1. Sign our petition calling on Cochrane to withdraw their review of Exercise Therapy for CFS here.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Guest, the 'News in Brief' for the week beginning 18th March 2024 is here.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Welcome! To read the Core Purpose and Values of our forum, click here.
    Dismiss Notice

The Atlantic: "The Internet Has a Cancer-Faking Problem"

Discussion in 'Other health news and research' started by Esther12, May 7, 2019.

Tags:
  1. Esther12

    Esther12 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    4,393
    Excerpt:

    https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/05/faking-cancer-online/588334/

    I thought that this article was a bit interesting in relation to some of the controversies around ME/CFS.

    eg an indication someone somewhere has been faking/exaggerating CFS symptoms can be presented as challenging the legitimacy of other patients' symptoms in a way that it obviously wouldn't be re cancer.

    Also, while I think that it's a bit pointless trying to engage critically with other peoples' internet anecdotes, and can often be counter-productive, it does seem unfair to present any patient scepticism about someone who is trying to make money from LP and claiming that it led to them recovering as abusive opposition to psychological treatments.

    My general instinct is to not trust anything I read unless I can verify it with a range of independent sources.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2019
  2. Peter Trewhitt

    Peter Trewhitt Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    3,633
    Is it worrying, that after incredulity that anyone would want to fake ill health, my first thought was 'Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the time and the energy to be able to fabricate an illness'?
     
  3. ProudActivist

    ProudActivist Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    198
    Location:
    North-East England
    Well yes, but they can’t literally be “well” to do so!
     
    andypants and Little Bluestem like this.
  4. Peter Trewhitt

    Peter Trewhitt Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    3,633
    I suppose it depends whether they have a mental health issue, though I remain sceptical that such as Munchausens exists, or if they are rather playing silly games on line where they are just 'sick' in a general sense.
     
  5. ProudActivist

    ProudActivist Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    198
    Location:
    North-East England
    I agree. I have known a couple of people over the years in our community who have at times falsely claimed to have ME. They have obviously had some mental health issues. One of them had been given a provisional cfs diagnosis at one point and had latched into it despite it being clear that it was inappropriate and that there was a lot of other things going on that could account for some physical symptoms. She was incredibly energetic. I don’t think it needs to be as extreme as Munchausens, people can be a bit deluded and needy.
     
  6. Mithriel

    Mithriel Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,815
    Though there are people out there who enjoy becoming another person, like acting or writing a novel. Some will enjoy getting attention and caring while others will feel a sense of power of the ones they are fooling.

    Manipulators are common in real life so they must really enjoy the anonymity of internet groups.

    When I had a bit more energy I was a member of an art forum and I enjoyed being a "well" person.
     
  7. Barry

    Barry Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    8,385
    As they say up North "there's nowt so queer as folk". There will always be some.
     
    andypants and Little Bluestem like this.
  8. Little Bluestem

    Little Bluestem Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    1,450
    I wonder if any of them had crowdfunding sites to raise money for 'treatment'? :emoji_money_mouth:
     
    roller*, Mij, andypants and 1 other person like this.
  9. TiredSam

    TiredSam Committee Member

    Messages:
    10,482
    Location:
    Germany
    The article is very dodgy on the number of people doing this, but I suppose it's going to become a thing we all have to talk about. I think ME groups are pretty safe from this (I suspect) very rare behaviour ...

    I can't imagine any self-respecting illness faker hanging around the ME community for long once they find out what sickness-role benefits are available to us - they'll work out that they'll do far better faking cancer, or any other illness really. I suppose we might get the occasional MMBI (Masochistic Munchausen By Internet) faker. There's probably an article/paper about that in somebody's pipeline somewhere.
     
  10. Mithriel

    Mithriel Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,815
    I had a bad experience on another ME forum. We had someone who rejoined under a pseudonym and kept asking questions, demanding to know why he shouldn't have psychological treatments and criticising researchers on our side. Like others I assumed he was newly diagnosed and used precious energy to help him. When he was outed he said it was all just a joke.
     
  11. Little Bluestem

    Little Bluestem Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    1,450
    Somehow, I suspect that you just made up MMBI. :rofl:
     
    TiredSam likes this.
  12. sea

    sea Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    476
    Location:
    NSW, Australia
    There was a case in my local area where a cancer faker had garnered much support from the whole town. Fundraising events and donations had amounted to over $150 000. People were devastated and justifiably angry at being conned.
     
  13. James Morris-Lent

    James Morris-Lent Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    903
    Location:
    United States
    It would be a bit like a thief breaking into a prison.
     
  14. rvallee

    rvallee Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    12,292
    Location:
    Canada
    Then staying there willfully despite daily mild torture.
     
    Little Bluestem and andypants like this.

Share This Page