help a friend in need? Why cutting is an important topic.

Explain behavior Cut – common name for a behavior under an umbrella of a group of behaviors called self- injury or self-harm. Other methods of self harm are burning, scratching, hitting/ bruising or punching, nail biting, picking at skin, pulling hair out, and piercing of the skin.

Why would people cut themselves?  For some kids, it’s a mean of acceptance with their peers. (Example: Goth culture)  Going through the “numbing factor.”  Pulling away from their families.  It helps the kids (for most it starts at age 14) get in control of their emotional pain.  Some believe that it would “release” the bad feelings if they cut themselves.

Cutting is Not Suicidal Behavior Self-mutilation: the direct, deliberate destruction or alteration of one’s own body tissue without conscious suicidal intent. Source: “Carving an Image of Society: A Sociological Approach to Self-Mutilation” by Kelly L. Faust. The Edwardsville Journal of Sociology, 2005, vol. 5 (

What’s the difference? People who self-mutilate want to live. Cutting patterns are different from suicide attempts (Vertical cutting is more severe than horizontal cutting.) Harming themselves is the only way they know how to deal with feelings that could otherwise lead to suicide. (Source: Favazza in Faust, 2005) Trying to get a reaction from someone or get control of a situation (Source: Lloyd-Richardson in Hitti, 2007)

Caution: Read Between the Numbers Study data may be misleading. Survey of highschools does not reveal the location or the demographics of the schools. –Income? –Racial demographic? –Which students responded? (particular classes: remedial-honors- alternate education?)

How Many People Cut? A study was done by Ross and Heath (2002) who went to two different high schools and surveyed 440 high school students and found out that 13.9% self- harm; the post popular choice is cutting. (Source: Faust)

Self-Harming Could Be Even More Common  2007 Study by Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson  Tracked 633 students at 5 high-schools  Students invited to complete an anonymous survey about coping with stress