Friend Is 'Faking Autism'

What should you do when a friend or loved one is faking MULTIPLE disorders? Shall we try prove them wrong, ignore them or refer them to a psychologist?
PLEASE follow the original creator and like their video... A LOT of hard work and time goes into these creators producing content, and honestly they deserve much much much more love than my reaction! -
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[@user-fr2tg7pz8r]

This may sound harsh, but I think the best advice for someone who thinks a friend is faking their disorder is to mind your own business, as you almost certainly don't know enough to make that determination.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Yes, in general there's been far too much concern over people potentially faking it. The result is that rather than substantively addressing the epidemic of misdiagnoses, we got a DSM 5 that made the criteria more restrictive and resorted to grandfathering people that had been diagnosed in order to try to side step the issue of people being kicked off the spectrum. People who are legitimately faking will be found out eventually, the more common issue is people thinking that it's autism when it's something else that could be treated or supported. And it's not like medical professionals have a particularly good track record of correct diagnosis of mental health conditions and the like.

[@PossumMedic]

👍‍ sounds perfect to me!

[@pinetreegreen3330]

Yeah 100%

[@user-fr2tg7pz8r]

Destigmatizing a disorder is not the same as romanticizing it.

[@neuroticnation144]

You can’t diagnose a “faker” anymore than you can diagnose autism, that is, without a license.

[@jadynfey7743]

Even the people with a license can misdiagnose, statistically moreso actually. There's no proven way to diagnose a fake ever really haha

[@Sdir]

Gold words /sincere

[@rita.amstlv]

I have never met a person who fakes a mental disorder. But I meet often people who try to downsize their disorder.

[@FunnyPitbull-ks9su]

I don't necessarily agree with that though. I've met someone who faked autism. We were all so excited because a lot of my family has autism so it made sense to us that so did she. Due to our excitement and constantly asking when she's getting it officially diagnosed she went to the psychiatrist and they assessed her and were like no you don't have autism I understand your family does and it's genetic and makes sense but you don't have it 🤷 and the whole family were asking her like wtf? She wanted to fit in with us.... I understand why but she faked stimming and sensory issues for months and the psychiatrist was like nope You're definitely normal...

[@MakiPcr]

@@FunnyPitbull-ks9su I have little confidence in professional diagnosis due to my own personal experience and the well documented record of mental health professionals misdiagnosing autism, specially in women, so are you sure she wasn't misdiagnosed? (note, she was NOT faking it because she sought an assessment, at most she was wrong about whatever condition she actually has)

[@FunnyPitbull-ks9su]

@@MakiPcr Yh she was definitely faking autism, she did have BPD and OCD though and she did get that diagnosed but she also admitted that a lot of her stims were just things she was copying off myself and others and she was copying our reactions to sensory issues too. I understand misdiagnosing is definitely a thing but she also admitted to faking autism but naturally being a researcher and having a deep special interest in psychology I went back through every little thing I possibly could of her life to figure out when the autism traits started and her bpd/OCD. I learnt she definitely had OCD atleast 2 years before she decided to fake autism but wasn't diagnosed till after all this

[@MakiPcr]

@@FunnyPitbull-ks9su did she said she was *deliberante* coping autistic traits for attention or was that something she just did, because since she actually has mental conditions it sounds like she was just wrong. I've heard some people with BPD copy others around them that and that's a symptom not "faking it"

[@danika9411]

I did meet people like this. My narcissistic foster mother faked being sick for attention. She pretended she has trouble walking and limbed and need someone to help her.... She could walk just fine. She also pretended that I had sicknesses I never had and was never diagnosed with. People who have munchhausen syndrome or a cluster b personality disorder might sometimes do that to get their emotional needs met. They learned as children if they are sick, they get the attention they needed and it fills their emptiness. Some continue to do this into adulthood.

[@Nutcrackeregg]

people should leave others alone, they are not doctors they cannot make assumptions and they should mind their own business

[@higherground337]

This person as you said was very moderate, but I find the obsession some adult content creators have over young people "faking" disorders weird and creepy. Like, who really gives a crap if kids struggling with their mental health, loneliness or whatever, try to figure themselves out on social media? There's no rule out there that kids are never allowed to be wrong or misinformed about mental health topics, and the obsession with this phenomenon of "faking," I think, makes the issue appear more common than it actually is. Be the adult in the room and educate and be kind rather than whine and obsess over "kids these days." There probably are some genuine fakers out there, but when we accuse lots of people of faking a disorder, we risk invalidating people who actually have that disorder. Which is so much more harmful than giving a little bit of attention to a faker.

