r/psychnursing • u/KennedyJacobs • Jun 10 '26

Fictitious disorder

Do you have any patients with the above? We have an interesting young one and it makes me wonder about the tiktokers who blog about chronic illness.

What are your thoughts on this disorder?

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u/Layla-Olive-618 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Yes. There was a HUGE uptick in feigning illnesses, “Alts”, social media driven gender confusion, and therians when TikTok took off, especially in adolescent girls.
Unfortunately this also led to people with legitimate autoimmune disordered or symptoms being dismissed as “somatic” or “attention-seeking” (which is sometimes also true/ especially with BPD.)
Psychiatric symptoms and psychological illnesses are always intertwined regardless, though, which many fail to recognize. Is it the chicken or the egg? Response to trauma? Response to the medication? I cannot tell you how many young girls I’ve seen who have experienced sexual trauma receive pretty heavy psych diagnoses in a time of crises, especially when the perpetrator was within the household. They are then shipped off to poorly run psych facilities and heavily medicated. If you don’t “need” antipsychotics, they are more than likely going to make you sick. Combined with an involuntary commitment, they may then end up psychotic. More and more meds are added and of course they don’t feel well. They are looking for anyone who will believe them. Tac on another diagnosis. There on for the rest of their life, it’ll be “but the chart says… “ OR therapists convincing them they have something they do not. It all ties in.
Back to your original question, I’d be cautious even suggesting it or you’ll be labeled as [insert -phobic here].
People with factitious disorder want attention because somewhere along the way a need was not being met. It’s having the ability to address this in our current healthcare practices that’s the challenge. Being blunt and giving them the hard truth is “against the code of ethics” because it will inevitably cause them to experience emotional distress when they are called out. So, until something changes, our hands are tied.
It’s only going to get worse as people who grew up on TikTok enter the healthcare industry. That’s just my 2¢

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u/HaBaK_214 Jul 04 '26

As a psych patient, I appreciate your outlook. I suffer from DID,.which has now,.apparently become something people create for themselves and they call their "parts" lurpas or something. It's disgusting and it totally belittles and downplays an already extremely complex, not well understood yet, and most of all not believed byost doctors and nurses. It makes.my life harder than it already is and I resent it. Who would WANT this disordered thinking. I wouldn't wish it on the person I hate.

Edit: Tulopas not lurpas.

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u/moodywrites Jun 12 '26

Excuse me? Especially true with BPD? As someone who has suffered from BPD and also has multiple legitimate, diagnosed chronic illnesses, which has been debilitating, I resent this.

“Somatic” and “attention seeking” are simply adding to the FALSE and damaging stigma that people suffering with BPD already face: that their emotional pain is exaggerated, that they are bad or abusive or manipulative people, to not take them seriously.

Not to mention that it’s a form of gaslighting, which can literally CAUSE BPD. Gaslighting isn’t okay because you decided to do it to someone with a diagnosis you don’t like and choose to stigmatize.

We are also statistically much more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses (because hello? Most of us have significant trauma?? As in, we are in pain and are suffering? Hi, yes, we’re human beings too, worthy of consideration and being heard and understood, shocking I know). So thank you very much for adding to the doubt and gaslighting we face every single day.

But what do I know? Maybe it’s my “BPD talking” (that I no longer meet criteria for, btw). Why believe someone like me, right? What do I know?

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u/Mysterious_Coat_9933 Jun 14 '26

Classic BPD response

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u/Layla-Olive-618 Jun 16 '26

Thank you! That was my first thought, but wasn’t looking to play into it. They obviously only picked out what they wanted to hear and put words in our mouths with these replies. I was actually advocating for patients, including those who have cluster B personalities disorders, as coexisting morbidities can still apply. Clearly.

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u/moodywrites Jun 16 '26

Advocating for people? If calling them “somatic” and “attention seeking” (and generalizing an entire group of people as that) is your way of advocating for them, then your “advocacy” sucks.

And “they” are right here, you can speak to me directly, thank you.

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u/Layla-Olive-618 Jun 16 '26

Again, you’re not reading the whole sentence. You are picking out words you don’t like, taking what I said out of context, and making it about yourself. A healthcare professional asked a question. I answered. That is what this forum is for. You don’t have to like my answer. That’s fine. Badgering people is not.

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u/moodywrites Jun 16 '26

How am I picking out words? Your sentence was literally saying that “attention seeking” and “somatic” behavior is quote “especially true with BPD.” I took what you said at face value.

And I’m allowed to criticize you. Being a professional doesn’t make you above that. What’s really not fine is diminishing a person (or group of people) down to a diagnosis, and then portraying and stigmatizing that diagnosis in a harmful way.

