Why is the topic of self harm and ways to cope with it not brought up more?

Simple answer is that it makes a wide array of people uncomfortable. First, many who do not self harm find the topic disturbing or uncomfortable to deal with. Second, Those who are currently struggling with self harm may find the topic to be triggering, or might not feel comfortable talking about it because of shame. Finally, those who used to self harm but have stopped might find it triggering. All this said, I believe it is an important topic to discuss, especially in an open and accepting community such as this.

I believe it is because self harm's looked at as a means of getting attention and not as an actual serious problem as it is. People don't realize what a serious problem it is and how debilitating it us in a person's life

It is hard for me to answer this, but I think it's because it is a very hard topic to discuss, due to it being a sensitive subject.

It's not really in our social norm. However, these thing do need to be addressed because there are some people who self harm but don't know how to cope. Society mostly says if you don't look this way or act this way your not perfect, and we are taught to keep to ourselves. However if enough people stand up to make a change there will be, all something needs to gain attention are people. After its not objects or animals that change society it's people.

Because it can be a difficult topic for some people, the topic is generally not looked at as commonly as other topics.

Because people thi k we self harm to gain attention so we and our problems are ignored. According to people we are attention seekers but we're not.

A lot of people who engage in this type of behavior are also struggling with the stigma that is attached to mental health issues and self-harm behaviors.

Self Harm is a hard topic to talk about, first of all if you are a self-harmer yourself or have been one, there is a sort of shame, at least that's how I've felt, to it and talking about it in general, to people who have never done it, is scary because they could not understand or just freak out. Also, I think teachers and parents don't want to talk about it because their is a fear of putting the idea into your child's or students heads and finding out that they have self harmed is painful and upsetting.

There seems to be such a taboo around the subject of self harm, which is why sufferers often feel like they cannot find help, which really needs to change. It shouldn't be ignored anymore

Self-harm is kind of a taboo subject (not saying it should be, but it unfortunately is). It's rarely discussed openly, especially in health classes. There is a lot of stigma surrounding it and there needs to be more information so that people are educated on how to cope with it if they are dealing with it themselves, or the best way to help a friend that may be struggling.

People reject and feel uncomfortable with what they do not understand. Most people feel this way towards self harm because they've never experienced it or do not have any sort of connection with it. For most people it is unimaginable to think of anyone hurting themselves purposely for some sort of relief. There is also a certain stereotype around self harm and depression in general. It is hard for people to even grasp the concept of self harm, let alone talk about it and try to help those struggling.

Self harm still has an unfortunate stigma surrounding it that people who do this are just crazy and should be written off as such. There is nothing crazy about it, though. People that self harm are actually trying to balance themselves in some way, unfortunately with an unhealthy habit. I agree, it should be brought up more and a topic that isn't taboo so we can solve this problem!

There’s a stigma aground self harm before it’s a damaging behaviour and people tread on eggshells around it. What people need to understand is self harming doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a sick one that needs help and not judgement

I believe it is because those who have learned to cope with it are ashamed to say that they have done it in the first place. You can’t give help on something you have no knowledge with, so people that haven’t felt something similar before can’t relate and therefore cannot help. I know I’m personally ashamed that I self harmed when I was younger, and I feel like many others are too, which is why those who have aren’t exactly open on the topic being spread.

People can be afraid to bring up the topic of self harm so it tends not to be discussed very much. This can be because there is still a lot of stigma and fear or judgement when it comes to discussing these kinds of topics. However 7cups can be a great place to talk to others about how to cope, as there is less stigma and fear / judgement on this site especially from those who have experienced it themselves, so dont be afraid to find a listener and connect to them if you need to talk to someone.

I self harmed for two years and know the shame that comes with this reaction to life and its barbarity. It is a natural response for people that do not possess the courage to confront physical or mental bullying. You need not be mentally ill to self harm, the courageous version is violence...neither are needed. I try to shame the aggressive, and love the victims, it is a fine balancing act, but knowledge that comes from our own suffering can be utilised in a positive way. I still have shame, and my head injuries will I suspect never set me free from said shame, but I can at least use my own suffering to educate others.

I feel that it is such A touchy subject anymore. And some people are afraid to talk about it because they don’t understand how to cope with it. So the best way is to not speak on it. Because they feel that it might push people into the direction of self harm if they’re feeling sad. But I think what they don’t understand is talking about it helps that helps the person that is going through it and the person that is trying to understand it get on the same page of how they can get through this together.