[@IdeaGrazer]

She talks about people not "faking" hoarding" disorder but perhaps she is not aware how it is completely ok for mainstream society to dehumanize a "hoarder". Media, Public Services and almost everyone else will treat those people as criminals and or not human. It is ok to freely laugh at people. "Hoarders" are absolutely not considered human. Notice how it is ok to use such a demeaning term. I am going to say from experience that it can be as bad as being called "obese". So perhaps you hear more people talking about other things it is because they have become less stigmatized in recent years. Frankly, I hear a lot of contempt in this lady's tone and less empathy.

[@kg6801]

As someone with hoarding disorder, I agree.

[@markussmith5818]

Idk sometimes I have days where I feel better but other days I I can't even talk. I'm pretty sure I'm not faking it.

[@Infinitesimal-ho7it]

If people treat me like I'm weird or less than or talk over the top of me when I'm talking, that's not me having a particularly autistic day. That's them treating me like shit for no good reason. When it keeps happening over years and years, and they will say "Oh, I didn't realize it made you feel disrespected," when I finally call it out or start talking over the top of them, that's me fending for myself against someone's being fake and calling it social norms.

[@KoharuMacchiato]

If people want attention, there are a billion other things they can do to get it. Faking a mental disorder is not a common one AT ALL. This whole "i think you're faking" comes from judgmental people who are further perpetuating the stigma! Like if someone says they have a disorder, believe them! It's not that hard and so what if they want attention? like does that affect you at all? No.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I agree, I'd like to see some evidence that faking these disorders is at all common. I don't doubt that it happens, but there are much easier conditions to fake if that's you're thing. Faking ND is kind of a weird one to fake.

[@MakiPcr]

When you listen to these people they only describe stereotypes and very often will list things that actually are part of the disorder as "signs" that you're faking it

[@chuzzbot]

When I grew up the suggestion of autism was something to be avoided, any diagnoses would impose massive restrictions on your life including emigration and work. I have relatives from the past who simply disappeared into institutions. That is why symptoms were squashed buried denied and hushed up. As a result you have boomers GenX and some millennials walking around, completely unaware of why they are suffering so badly from their conditions and unaware of their own masking. This woman should stop listen and learn. KZbinrs have been invaluable for sufferers who can find information delivered by autistic people, who present not as caricatures but as relatable people who can explain best what's up.

[@misspat7555]

I think it’s better for people to feel safe talking about their personal experiences, perhaps encountering others with similar experiences who can encourage them and point them towards helps, than for people to be shamed into silence if they aren’t “really” (diagnosis here); who determines who gets to share their personal experiences, then? 🤨

[@leilap2495]

How does she know that someone is faking it? What gives her the authority to be the ultimate judge, from afar? I would say that it could be that confusion between different disorders could simply be a manifestation of the individual’s self discovery. Another possibility is that people that come up with a lot of different ideas may be ADHD like me. I remember my roommate in college complaining about having too many ideas/plans. Looking back, I realize it was my neurodivergence that was so foreign to her, but at the time I felt bad about it because it bothered her and I didn’t know why I was the way I was. I say that we should let people figure things out in their own time without negative judgment.

[@AndysAutismLifeStory]

As a kid I had a tick of a sexual jesture that I cant help. I have tourettes too. I got picked on for it. I got mistreet in the autism classes for rock and spin and arm flap. Just like body odor and diapers. Then I didn't want to go to school because I was not understood. I didn't understand. I didn't like the behavior issues I had. My communication issues didn't say that. My parents said I was defiant. My dad stop the plan my day so I can do chores and know what to do. He shop the step by step instructions so I can help clean and hygiene. Then gets mad at me for not cleaning but I need help. When he helped me it makes me happy to help him. I love routine and structure and helping people. I have multiple developmental disabilities. Autism ADHD Tourettes Expressive and receptive language Auditory Processing disability Mild intellectual disability Visual processing A child diagnosis of developmental coordination These causes me anxiety and emotional issues It is so hard to understand social cues. Then processing it and intirpeting it. Plan and organize my responses in real time. This frustrated me and cause me so much anxiety. I don't know what to talk about and I am restricted to autism and weather and tornadoes. The thing I is it's over and over again. Why. Autism is a prison in society. I am stuck in my brain and thought. I see and hear people. I need people to come to me first. I just want to make friends. I just don't know how. It isolation me.

