People who do things for attention SUCK!

[EllieZero]

People who fake depression suck. People who fake SI suck. People who fake eating disorders suck.

It's people who do this that make the rest of us with real problems look stupid.

[LunaRufina]

Preaching to the choir.

[bpladybug]

Maybe I am naive, but WHY would anyone fake depression? That seems rather.....er...crazy.

[tryp]

Frankly, I think that anyone who feels the need to "fake" a mental illness...probably actually has one.

Also, how can you even tell that someone is "faking" their illness. We have so many members here who have been accused of faking at one time or another. I myself have been accused of it when I was emphatically not faking it.

My general viewpoint is to believe people when they say they're struggling.

[hallowedink]

I was accused of faking everything - my insomnia, my depression, heck, even my migraines - for many, many years. I think that lots of people are unfairly accused of faking MI. Also, why would anyone want to fake depression? It's such a terrible thing to go through!

[The Emperor]

How do you fake SI?

[Becks]

When I was a kid I started hearing voices and seeing things that weren't there. I told my Mom about it, first she said I was making it up, later in life she told me I was crazy. As a result, I have a really hard time talking about the things that go on inside my head.

I'm with everyone else. Why anyone would fake an MI is beyond me.

[lysergia]

having been invalidated myself, i know it sucks so hard when people don't believe you.

however, i have met people who feign mental illness to avoid responsibility. if i don't actively ignore these people, i may be tempted to put shrooms in their spaghetti. then they'd have a small, tiny clue about what it's like to have your mood and perception be completely beyond your control.

[Cattitude]

In my experience, people who fake or embellish physical or mental illness are one or more of the following:

- Narcissistic

- Manipulative

- Insensitive

- Passive-aggressive

- ASPD

- My mother

My mother had asthma. It would suddenly become "life-threatening" whenever she wanted someone else to do some chore that she didn't like doing (among other things). For example, if she wanted someone to cut the grass, she'd make a great show of clutching her chest and wheezing while laboriously pulling the mower out of the shed. Then she'd pull it to the lawn and continue to stagger around wheezing and clutching her chest until my dad bellowed at one of us kids "Get yer arse out there and cut the bloody grass!! Look, there's yer mother out there trying to do it by herself!" Once one of us had started cutting the grass, the "asthma attack" would magically disappear!

[enlightened_plutonian]

I'm another who thinks why on earth would someone want to fake a mental illness?? They would probably have their own problems if that is how they behave.

Plus I am yet another who was accused of making up my symptoms. I am currently trying to deal with the anger I feel as a result in therapy, but it is difficult. For me the accusations resulted in me not getting the treatment I so badly needed, so that is another reason why I feel so angry.

[DamselODistress]

I've come across evidence of this, and it makes me want to vomit. My second inpatient stay, the nurse rolled her eyes and said, "ANOTHER bipolar?" When I asked, she explained how being bipolar has become the new 'thing.' I actually posted a blog just last night about how disgusted and, frankly, insulted I am. It feels like they're belittling a very real problem just because it's trendy.

I'll tell you what, though.. If they want bipolar disorder that badly, they can take mine.

[hallowedink]

I've had two doctors, and a nurse in A&E accuse me of faking it. I'm with Damsel. If they want MI so badly, they can have mine.

[EllieZero]

I've been told that I'm faking mental illness as well. However, the particular person that irritated me to the point of posting this, has no mental illness. Claiming to have MI does not make you cool. Some people don't understand that. I'm sorry if this post upset anyone.

[Voyager.01]

Why would anyone want to fake the sadness, lonliness, the burden one carries and the blame and shame? These are just a few of the feelings I'm having right now that I am not dealing with. I would wish this upon noone. Why accept it as a reality if you don't have to?

[crtclms]

I am still wondering how you can fake SI, could you please explain? I could see maybe how one could fake an eating disorder. but I've never had one, so I am not trying to insult anyone if you can't. But how do you know if someone is faking depression?

[lysergia]

as insane (ha) as it seems, i have a friend who yells "depression" every time she's asked to do something unappealing. i also have one who yells "social anxiety" every time she says something that isn't well received. i've known both these ladies for long enough to know that the only time you ever hear about their "limitations" is when they're defending doing/saying something that hurts or irritates others. (these two have known each other forever, and it's funny they won't use this argument on one another heh).

i have not seen one depression or social anxiety symptom in either of them that lasts longer than the trouble they're in. they're armed with information from the internet, and know exactly what to say to most people who don't know anything about MI - it works for them. i listen and know better. they don't call me for support, EVER, though they know i'm intimately aware of the pitfalls of both severe depression and severe anxiety. if they call me, they get the same advice i'd give anyone here, which means they'd have to take responsibility for getting treatment rather than holding on to an excuse. so they don't call me anymore with this stuff. if their "issues" (hah) have gotten them into trouble with someone, again, they'll call someone who believes nothing can be their fault because they're "sick" and can't help but be assholes to someone at least once a week.

i can't help but hold the belief that if they are indeed suffering, they would at least try once to get help. they both claim that weed is better than evil medication. they're both smart enough to know better. it's just a great excuse to call pot their "medicine" (and they let their kids believe that, too, sigh).

it's so hard to explain the obvious kind of misleading they use... if you could just study their lives for one month, you'd be throwing eggs at their windows for daring to make the rest of us look bad. we have friends in common who have a really hard time believing that *i* have a mental illness or five because i don't act like they do - they think that's what MI looks like because of them.

anyway rant over. i'm annoyed in general this morning.

[Guest]

I have a friend with behavioural problems who acts like as ass then blames his behavioural problems, even when he knows full well in advance that his outbursts won't be well received, he still acts shocked when he causes offence. He is able to assess before he opens his mouth what the damage will be because I've seen him do it, but if he is with people he can get away with it with, he will go ahead and be an ass anyway. He grew up in care, so his excuse is that none of us grew up in care, we don't know what it's like so we can't criticize him.

I have a lot of MI friends and I try to cut them some slack, my OCD friend will never be on time to meet me because he is flicking light switches and my friend with social anxiety will never challenge herself beyond her comfort zone and that is just how they are, frustrating as it is.

[Indigo 'n dye]

However, the particular person that irritated me to the point of posting this, has no mental illness.

And you know this how?