Ladies, in what ways has disbelief changed your life?

Well... I'm part Native American and I sadly grew up knowing a few kids who were in similar situations to you- it's horrific how many Native women and children are basically trafficked to pay debts or turn a dime, especially in poor areas.
My mom's brothers were raped when they were 11 and 13 and the cops didn't believe them. My dad's sister was pimped out by a boyfriend a few times before my grandma caught on and convinced her to press charges (which the police were reluctant to believe at first).
My mom's goddaughter's half-brother was given pot brownies and other edibles from a very young age because his parents thought it was funny to see their toddler/child super stoned. They also got him drunk at a young age. Obviously this isn't something that I ever told people, but I knew what was going on at his home to make him act out (he and I were in the same class in school).

Stuff like this has made me very sympathetic to people who have stories that may be hard to believe for the average person. I've only encountered one person ever who was a pathological liar and lied about this sort of thing. But most people that have come to me with stories like that? I have no reason not to believe them, because I've seen other people completely destroyed by the absolute evil that humanity can offer up.

On a personal level, no one ever believes that I have bipolar disorder. I've tried to kill myself twice while manic and I've had people think I was lying about that because I didn't have any physical marks from it (I attempted to OD both times, on different meds). Also, I have had people not believe that I've been raped. Seriously, as fucking sad and pathetic and horrific as it is, if a Native American woman says she's been raped, there's a damn fucking good chance that it's true. We're assaulted- domestically and sexually- at rates much higher than white women.

/r/AskWomen Thread