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Why is there so much stigma attached to self harm?

13 Answers
Last Updated: 06/12/2018 at 7:44pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Lindsay Scheinerman, MA, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

My work with clients is to help them recognize and build on their strengths to find solutions for the conflicts presented in their lives.

Top Rated Answers
Lior
March 11th, 2015 7:18pm
Because it is unknown, something that terrifies other people I think, will make them look at it different. A lot of people can't understand the reason to self-harm, so they think of the most easy to understand reason which is usually insanity or attention seeking. Although we need to work to change the stigma, we should also work to make the world get rid of this bad habit.
Kelleyd83
December 29th, 2015 2:48am
Anything that deals with physical pain or death is taboo in our culture because people don't understand it. It's the same stigma for any other mental illness.
JoyfulForestRain
November 9th, 2016 6:00am
Honestly, it's all because people are uneducated. Society doesn't really talk about self-harm and what it entails. It's the same way with a multitude of other things such as sexual orientation, disabilities, and disorders. They have a stigma or stereotype attached to each and everyone one of them. What we as human beings need to do is educate those who don't know about these kinds of topics to remove the stigma that is put on a wide variety of things.
Anonymous
January 24th, 2015 1:27pm
People usually think that self harm is something stupid,meanless.They think the person who harms herself is just trying to attract attention.I guess.
funka
June 1st, 2015 1:45am
I think that there is so much stigma attached to self harm because like many things with a lot of stigma people just do not understand it or know much about it.
gentleParadise14
June 18th, 2015 2:38am
The is so much stigma attached to self harm because our society still does not know how to handle or help those who struggle with self harm. The amount of people who self harm have grown drastically over the last 10 years. Since this situation is relativity new for our society, there is this stigma attached to the idea of self harm.
Clouder
December 22nd, 2015 4:06am
Stigma comes from ignorance. For someone who's never experienced self-harm, it can be very difficult to understand why someone would choose to harm themselves. Some of the most common misconceptions are that self-harm is attention seeking, or that it only affects teenagers. Unfortunately, such stigma makes it more difficult for people to seek support. When dealing with stigma, it's sometimes appropriate help people understand, by sharing your knowledge and encouraging them to be more empathetic. It depends on the situation and how confident you are being an advocate for those who self-harm, but informing others can be a powerful and empowering way to respond.
Dailydaydreama
January 26th, 2015 12:01pm
Self harm can be seen as a way of caring about your pain inside so much that you are trying do anything to stop it ! If you get the right support minimising the risk is important not the stigma !
lilnugget
August 11th, 2015 7:33pm
I feel like there is so much stigma because people think it's all for attention, and they lack sympathy and understanding.
TomorrowsFaith
January 12th, 2016 12:23am
There is often stigma attached to self harm because the majority of people do not understand that those who do it, have no other way to express their feelings. Often they feel stuck, unable to move, and self harm offers momentary relief from the pain that they feel everyday. Yet most people see it as those doing it, seeking attention. They do not see the point behind harming one's self, as they think it solves nothing, and doesn't aid the issue.
magneticFlamingo11
June 13th, 2016 2:28am
There is (most likely) a lot of stigma attached to self harm, because people find self harm to be a flaw. And people find any flaws to be something bad, lately. And some people don't know how to handle those kinds of situations.
freshLove97
June 13th, 2016 12:53pm
For people who have never experienced it, it's a behavior they can't understand. They look at someone doing harm to himself and in their minds it doesn't make sense. It's mainly to do with our biology and just evolution. We as a specie have the impulse to preserve ourselves, so when someone harms himself it's an unnatural behavior.
Anonymous
June 12th, 2018 7:44pm
Due to lack of understanding and stereotypes. Stigma can be handled by raising awareness and openly talking about self harm.