[@AndysAutismLifeStory]

I hear my family accused my brother Mike of sexual abuse because I never could potty train and my delays and communication issues because my grandma a nurse accused my mom who is a nurse of being a lazy mom. My younger brother had delay and late potty training. I did not talk to age 5. They blame my Old brother who has a different mom for sexual abuse that I repeat the things my family said. I didn't understand it. When I did start to understand it I said it did not happen. They say I was crazy and detached. I went alone with it then. As adult I have more language and I remember details of my early childhood and I know I was not neglect or abused. My dad still uses it to go after my brother because he won't do what dad wants and visit because the entire family walk away from the family. Why.

[@misspat7555]

I can tell you that neither my late husband nor I were aware of being autistic when we planned to have and then had our daughter, but we both knew we “had problems”, and talked at least a few times about how we would love our child no matter what and get her any help she needed. I say this as a contrast to people who make a baby saying things like, “We won’t mess up like our parents did, so our kid will have no problems!”, not wanting to acknowledge or realize that, while massive trauma does no one any favors, a lot of “problems” kids have are genetic, and if you have them, your kid likely will, too. I guess it makes parents feel guilty for having kids; I do sometimes, especially since both my kids have ended up suffering a fair amount as kids. Some people just aren’t up to feeling vaguely guilty for life for reproducing like life forms tend to do, I guess. 🫤

[@pinetreegreen3330]

YAY OTHER PEOPLE ARE CALLING MISHEAL OUT FINNALLLY

[@LocktOn]

Just another way to invalidate the experience of others. People who want attention will use anything and anyone to get their fix. Why discriminate against people who claim to experience neurodivergence and invalidate / deny understanding them because of a low percentage of bad actors who will just move on due to boredom? One could argue the person posting the video about 'faking autism for attention' is creating said content for attention themselves. I think content like this spreads and strengthens negative biases towards neurodivergent people and encourages / allows the justification of passing judgement by those who consume it.

[@heatherwilliams3748]

I'm not proficient in recognizing when someone is faking a disorder and especially when it's just someone in the comments section. Maybe it's naivety but I just take people at their word because you just can't know with everyone; you never know what another person has going on internally, you don't know what they're mental/emotional state is at the end of the day.

[@gigahorse1475]

Nobody can tell if someone is faking based on comments! Not even a doctor!

[@PossumMedic]

these clowns can't tell either they are just hateful people

[@heatherwilliams3748]

@@gigahorse1475 Absolutely! And yet, I see people in the comments accusing others of faking various things, it's laughable.

[@caseyj1144]

Same- how exhausting to try and figure out who’s lying all the time and what a strange thing to care about even if someone is lying. Offering support or walking away are always options.

[@Sdir]

this!!!

[@RosettaAllen]

Speaking as someone who has been blackballed, shut down, banned, and more for tics and things I blurted out, struggled for years and years and still got harassed and slandered as a "fake tourettes" Even though I never said I had tourettes till I finally got officially diagnosed. Tics can be so many things, and yeah the tics are that extreme, and are actually extremely hard to fake.

[@PossumMedic]

These people are so wacky and self-entitled! 😡 Thanks for the coverage as always! New tattoo?

[@Matty272]

You mentioned Game of Thrones as I was washing my Game of Thrones coffee mug. 😮

[@autumnpendergast9151]

The level of gaslighting! Maybe she has NPD. Elitism comes in all forms.

[@pinetreegreen3330]

Lol im genarally against dx strangers but the irony of dxing a fake disorder cringe nut with a disorder is funny

[@CheezInspector]

It may be helpful to consider if a person seems to exaggerate or lie about things outside of a possible ASD diagnosis.

[@Catlily5]

I know a guy who was diagnosed with autism and he lied nonstop.

[@CheezInspector]

@@Catlily5 Good point. Both can exist at once. Still, compulsive lying is grounds to question all that person's claims, including if that "autistic" guy actually has the autism diagnosis.

[@Catlily5]

@@CheezInspector He had a diagnosis. I know his parents. And his wife. His parents seemed decent. I believe them.

[@CheezInspector]

@@Catlily5 Right. I still advise applying healthy doses of skepticism w most or all claims set forth by those who compulsively lie.

