Self-Cutting: Patient Characteristics Compared With Self-Poisoners

A large consecutive sample of deliberate self-harm (attempted suicide) patients who presented to a general hospital in the UK during a 23-year study period was examined (over 2 consecutive time periods) in order to compare the characteristics of those who used self-cutting & those who self-poisoned. The authors found an excess of males among the self-cutters in both time periods, contrary to the profile of self-cutters that appears in the current literature. The implications of this & other findings are discussed. (22 refs)