Cutting: Just a girl problem?

No

1 of 6

by Kimberly H.

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I think the answer to this question is quite obviously a "NO", but I also worry about the reason why this question being addressed. Quite possibly because there is a bias. Statistics show that yes, girls are more likely to hurt themselves through means of cutting than boys are, but the percentages aren't really that different.

Now, when it comes to self-harm as a generalized category, such as burning, pinching, over-dosing, cutting, etc, the number of boys verses girls participating in it are very close - about 72% for males verses about 66% for girls. If this were a number, that would mean that the number of males and females hurting themselves would almost be equal. If one million girls were participating in this act, around one million boys would be participating as well. So, is this really worth the bias when both sexes deal with the problem? No.

Realistically, even if the numbers were very different, say 99% for girls verses 1% for boys, that doesn't change that there are still 1% of boys that are still hurting themselves. Statistics are a way to get a good average of something, but not a way in which to determine which sex gets the recognition or help they deserve. Just because girls statistically cut themselves more, doesn't mean that guys don't deal with it, too. Because trust me, they do - and I have seen it.

What about the suicide statistic? Statistically, males are more suseptable to end their lives by suicide than females are. Does this mean that we should ignore the fact that there are still hundreds of females ending their own lives every single day? Absolutely not. The fact is, the suicide rate and the self-injury rate amongst our youth is rising in both sexes, and something needs to be said about it. This bias needs to disappear.

The truth is, we often hear about the female cases of self-injury over the male cases. Why is this? Simply because males may not voice themselves on the matter. A lot of them keep it inside and do not recognize it as a problem. Many just don't feel the need to tell somebody about their problem. I know that when I found out one of my best friends (who happened to be a guy) was doing this, that he was already far into the habit. I find that it is a lot more easier to recognize when a girl is cutting themselves than it is for a guy, simply because guys just don't want to voice their feelings on it.

For both sexes, cutting is a way to release emotional stress and to get a temporary sense of relief. A lot of people may not understand what would drive someone to such desperate lengths, but with a world that seems to be moving a lot faster than it used to, sometimes people just get left behind as the problems start to build up. It is safe to say that many children and youth are resorting to this habit to feel better much more than they used to, in fact in some places it has grown to the severity of becoming a "fad".

The fact is - females may continue to be thrown into the "all-cutters" category just because of a statistic, but just remember that both sexes are equally capable of feeling a tremendous amount of emotional pain, therefore, they are equally likely to pick up the blade.

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