It is I! Tyler-Symone

8-Year-Old Yemeni Child Dies At Hands Of 40-Year-Old Husband On Wedding Night

An eight year-old child bride died in Yemen on her wedding night after suffering internal injuries due to sexual trauma. Human rights organizations are calling for the arrest of her husband, who was five times her age.

“According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls will become child brides. Furthermore, of the 140 million girls who will marry before the age of 18, 50 million will be under the age of 15.”

In February 2009, a law was created in Yemen that set the minimum age for marriage at 17. Unfortunately, it was repealed after more conservative lawmakers called it un-Islamic.

You mean well, I’m sure. You solved your own depression by going for a walk. Your trauma did not result in PTSD. You want others to be a lucky as you were, but we aren’t all that lucky. When you say that everyone should just deal with their mental health disorders the way you have, you ignore the complexity and variety of mental health disorders. You buy into the stigma and make it harder for those already struggling to find the help they need.

When you post a meme telling them their medication ‘is shit’ you’re telling them that their disorder is their own fault. When you tell them to just get some fresh air, that laughter is the best medicine, that they should just exercise more, you disregard the fact that they can’t. Their mind creates monsters that their medication tames. They cannot always go out without them.

When you mock their triggers, you’re telling them that their PTSD isn’t real and that the paralyzing terror they feel makes them less than you. Is their heart not racing? Is their vision not going black? Are their ears not ringing? Are they not hyperventilating?

When you silence me after I tell your words are hurtful, that dismissing the tools I employ to manage my mental health is ableist, you’re telling me that you can’t be trusted. You’re telling me that even though I spent late nights on the phone talking you out of suicide, you would never do the same for me. You’re telling me that I was right not to show you just how bad it is for me. You’re telling me I was right to keep you at arms length because you think less of me for having a disorder and less still for employing all the tools at my disposal to manage it.

You mean well, I’m sure, but intention often has nothing to do with impact, and your impact is dangerous.

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If you read this and feel defensive, consider reading through some of the following links before responding.

Scholarly article on the impact of stigma on mental health: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/EVENTS/ethics/Corrigan_Stigma_WP_2002.pdf

A response to the referenced meme: https://themighty.com/2016/05/response-to-this-is-an-antidepressant-this-is-shit-meme/

What is an emotional trigger and what to do about it: http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/guide-to-triggering/

Khalid Gebara, a Christian from South Lebanon, was victim to a hate crime in Oklahoma. White racist shot him for being Arab.