Attention seeker (kamatte-chan)
Overview
An attention seeker (kamatte-chan) is a slang term for a person who seeks too much attention, interest, and reaction from others. The word comes from kamatte hoshii ("I want you to pay attention to me"), and it refers to a person whose desire to have attention turned toward them shows strongly in what they do.
Attention seekers act in many different ways. They talk about their worries in an exaggerated way, post things meant to make people worry, draw out reactions with provocative remarks, or hint "I'm done with this" and wait for someone to ask them to stay. What these have in common is that the goal of the behavior is "to get a reaction from others."
Attention seekers in a question box
A question box sometimes receives attention-seeking questions. "I'm not worth asking questions, am I?" (wants to be told that's not true), "Maybe I should quit my question box" (wants to be asked to stay), "You're not going to answer me anyway, are you?" (wants an answer). These look like demands for attention in the form of a question.
The tricky part is that attention-seeking questions are hard to tell apart from questions from people who are really struggling. Someone who feels "I'm worthless" may be truly suffering. It's hard to tell from text alone.
Dealing with attention seekers
One way to deal with attention-seeking questions is to "answer the content sincerely, and step back if the pattern repeats." You take the first one seriously because the person may really be in trouble. But if questions with the same pattern keep coming again and again, you can also read it as a pattern of attention-seeking behavior.
Not making fun of attention seekers is also part of dealing with them. Behind attention-seeking behavior lies an unmet need for approval. That need in itself is natural for a human being. However, it is not the responsibility of the person answering to meet that need.