It’s A Domino-Effect
Self-harm is a difficult subject to discuss because there is a lot of controversy around it. Personally, I don’t believe that self-harm is an attention-seeking act or a cowardly thing. People think that they can and need to ‘just stop’ but that’s not how it works. It’s an addiction just like alcoholism or a drug addiction. They can’t ‘just stop’ because they feel like they deserve it or they need to do it. Someone trying to get better may relapse and they may have with-drawls.
One of the biggest misconceptions about self-harm is that people do it for attention. This one always confuses me because, why would someone try so hard to hide something from everyone if they’re doing it all for attention? Self-harm is something that someone does because they either, want to feel something or they feel that they deserve the pain. A lot of people who do this feel alone, unwanted, invisible, uncared for or that they do not deserve to be alive.
There are different types of self-harm. They include; burning, cutting, anorexia, bulimia and bruising (where one bruises themselves in various ways). Bullying is one of the main reasons people turn to such things. Bullies convince them that they are unworthy of life or they do not matter. A lot of times when someone turns to self-harm because of bullying, they become suicidal. Not all people who self-harm are suicidal but some are or can become suicidal. Bullying leads to this.
Bullying leads to people feeling these ways and feeling that they need to do these things because of some reason or another. Bullying needs to end. It has such a domino effect. But think about the positive domino effect. If bullying ends, self-harm percentages go down and that’s less people who feel so awfully in the world and more people who love life and want to live it. That’s more people who get to experience all of the amazing things life has to offer instead of just the bad. It’s more children and grandchildren and new relationships.
To anyone who is dealing with any of this, you aren’t alone in the world. You are not worthless or uncared for. You are beautiful and you mean something to someone, whether you know it right now or not. People love you. Stay strong.
“You’re beautiful. You’re worth more than harming yourself.” –Demi Lovato
Madison McDermott is a 13 year old actress, living her dream in Los Angeles, CA. A naturally creative type, she also loves writing, drawing, and has an innate love of music. She is an 8thgrader at California Pacific Charter Schools, a virtual school that allows her flexibility for her busy schedule. In her free time, she is also a volunteer for the LA based organization, Beyond Bullies (www.beyondbullies.org). Madison is extremely passionate about the anti-bullying movement and is using her creativity to bring attention to bullying as well as helping those who are being bullied.
A Better Me Day By Day 
Another great post, Madison! I love reading your writing – you express yourself so beautifully and you deal with sensitive subjects with such kindness. Thank you for doing this important work.
For those who self harm – please know that you are enough just as you are. You are precious and loved.