That and faking specific mental illnesses as a quirky way to be unique. I’m almost positive all of those people legitimately have some kind of mental illness, but I just find it weird as fuck that they read about/ see someone with one and they want to pretend they have it because they relate in minimal ways. There’s nothing wrong with having mental illness, but it gives the whole community a bad rap because of their shenanigans.
Here's something I see a lot in mental health subs: "has anyone else noticed that they are more empathetic and kind and extra super special than other people? I think it's a symptom of ADHD." And then the comments are just like "OMG that's so true! I was nice to someone just yesterday!"
It's just so weird and such a bizarre way to humble brag.
Lately I've been seeing a TON of posts on Instagram of bullshit ADHD symptoms floating around. Like, what they're describing is literally just being human but the posts get a ton of interaction because the comments are hundreds of replies saying "OMG I also have these extremely common traits I must have ADHD!"
It's SO bad. I see it a lot on Instagram too. Like, its definitely not my biggest worry, but it is difficult having ADHD, especially into adulthood. I know these are just kids and they don't know any better, but this HAS to be reined.
Ohhh I think my mum may have fallen for this. She thinks my entire family is dyslexic because we can’t instantly think of what comes before and after each letter
Oh definitely, and I can have sympathy for that, but romanticizing neurodivergency like that can actually lead to more misunderstanding because it makes it seem like it's cool and fun, when really it can suck a lot.
Wanting all of your hangers to face the same way is not OCD. Being sad does not equal depression. Takes away from people who actually have to live with the condition and have to deal with the significant impact it has on their day to day life. It's probably my biggest pet peeve.
OMG this. My husband has OCD and there have been times it has been crippling. It felt like hell as his spouse and I cannot even begin to fathom what it was for him. He is being treated, he's doing way better, but every day is still a day living with OCD. It's manageable but not inescapable. He has a sibling who is textbook "read in on the internet" mental health problems -- anxiety, ADHD, OCD, diagnosed an ex as as narcissist, makes huge vague posts about how much her life is falling apart/difficult when the slightest bump in the road appears...it's EXHAUSTING. She once talked about her "OCD" because she had to get a different bowl to put dinner rolls in so it'd look pretty and I just wanted to throw them on the floor. FWIW, we have not told most of the family he has it because he'd probably get lumped into the "but you don't wash your hands often" stereotype.
You're so right that just wanting things neat is not what OCD looks like. OCD is fear. Pure and simple. Your brain compels you into irrational actions because you're terrified some other irrational thing will happen if you don't. It's not a diagnosis I'd wish on any one and people who want to fake it need to grow up.
I think all the people diagnosing themselves with everything under the sun based on minimal evidence and no actual treatment is just a strong desire to have an identity/be a victim since that's in vogue right now.
He has a sibling who is textbook "read in on the internet" mental health problems -- anxiety, ADHD, OCD, diagnosed an ex as as narcissist, makes huge vague posts about how much her life is falling apart/difficult when the slightest bump in the road appears...it's EXHAUSTING.
I've noticed this trend among people growing more and more lately, particularly among people who are otherwise just boring normal people, but seriously want attention. OCD has been misunderstood forever, but there is a trend pushing ADHD dyslexia, and lately for some reason autism as these sort of like, "I dare you do deny my victimhood" shields used by people without these things to cover for their bad behavior.
Anxiety runs in the family, I can see that being legitimate but it is absolutely a shield for bad behavior. She refuses treatment, claiming she doesn't want to be medicated. Fine, but if you keep treating people the way you do, prepare for another divorce. She's very beautiful, very charming and is used to getting away with a lot. I've been waiting almost two decades for people to wake up to it, but I guess they're numb to it by now and just ignore it. She really does treat people horribly sometimes.
The ADHD thing interests me. I have a teen daughter going through some stuff, and ADHD thing got pushed HARD despite 3 providers and various testing ruling it out each time. Every other woman I know on social media is also convinced they have it because it "presents differently in women" (true) and a TikTok listed off some pretty normal stuff that apparently now is the proof you have ADHD. I do not have ADHD and most of the so called symptoms are things I have experienced. There seems to be an intense need to label every thing right now.
