Or maybe seeing this habit be discussed openly and without prejudice will help some people to feel less like a freak for doing it when they realize that others do too, or will encourage them to seek help.

I know it's a horse of a different color, but the last time my depression got really bad I started smoking. I felt awfully guilty about it for months until my therapist said that it was natural for me to seek out endorphins however I could when I was failing to get them the natural way. That relieved the guilt, which in turn made me less psychologically dependent on cigarettes. Accepting that I smoked and that it was not ideal but still okay actually helped me to quit smoking later on, coupled with my regular therapy. Why would you deny that to people with other unhealthy habits? Or maybe you think that inhaling cancer smoke several times per day isn't a form of self-harm?