[@InfluentShadow]

I'd like to point out that the road to diagnosis (professional or otherwise) is rarely straight. Especially for people with lower support needs. And that, for many of us who slipped past the radar into adulthood, our journey to a professional diagnosis starts with self-diagnosis. Edit to add: I'd also like to point out that people calling out others for faking disorders can be damaging for those of us who are still researching and trying to find answers. I know it caused a lot of inner turmoil for me about whether or not I was just faking everything and misremembering my childhood. At least until my father was going through some old boxes and found some of my old school notebooks with notes from the teacher that really cemented that I was not, in fact, making it all up in my head.

[@schwingle17]

You were right about « modicum » ✌️

[@pinetreegreen3330]

I have big beef with creators who do the whole they r fakeing thing bc they do the thing of like ppl will take dosabled ppl less seriously bc of ppl fakeing but then thoes same ppl acuse every disabled person they come across as fakeing

[@JadeAislin]

I've seen videos of the turrettes girl before. They were videos by people with turrets. And they all analyzed and explained why the turretes girl. was faking.

[@markussmith5818]

Well I don't want to delegitimize self diagnoses but there is a chance that some are faking it for profit in my opinion.

[@thenobin]

That is true, but it's not really worth trying to scrutinize and investigate other people's private lives to find out. It becomes akin to people obsessing over trying to track down the minuscule amount of people who abuse welfare systems. They put more resources into tracking the "bad" people rather than supporting people who need help.

[@Catlily5]

​@@thenobinGood point!

[@danika9411]

​@@thenobin Not tracking someone down, but it's good to know this exists. I grew up with a foster parent with munchhausen and munchhausen by proxy and she faked being sick and she also faked me bring sick with illnesses none of us had. It was all for attention. I went back into a childrenshome. Better for my sanity ✌️ This does exist sadly.

[@EstellaLynn]

Hi Thomas hope youve been well ❤ Are you watching House of the Dragon as well? Im obsessed!

[@Zebo262]

I think it would have been much better content for this person to have been more honest about their knowledge on the conditions/ disorders etc. And for them to have acknowledged that they could be missing information on them. I think it would have been more positive if they had not spoken with an air of absolutes about the conditions/ disorders they are discussing. They could have even interacted with their audience to request if their understanding is correct, or been looking to evolve their understanding. Please help me help my friend, by helping me to better understand what they are going through. DID is something I am still learning about through other people's experiences, but I feel like a lot of the reasons discussed, as positive signs of "faking", are things that (from what I understand so far) can occur for different systems. And a lot of DID content creators are amazing at sharing why and how those things can happen for them, if some of those things do happen for them. I think what has gone unacknowledged here, is that the examples/people this person is discussing, will be likely to be at different stages of learning and understanding themselves, their conditions, their experiences and their support needs. A newly diagnosed person, may look drastically different from someone who has been diagnosed for a long time. Despite sharing the same condition/ disorder. And all the other important reasons why the same condition/ disorder looks so different from person to person. And why wouldn't the same condition look different for each person, because every human is different. We don't even all react to the same medication the same way. The same goes for all the other conditions/ disorders mentioned here. I feel like what this person is really sharing, without being able to see, is that their knowledge on the content still needs development. They are at a different level of understanding, maybe this is part of that journey and their understanding improving??? Maybe it's the turning point for their understanding changing for the better? I am learning a lot about ASD and ADHD at the moment from many different sources, I'm new, I still make mistakes and I probably still have a lot more to learn. I'm also learning about other connecting comorbidities such as ME/CFS, hypermobility, dyscalculia, dyslexia, dyspraxia, EDS, etc. Definitions, understanding, research, facilities, services, supports etc for every condition/ disorder are constantly evolving and being added to, and as a goal hopefully improved for the better. That also means that our perceptions of each of those things will incrementally change, as our knowledge and understanding changes. That could also impact perceptions of presentation. For example, if it was unknown that people can mask, that would really change how ASD, ADHD and AuDHD were perceived and understood by everyone. Not knowing that girls and women can also have ASD, ADHD and AuDHD certainly changed how presentation was perceived. I feel sad that this person may look back at some point, watch their video when they're older, and really understand what they've made here. That they might realize they've lost a really good friend that was going through a hard time, that at some point when it has been long forgotten, watching what they made could really be upsetting when/if they have better understanding

[@Zebo262]

I forgot to mention that I had only seen the first video at this point. Really thoughtful in the second part, some good advice, saying they are unsure of things, considerate 💙 trying. (Commenting purely on the clips). Really enjoying your content, questioning, considered, thoughtful, looking at all possibilities and positions 💙 thank you!

