If you have siblings, there’s a chance you’ve enjoyed pulling a few pranks on them over the years. Squeezing toothpaste in between two Oreo cookies, tying clear string across their doorway to trip them, bake them cupcakes that have salt instead of sugar, or hiding an alarm clock in their room that will start beeping at random times. When playing a trick on a loved one, it’s important that you prioritize choosing something harmless that might annoy them for a few minutes, but won’t permanently damage your relationship.
Unfortunately for one teenager, however, her sister had no concept of what was appropriate and decided to create a “test” that resulted in actual trauma. Below, you’ll find a story that was shared on the “Am I the [Jerk]?” subreddit earlier this week detailing how one sister went way too far trying to get her sibling’s attention, as well as some of the responses from concerned readers.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article featuring toxic family members that needed to be cut off, check out this story next!
After her sister cruelly faked her own death, this teenager reached out online to get some perspective on the situation
Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Charlotte May (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Stock_Health_1033
The girl later responded to a few readers and provided more background information
Losing a family member is one of the most painful things any of us can experience. Most people dread the day where they receive a phone call that will change the rest of their life, so we can usually agree that joking about death is crossing a line. Regardless of the drama or conflicts that your family is currently dealing with, a fake tragedy is never something we expect to have to navigate. That’s why this 17-year-old girl on Reddit had no idea how to react to the fictionalized death of her sister. The death of a loved one is extremely traumatic, and although this “test” only lasted about 7 hours, the effects of it will linger for much, much longer.
When it comes to how our bodies respond to traumatic events, like the death of a sibling, we can’t suddenly turn those emotions off. And while this woman is actually alive and well (physically well anyway), the fear and anxiety that lived in her sister’s body for at least 7 hours while she thought she had died was incredibly real. It doesn’t matter that her sister was alive, what matters is that, in her body’s reality, she was dead. Manipulative pranks like this can be a form of psychological and emotional abuse, according to Stephanie A. Sarkis PhD.
“Pranks can trigger past trauma, cause hypervigilance, or an erosion of trust in a relationship. They can also humiliate,” Dr. Sarkis writes for Psychology Today. “Pranks can be how a person attempts to gain control over their partner, family members, or friends. Pranks can invoke fear and give the perpetrator a feeling of power over others. If you are constantly feeling off-kilter, or walking on eggshells (hypervigilance) due to a prank, consider that these pranks are a form of abusive behavior. If a behavior upsets you, it’s a valid feeling.”
In fact, pulling a traumatic trick on someone could even lead to a lawsuit, according to Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP. “Some pranks may make the victim feel frightened, threatened, or at risk of bodily injury,” they explain on their site. “The victim could sue for emotional injuries in these circumstances. An example could be if someone prank calls a victim several times every day with joke threats or heavy breathing. If the prank calls caused emotional or mental trauma to the victim, he or she could sue despite having no physical injuries.”
After the sudden loss of a loved one, family members may even develop PTSD. And while this teen did not actually lose her sister, experiencing the stress and rollercoaster of emotions from that night could still be enough to trigger PTSD. She might now be wondering when she will lose a loved one and start to sense danger around every corner. She might develop trust issues after experiencing manipulation like this.
“Experiencing trauma can often shake your assumptions about life, your sense of control, feeling safe and trust in others,” psychologist Abby Stanislaw writes for Allina Health. “Losing those fundamental feelings of safety and trust can lead to anxiety and fear. You may even feel like the world is unsafe and unpredictable or question your faith. The overwhelming stress can lead to long-term psychological trauma, and in more severe cases, post-traumatic stress disorder. Any form of psychological trauma can interfere with your ability to maintain relationships, perform day-to-day activities and enjoy your life.”
There’s no question that this older sister’s “test” was cruel and uncalled for. Many readers have recommended that the younger sister cut off all contact with her sibling and mother, and that might just be the best way to protect herself. We would love to hear your thoughts on this painful situation in the comments, pandas, and then if you’re interested in reading another article about cutting off toxic family members, look no further than right here.
Readers assured the teen that she did nothing wrong and urged her to completely cut off contact with her sister and mother
The post “I Just Had The Worst 7 Hours Of My Life”: Toxic Sister Fakes Her Own Death Just To Get Her Sibling To Talk To Her first appeared on Bored Panda.
from Bored Panda https://ift.tt/j1TawBX
