Very bizarre afternoon and feel out of sorts

Don’t be upset, you responded in a kind, humane way to someone who you believed needed your help. You should be proud that you did this, you have also taught your daughter that being a decent human being is what we should all aspire too, even though sometimes the people we try to help turn out to be not who we thought they were! For being lovely.

The world has some some really bizarre people in it and you've just encountered one of them. No wonder you feel out of sorts. What a strange thing for him to want to do. What an event to be caught up in, holding his hand and trying to help.

You will tell this story in the future and perhaps even laugh at the absurdity of it.

Odd day. Have wine. x

I would feel really duped…how awful for you.

I have dealt with people who fabricate illness (in a professional capacity) and it is in my opinion definitely a mental health issue - there is usually some deep seated reason as to why they feel the need to seek attention in this way - annoying and time wasting as it is - feel sorry for them - you and your family did the right thing

Not sure how old your daughter is but it may be helpful to do a first aid class with her to take away her anxiety around what is she was on her own. The first aid action plan is DRSABC and the D stands for danger. The first thing we do when assisting someone is assess the danger to ourselves (e.g. are they standing in a puddle with a live electric wire?). If she doesn't feel safe assisting someone while she is on her own that's ok, the most important thing she can't do if someone if obviously very poorly is shout for help be that from other passers by or calling an ambulance as appropriate.

Came on to say it could be undiagnosed FND, but that causes the person to genuinely experience symptoms even if they aren't physically happening - so they believe it's happening to them. if the man got straight up and started swearing at them once the paramedics clocked on, then probably not. Either way, FND is deep rooted in mental health /often linked with past trauma, and the primary focus is mental health treatment. Sounds like the guy needs mental health help whatever is making him do it - of which I'm certain he won't be getting.

Definitely don't let him take away from your good deed OP. You did the right thing in the circumstances, but I can see how it would feel extremely upsetting afterwards now knowing he wasnt genuine. Hope your daughter is ok - I'd probably get the coat dry cleaned anyway! Xx

This is sadly pretty common. Men and women with court orders banning from all hospitals, asbos, multiple fake names, ones who travel from Glasgow to Portsmouth to avoid being recognised and much more. Often fake seizures, sometimes other things (fake pulmonary embolism is a real corker).

Sorry you had to deal with this OP, it's grim. Sometimes their actions have truly awful consequences, remember one case that made the news of a woman convicted of faking a medical emergency in a children's hospital (and also faking that she was a child) meaning another child suffering a real emergency didn't get the help they needed.

All you can do is chalk this up to a very awful experience and look at your own kind behaviour and how you responded to someone apparently in need.

You all did amazing, keep reminding yourselves of that.
Him, well he has issues, hope he got his kicks out of it, awful person to do that to you, waste time from you and a doctor, ambulance workers and anyone else good enough to stop.
One day he will be like the boy who cried wolf, something will be happening and he will be ignored and it may just cost him his life

This is so sad and I hope you and family will be ok in a few days once the shock fades and you have time to come to terms with it.

This poor man is clearly being failed by support services. A court order is likely to make his behaviour worse as he won't feel believed or supported.

He clearly is expressing a need for care and support. A prolonged inpatient stay with psychological intervention, would likely be of significant benefit, but that won't happen because beds are in short supply and he'll have been labelled as 'attention seeking' and not really mentally unwell. I've seen similar before and it's heart breaking.

So sad

This is one of those rare occasions when the word ‘discombobulated’ is the only one that describes the way you’re feeling. it will pass

You’d be surprised how common this sort of thing is throughout emergency services. Happy, well people obviously do not do this sort of thing but it wastes so much time and diverts help from people in genuine emergencies and your patience does start to wear thin. Sometimes it’s possible to put people like this on a behavioural order where they aren’t supposed to contact services or lead other people to contact them on their behalf unless its a genuine emergency. You’re probably feeling a bit shocked and disconcerted by the whole thing op. Just know that you did a kind thing for someone and were working on the information available to you at the time.

Look up FND. Just quite interesting. They don’t know what causes it.
Or it’ll be a mental health problem. No one who is ok behaves like this. That’s what I’d say to my daughter. You all did a kind thing and this doesn’t change that.

A normal person does not do this. Whatever they decide < mental health issues > are, we still know that this world has a very general consensus what is decent and normal human behaviour, what is not.

its not that uncommon. Fell for similar when I was a medical student. Unfortunately one day he’ll have a real emergency and no one will take a blind bit of notice. Hope the slobber washes out of the coat!

That sounds horrible.
He might have a rare kind of neurological disorder where the patient experiences symptoms of seizure but there’s no physiological reason why they would ie no electrical currents in the brain that would show up on an EEG. They’re not very well understood and are psychosomatic. If he’s social marginalised anyway and not pushy he would just end up being called a faker.

Either way it sounds like there is something going on mentally there. So try and hold the compassion that you already showed this person in your heart. You sound like a good person.

I kid you not OP I have had the exact same thing happen

I was on my own however and no other members of public around so I was terrified for this person and I was not first aid trained. They literally collapsed onto me and I thought I was going to be squashed as they fell. Paramedics arrived and said the exact same, however they did the usual torch in eyes and check pulse just out of precaution

I was angry about it and shaken up for a couple of days but I actually forgot about it... till I seen your post I'm actually gob smacked

That's an awful experience. I hope you can feel more positive about it in knowing you did the right thing and you were all kind and are caring.

I guess a stay in hospital is like a stay in a hotel for this individual.

I said to DH that whatever his needs are - they aren’t being met
it is this, isnt it.

I’m a doctor. Unfortunately, this is fairly common.