# Self harm: male and female differences **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412 "2004-03-25T20:12:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412/1 "2004-03-25T20:12:10Z")
Is there any statistical evidence that males or females are [list=a] [li]more likely to self harm[/li][li]more likely to self harm in a certain way[/li][li]more likely to cut themselves in a specific place (i.e. arms, legs etc.)?[/li][/list] ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412/2 "2004-03-25T21:16:34Z")
Are you asking specifically about cutting, or other forms of self-injury? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412/3 "2004-03-25T22:33:19Z")
Males are more likely to be successful at suicide (or unsuccessful, depending on how you look at it), however females report more attempts. Females are more likely to self harm then males. I believe that self-harm is a rather personal thing, but that arms and hands tend to be popular spots. Males are more likely to physically harm others. When I get home I can haul out some of my old journal articles and get some specific statistical #'s if you like, or is this sufficient? ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412/4 "2004-03-25T22:49:48Z")
[google](http://www.google.com.au/search?q=suicide+male+female&ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en) ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412/5 "2004-03-26T07:14:09Z")
Self harming is something different to suicide **boofy** , even if suicide is fairly harmful. Self harming/Self injury refers to various actions including but not limited to cutting, burning or bruising oneself, interfering with wound healing, compulsive picking etc. IANAD or anything, but I imagine that self injury is part of what accounts for the well spread statistic that females unsuccessfully attempt suicide more often. Self Injury is in many ways akin to eating disorders, even including the dodgey “fan sites” etc. ---
**Author:** ![OM\_Waterfall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@OM\_Waterfall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OM_Waterfall)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412/6 "2004-03-26T11:10:12Z")
I would say males self-harm far more than females. For proof simply look at the fact that more males than females are born, yet as populations approach their 30’s (the age varies from country to country) the numbers are nearly equal. This is because males harm themselves in various ways such as drinking and then doing stupid things, being macho and doing dumb things, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412/7 "2004-03-26T15:44:22Z")
A friend of mine is a moderator on this self-injury forum which may help you out. Also, you may want to check out [this site on self-injury](http://crystal.palace.net/~llama/selfinjury/) as well as [this other forum](http://busmail.org/phpBB/index.php) for more information and personal incite on the topic. Hope it helps. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-harm-male-and-female-differences/236412/8 "2004-03-26T15:58:06Z")
In my personal experience (as in, the people I know who have done it. So it’s in no way scientific) it tends to be men that do it. I can think of 3 guys I know who have done it, and only one women.