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Goths 'more likely to self-harm'



Self-harming is a strategy for coping with serious emotional problems

Teenage Goths are more likely to self-harm than those in other social groups, a study has found.

Glasgow researchers surveyed 1,258 teens at the ages of 11, 13, 15 and 17.



Up to 14% of teenagers self-harm, but half of the 25 who described themselves as Goths had done so, reported the British Medical Journal.



Most self-harmed before becoming a Goth, suggesting they chose the subculture because they felt their emotional distress would be understood.



Self-harm - such as cutting, burning or punching to deliberately cause pain - is used as a way of coping with emotional problems.



It can be linked to depression, attempted suicide, and various psychiatric disorders in later life.



The Glasgow study found that belonging to the Goth subculture - as 25 people did - was strongly associated with a lifetime risk of self harm (53%) and attempted suicide (47%).



Goths favour black clothing, black and white make-up and tend to follow a style of rock music derived from punk.



Those who belonged to the group had the strongest association of any youth subculture, even after factors such as social class, parental separation, smoking, alcohol use, or previous depression had been taken into account.



Of the 93 who said they felt some identification with the Goth subculture, 10% had self-harmed.



Parents 'should not worry'



Robert Young, the psychologist who led the study, said: "Although only fairly small numbers of young people identify as belonging to the Goth subculture, rates of self-harm and attempted suicide are very high among this group.



Mr Young said a teenager who self-harmed was obviously a concern, whatever social group they belonged to.



But he added: "I don't think parents should be worried if their children identify with Goths.



"Rather than posing a risk, it's also possible that by belonging to this subculture young people are gaining valuable social and emotional support from their peers.



"However, the study was based on small numbers and replication is needed to confirm our results."



Dr Michael van Beinum, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Lanarkshire Public Healthcare Trust who advised on the study, said: "Social support is important for all young people to help them cope with the difficulties they face, and therefore finding a peer group of like-minded Goths may, for some, be adaptive.



"Adults helping young people in difficulty need to be aware that those who clearly identify with Goth subculture may also be self-harming, and may benefit from learning further coping mechanisms to help them overcome inner distress."



Avis Johns, of the charity Young Minds, said: "Self-harm amongst young people is a serious concern.



"This report suggests that as a society we need to do much more to provide support mechanisms for vulnerable people.



"It is a wake-up call for us all. We must ensure that young people receive support for mental illness in the ways and places that are responsive to their needs."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4905898.stm

Move to suspend council strikes



Union members are angry about planned pension changes

Council workers' union leaders have called for the suspension of strikes in their dispute over pension rights.

The unions representing local authority workers said, in a joint statement, that they had agreed a framework for negotiations with employers.



More than one million staff walked out last month in a one-day strike against plans to scrap rules letting council staff retire at 60 on a full pension.



More strikes had been due to take place between 25 and 27 April.



'Urgent' talks



Talks will now centre on protecting existing workers who want to retire early with no loss of pension benefits.



The decision to recommend suspension of the action follows informal talks between the two sides. The individual unions will now hold the necessary internal consultations.



TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said he expected the detailed negotiations on the new framework to start "urgently".



"I am very pleased that it has now been possible to agree with the Local Government Employers a sensible framework for the detailed negotiations necessary on the future of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)," he said.



"These negotiations now offer a positive route forward to secure fairness and high quality pensions for all workers covered by the LGPS in the future."



Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of employers' organisation, the Local Government Association said: "It will come as a relief to employees, employers and local people that this industrial action has been suspended.



"The Local Government Association will be working hard in meaningful discussions with the unions to come up with a long term reform of the Local Government Pension Scheme that is fair to employees, continues to make local government an attractive place to work in and is affordable for council taxpayers."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4903188.stm

Road rage victim's throat slashed

A 62-year-old man is recovering after having his throat slashed in a road rage attack, police said.

The victim from Billericay, Essex, was attacked shortly after stopping on the A1 at Alwalton, Cambridgeshire.



Police said he stopped when he was flashed by the driver of a following car who then attacked him with a knife.



"It was a very serious incident and the victim needed hospital treatment. It could have been a fatal attack," a police spokeswoman said.



Police said they had "operational reasons" for not releasing details of the attack earlier.



The incident took place on the southbound carriageway of the A1 on the afternoon of 3 April.



The spokeswoman said the attacker, who drove off, was driving a blue Fiat and was white, stocky, about 50 and had short, fair hair and a moustache.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4907944.stm

Dont Piss of the elephants....maybe it didnt like the car......





Bang goes the No Claim Bonus

Surprising what you can find in the lost property





Police plea on macabre book find



The ledger was bound in human skin, in accordance with practice

Police are trying to locate the owner of a 300-year-old ledger, bound in human skin, found in a Leeds road.

Written mainly in French, its macabre covering was said to be a regular sight during the French Revolution.



In the 18th and 19th Centuries it was common to bind accounts of murder trials in the killer's skin - known as anthropodermic bibliopegy.



The book was discovered in The Headrow and may have been discarded after a burglary, detectives said.



They said the book may have been stolen in West or North Yorkshire. They are appealing to anyone who may have information, or who may have owned the ledger, to contact them.



Many older libraries have examples of anthropodermic bibliopegy in their collection.







http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/4891100.stm