Distinguishing Real vs. Fake Mental Illness

i think it can be easy; though i read people rather well but ig the main thing is if they're flaunting it vs simply saying they have it some ppl are more open with their disorders and embrace them like me which can get confusing as it seems they're flaunting but not many people are that open with their disorders, so it can be a dead giveaway in my case, i dont care no more about hiding it or whatnot, so i just keep the info open so ppl cant use it against me :) but deffo look for overreacting they tend to point common things out that someone with a real illness would be used to and/or usually annoyed about when dealing with it day to day themselves ppl who fake also have undertones of glorifying it so they make the illness seem not as bad as it is or just making it seem lighter but if you ask a legit person with the illness, they are usually more straightforward and can give you in depth examples of specific moments they've had plus you can usually hear in their voice how drained/exhausted they are when they're legit otherwise the fakers seem to have a ton of energy about it

im probably biased in saying this but i disagree with the comments saying they would still worry about someone who is lying. in my experience those liars have done nothing but make things worse for the rest of us. i have HORRIBLE experiences with people i know lying about mental illness for clout and it hurts to even think about. some people are just straight up selfish. ive met some pathological liars who have lied about mental health, and yes they have a problem, but im not going to give them support and validate them lying about a condition that i suffered my entire life with. it’s not a fucking joke to me or something you can make up. problems aside they should be sensible enough to be fucking respectful idc.

I’d rather believe someone who is lying than not believe someone who isn’t (goes for other serious claims as well). I don’t care if I’m seen as naïve or gullible because of it. It’s on them for lying. Not on me for not believing them. And, as others have mentioned, if someone feels the need to fake something or lie for attention or to manipulate people, there is still something going on and they need help and deserve support for that, then.

Well if they are lying they definitely need more support than the ones telling the truth 😩 they definitely have some kind of mental illness

Hi there, I completely get that it is hard to trust people but truth is if someone is faking a mental illness then they are probably struggling with some type of mental illness. If someone is faking it for attention there is something deeper there that is bothering them and there is a very high chance that they are not mentally well and could use some help or support.

I feel like if the person is lying they still need support. If someone is "faking" they are probably still struggling.