To ask - what the fuck is the matter with people who do this?

I used to work on mental health helplines and ‘fake callers’ were a significant part of the role. Feelings towards them were mixed in the team - some found it incredibly frustrating, especially like you say if they’d been taken in and genuinely tried to help, before realising it was made up. For some of us though, me included, it’s a strange and convoluted way to get their needs met. Probably a history of trauma with no one acknowledging their needs and them not believing they can get what they need by expressing what they need straightforwardly.

I still found it meaningful to react to them with compassion as they probably needed it; that approach isn’t wasted. That said, they were rightly prevented from monopolising time when there were people having real crises that needed it.

I was accused of being a troll , I’d changed some irrelevant details to protect my identity as I have lots of people I know on here
i found it really creepy people were looking up old threads and challenged me in my kids ages and sex ( not reluctant to post )

I must admit that thread gave me uncomfortable vibes. But I just clicked away, I didn’t report. Who am I to judge someone’s veracity?

Because they have sad lives ? .
Because they like the attention?
Because it makes them feel clever
Validation
So many reasons

How do you know it was a troll?

I ask because I have been accused of being a troll and temporarily kicked off Mumsnet by the Mumsnet team in the past. But I really wasn't a troll. People just thought I was and reported me. I think sometimes people's lives are complex and appear unbelievable by some, even when these complex things are really happening in people's lives. In my case (and I have worked on this massively and think I'm better now) I don't always phrase things well and then people make all sorts of assumptions about genuineness etc...

I guess Mumsnet have to make a judgement call as they cannot possibly know someone's intent or if someone's a troll. They likely err on the side of caution and call troll more than trolls exist.

The poster may well not have been a troll.but if people thought they were, Mumsnet may have called it so (and they get it wrong)

Maybe mumsnet ought to only let people post after x days after subscription. I can imagine a 13 year old finding it fun to troll. A grownup I would classify as a sociopath.

Attention seeking presumably. I saw that thread, what flagged that it was a troll, looked legit enough?

I find the psychology behind trolling fascinating. I googled it a while ago and got into some quite interesting articles about the association with sadism and psychopathy.