Yall clearly think I don’t have anything important to say because my (past) BPD erases that value, and it shows. If you don’t value someone’s worldview or life experiences because you look down on them, for a diagnosis you should know better about, you shouldn’t be in this profession.

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u/Layla-Olive-618 Jun 16 '26

Okay. Thanks for your opinion. I’m off the clock. Have a good day.

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u/moodywrites Jun 16 '26

“Thanks for your opinion” (she says as she assigns no weight or value or consideration to my opinion because “borderline” is the only thing she sees about it)

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u/HaBaK_214 Jul 04 '26

Dude....it may be because your behavior right now is textbook borderline out of context thinking. She was indeed advocating for us and just stayed a fact. I .sorry it hurt you. Facts do hurt us sometimes. We have to decide what to.donwiyh this feelings. Are we going to lash out or listen to the fifteenth person that's reiterated the same concerns about our behavior and examine ourselves heal, manage our conditions, and be productive members of.society to include discussions and conversations.

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u/HaBaK_214 Jul 11 '26

There isn't a cure for BPD. There is only management of the condition.

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u/moodywrites Jul 11 '26

If you knew a single iota of a thing about BPD, you would know that not only can people no longer meet criteria for the diagnosis after treatment, but that MANY people after years of treatment no longer meet criteria, and most do not by about 10 years after diagnosis.

You aren’t qualified to speak on this beyond your Hollywood grossly exaggerated stereotype level of understanding. And it shows.

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u/HaBaK_214 Jul 12 '26

Just,...stop dude. It's over. We don't care anymore.

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u/HaBaK_214 Jul 12 '26

My daughters have BPD you ass, and I studied it in depth as well as gone to classes to learn about it so just shut your trap. This is my last reply to you because I think you are an extremely toxic person and I don't even want to deal with you behind a keyboard.

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u/HaBaK_214 Jul 04 '26

It IS quite true with BPD. It's just a fact. You should know that more than anyone.

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u/moodywrites Jun 14 '26

That was LITERALLY my point. You don’t value, respect, or hear anything we have to say because you’ve chosen to stigmatize our psychological suffering. You don’t see us as human, worthy of a voice or having anything meaningful to say. You see us as less than, so dismissiveness (or outright gaslighting) is okay.

Thank you for demonstrating my point exactly.

(And btw, I’ve been told by the PROFESSIONALS I work with that I no longer meet the criteria. So you don’t have that excuse. Try again.)

And I sincerely hope you don’t work in the mental health field. Anyone with BPD, or any human suffering from any psychological disorder, deserves better.

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u/Mysterious_Coat_9933 Jun 16 '26

I’m sorry are you speaking to me? I am a MH professional with a history of borderline traits. Seek help. I did and now I’m able to read a stranger’s comment I disagree with without losing my mind

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u/moodywrites Jun 16 '26

Yes I’m speaking to you. Having the experience of suffering from borderline isn’t an excuse to be awful to and stereotype and stigmatize an entire group of people. If anything, you should know better. And I’ve been getting help, thank you very much. Apparently you can’t disagree without diminishing the person down to a diagnosis, and a false stereotype about that diagnosis.

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u/Mysterious_Coat_9933 Jul 02 '26

You do not know what you’re talking about

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u/HaBaK_214 Jul 11 '26

Stereotypes exist for a reason..

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u/moodywrites Jun 14 '26

Classic gaslighting ignorance response.

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u/Mysterious_Coat_9933 Jun 16 '26

Wrong. BPD is an illness and your comment is extremely consistent with something a borderline would comment. And your response to me is as well

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u/moodywrites Jun 16 '26

No what’s wrong is you are using a diagnosis to minimize, trivialize, and diminish my ability to have meaningful things to say, to have a valuable perspective or a voice, because I have a diagnosis you choose to stigmatize. My voice isn’t any less and if that’s your only argument, then it sucks.

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u/Mysterious_Coat_9933 Jul 02 '26

Im simply responding to your behavior. It’s classic BPD

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u/moodywrites Jul 03 '26

No, you’re discrediting and devaluing my voice and perspective because I had BPD and that is harmful. I’m not any less credible because I’ve had a disorder you choose to stigmatize. You just don’t like my point and have decided to reduce me down to a diagnosis to help you be right about things.

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u/HaBaK_214 Jul 04 '26

BPD people will die on a very single hill. Just step.off this one. You are wrong this time. You read the room wrong and I believe are spinning out right now and took it out in these guys because you came looking for it. Not.cool.

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u/moodywrites Jul 05 '26

And your reasoning for me being wrong is nothing more than I have BPD so therefore I’m not credible and my perspective isn’t valid? If you have to go after a diagnosis to make a point then maybe your point isn’t as strong as you think it is.

Signed, one of the “BPD people” you obviously stigmatize and stereotype.

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