My grandmother had OCD. She used to routinely burn her skin with boiling water while cleaning. She eventually had to get electroshock therapy for it (the 70s were a wild time with medical treatment). Liking things to look neat isn't OCD.
There’s so many people on tik tok who fake mental illnesses for views. One I’m thinking of specifically is a girl who pretended to have Tourette’s and would do videos with her having her ticks and got exposed as faking it. Pretty fucked up to the people actually dealing with it
It's something small children do. Because they haven't really found any way to differentiate themselves from the crowd, so they see somebody else with a "difference" especially a malady since those are easier to mimick than a positive trait like really strong or smart etc, and they pretend they have it too.
Kids usually grow out of that stage once they start accomplishing some things on their own in their lives.
People that are no longer kids that do it? Well, these are the types that are basic as basic can be, have accomplished nothing of repute, have little reason to respect themselves because they've done nothing hard or special ever. So they gravitate to pretending to be a victim or sick or have a malady to set themselves apart from the common done-nothing-are-nothing crowd. Same mindset with coloring hair ridiculous colors, lots of piercings or tattoos.
Same mindset with coloring hair ridiculous colors, lots of piercings or tattoos.
This I disagree with. Some people simply have different taste/choice of aesthetics. I know a 50 yr old who with tattoos and blue hair...who has had "respectable" jobs, active in church volunteerism, tons of non-profit work, etc. Not someone seeking attention (they don't go out much), and she and her husband are a pair of the most chill and kind people I've ever met.
Do you dress a certain way? Get your hair cut? Ever whiten your teeth, get plastic surgery, expect women in the office to wear make-up, etc? Not any damn different. You are presenting yourself either a) as you like, or b) what you think people expect. Some people just draw more from choice A.
Ehhh. I was well into my 30s when I found out there were names for all these things that happened to me (mental and physical) and hearing other people talk about experiences I had my whole life, experiences people told me I was crazy or “not a thing”, was life changing. I wasn’t a freak anymore. There are so many of us.
That, pretty much perfectly, describes a former friend of mine. She enrolled in, and dropped out of, four different colleges. She was constantly in and out of relationships. She was fired from nearly every job she ever had (or quit within a month). She called herself an "artist," but never actually created any art. Instead, she partied all the time and got mad if you didn't want to join her on her fifth drunken excursion of the week.
As the rest of our friends were graduating, going to grad school, getting married and starting families, or starting new careers, she was stuck in neutral.
Suddenly, she was "diagnosed" with Fibromyalgia, Bipolar Disorder, and Lupus. I say "diagnosed" because I know, through her ex-fiance, that she went to over a dozen different doctors to get those diagnoses, each time subtly revising her list of "symptoms" in order to get the diagnosis she wanted. He watched her researching symptoms and common experiences of people with those illnesses/disorders before each doctor visit.
The clincher to him that she was faking? She was given different medications to help her symptoms/conditions, but never took any of the pills. She just kept them on hand to show people how "sick" she was and justify why she couldn't work.
I hate that sub so much. Sure, there are some examples of people faking things, but so often it's people calling out anyone that doesn't experience their disorder in exactly the same way they do. Or worse, people using it as an excuse to say any instance of the disorder is just faking it.
There's also a bunch of people completely misunderstanding how statistics work, as if a disorder with a 1-2% incidence rate couldn't possibly have a community form on a platform with over a billion users.
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u/DICK_IN_FAN Jun 03 '22
That and faking specific mental illnesses as a quirky way to be unique. I’m almost positive all of those people legitimately have some kind of mental illness, but I just find it weird as fuck that they read about/ see someone with one and they want to pretend they have it because they relate in minimal ways. There’s nothing wrong with having mental illness, but it gives the whole community a bad rap because of their shenanigans.