[@AndysAutismLifeStory]

Believe I have autism and I don't then why do all these doctors say I have autism.

[@islewait6107]

I am number 100 Thomas🗣🗣!💋

[@AndysAutismLifeStory]

People don't realize is autism don't develop in adulthood. It started in early childhood and at birth. The difference is the symptoms are start in childhood and it's life long. It's not one time and done. It's a long time symptoms. I have the same symptoms and issues as I had at age 7 on my child records. I had a difficult pregnancy and birth. And I have a genetic condition too. So it's impossible to fake. I was misdiagnosesiagnose by a neuropsychologist as a schizoafeictive disorder depression type. But the doctor who diagnosed me with that used my scripting and restricted interests in weather and feel im smarter than I am. But don't you see how I talk. Just read it. I don't understand how my IQ is 87. I don't understand how my language is of a 9 and 13 year old. How I have severe audiotory processing. Why. The doctor admitted I had no psychosis. The depression test I scored no. Yet I was not on meds and no depression no maniac and no hallucinations and delusional. Just my language issues I had since birth. The shared symptom of schizophrenia and autism let's a misdiagnosesiagnose. How. Then I get accused of being delusional to think I have autism. I had the ados that score autism 12. But the deny of services because the misdiagnosesiagnose of schizophrenia untreated. But when everyone mental health doctor says no and it's autism and said why. The thing is if no mood disorder no PTSD and no schizophrenia and ados 12 it shows autism. It's a gold standard test for autism. Then I get mental health record and more mental health professionals to look at me to say the same thing. This should show I have autism and not mental health. Then I get a new ados and do 13. The thing is they say I fake. The score is the same as 4 years ago. The child records and child diagnosis of autism and global development disability tourettes and ADHD and special schools and special classes. Speech both in school and out of school. OT and ABA in school. As adult I get speech therapy and occupational therapy and AAC. Why am I faking. Medicaid don't pay for AAC, vest, diapers, and speech and occupational therapy for autism and intellectual disability for no reason. I get mementine for trial for autism. I just started effexor ex for my autism and anxiety from the unment needs and the social communication issues. I get guaficine for my ADHD and tourettes. I find my effexor helpful for my ADHD too.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

It doesn't, however if it's a more internalized presentation, it can take decades to become obvious. That's particularly true of those of us in our 30s and older because there just wasn't that much of an effort to identify and support us when we were younger.

[@autumnpendergast9151]

I know someone with schizophrenia and you DEFINITELY don't ask questions about it. The volatility is enough with just basic conversation.

[@pinetreegreen3330]

Yeah or like they arent ganna wanna talk abt the halusinations especially if they are are scary a friend of ours in hs had a scary voice in his head

[@bucklemonster21994]

nice earthbound outro!

[@CaroEllis]

I have a friend faking she has no disorder.

[@pinetreegreen3330]

21:04 from what ive heard from ppl who have delusions delusions arent at all similar to did plurality isnt just did and also otherkin exist also yeah dpdr sucks ive also seen this youtuber (mm) had a story of kids doing pretend play and calling it fakeing did but sorry adhd go burr but the misuse of the word deluded is kinda icky ngl like delusion is a term for a mental health issue just like ocd adhd autism

[@LeslieT.]

Autism from the Inside= should you educate people about autism [suggestion]

[@AndysAutismLifeStory]

Then I am scared because I don't understand what to expect and my future. I need a guardian. My APS people mistreat me because they think need diapers is a fetish and fun. I hate the way it feels and hate be touched. It gives me rashes. It makes me cry because in school I got picked on for body order and diapers because I need help with this. As adult that I go through this by doctors and nurses. Why. It makes me so depressed. I hide my poop diaper by my nurses because I don't like it. I need help and I don't like it because how people make me feel. Because APS don't accommodate my communication and Auditory Processing and reading disability I get frustrated.

[@tellaphon6718]

2:17 her video is talking about way too many things at once. To actually be in depth with something you can't choose a bunch of different subjects all at once.

[@LeslieT.]

Meg’s video on autism rebrand attempt (suggestion)

[@DavidChild-ty2od]

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