AIBU to wonder whether some disability content rewards staying visibly unwell?

This is like all the able-bodied people who say ' you are lucky to be allowed to sit and whizz around on your mobility scooter.' I don't feel bloody lucky, I would much rather be able to walk and not have to worry about whether i can fit in/get out of a lift or wonder if i can actually fit through a door and whizzing around is not an option in a busy shopping centre cos people on mobility scooters are invisible to other shoppers who will just walk right in front of you without a care on the world.

There is such little awareness of FND that I think it is brilliant that there are some individuals who are posting about it. As another poster has mentioned, when you are diagnosed you are simply given a link to a website. That is it. The website in question does not contain much information and it is not something that is particularly helpful. Disabilities can cause an awful lot of people to feel isolated. It is great that there is what could be classed as an online community for people for support. There needs to be much more awareness of FND. As for sticks, so what if someone decides to go for a funky type stick? It just might make someone feel that little bit better about having to have days where you need to depend upon one. Doesn't mean it is all in someone's head or that they are seeking attention. Terrible what some people come out with... anyone can become disabled at any point. Anyone's loved ones, friends etc. Empathy goes a long way.

Not specifically talking about this scenario but there’s a whole community on reddit called illnessfakers - there is a whole group of people online who milk everything for money.

It is a shame because there are real sufferers of people with FND etc who may have people not believe how bad it is.

It's disgusting, isn't it?
Why is ableism more acceptable than racism and sexism?
It's bad enough, as a Black woman, to suffer from people's nasty attitudes, but those with disabilities often suffer physical and financial pain, as well as from people's prejudice.

Ok so I was pissed off enough by this to actually subscribe to the times and read the article.

one. She doesn’t mention FND at any point in her article.

two she is very careful to say that “legitimate” physical illnesses give bad days and good days

three she manages to imply (quite well actually) that these girls are not really ill by saying that some words crop up in their medical explanations.

I mean that’s like saying that the word cancer crops up in people who have cancer. No shit.

four she actually says (technically she asks) whether these girls are over-analysing themselves into physical problems and the definite implication there is that it is anxiety that is causing an inability to walk.

five she doesn’t say anything about an increase in FND diagnoses. In fact she doesn’t mention it at all.

six half the fucking world uses walking sticks of one kind or another. I can’t go out into the countryside without meeting a Nordic walking group with their two walking sticks and the elderly population of my town all seem to have several mostly in wood (showing off obviously what’s wrong with an nhs grey crutch?)

You’re probably referring to the Times article by Kathleen Stock “Why are young women using walking sticks?”

She argues that the rapid increase in FNDs is in part due to social contagion - in the same way that bad backs among middle aged men were twenty or thirty years ago.

She also says that suggesting this often produces extremely angry reactions from people afflicted or those close to them. This thread is further evidence of that!

I don’t know about FND or content but over the summer I did notice a sharp rise in the number of young women using walking sticks when out and about.

And then I read an article somewhere which spoke about the rise in young women - usually with blue hair - who were suddenly using walking sticks, and how this could be damaging if they don’t actually need the sticks.

And then I was vindicated when a thread on Mumsnet was created where other posters were talking about seeing loads of young people with sticks.

So yeah, I think something is going on where physical disability seems to have been made attractive and something certain demographics wish to lean into.

I am also extremely circumspect about my own disabilities precisely because of attitudes like yours.

I post mostly about football on social media. That is not all I am as a person. Same with someone who is essentially a disability blogger.

Honestly there’s very little information and medical support available for FND.

compared to stuff like MS or Parkinson’s where there’s a big charity and lots of research and coffee mornings for people with MS/parkinsons etc.

a common theme for people with FND is that they are diagnosed and given the link to this website

https://neurosymptoms.org/en/

and that’s it.

there’s a charity trying to get some peer support groups set up both online and in person so if anyone is looking for support these people are good:

https://www.fndaction.org.uk/

if people are posting stuff on TikTok and via that helping others with the diagnosis honestly that’s good, because there’s very little medical help out there and talking about it with others is about the only way to try to find things that help.

All I've seen of you is posting on MN about your views on disabled people.

Should I assume this is all you're "about"?

Or maybe they are making the best of the hand they were dealt and raising awareness at the same time?

Do you maybe have some issues left over from your own experience of poor health? Maybe you felt like you had to put on a 'brave face' and it's now difficult to watch other people refusing to hide their struggles for other people's comfort?

YABVU you are just seeing a small snapshot of their lives.
There is a content creator where I live who posts about her FND. Offline, she is out and about just getting on with her life.

So they should just sit at home skint and bored?

You see a video of a few minutes of their day. You know nothing about what else they have going on.

I have FND, I'm talking about it right now, however I'm also a Mum, Im also doing a degree, Im also learning a language etc, a small snapshot doesn't mean that all someone is.

I daresay the small snapshot of your ignorance on this subject doesnt mean you're ignorant about everything (I hope)

Accusing disabled people of faking their symptoms is pretty low.

Do you have comprehension issues? I daresay there are people who fake all sorts of things but that is not what the OP is about. Perhaps you could read it again.

The OP is suggesting that people posting videos need their symptoms in order to keep posting. That is inhuman.

It isnt a mental health disorder.

FND is basically a mental health disorder that triggers physical problems. A close friend of mine has started having help dealing with his mental health, and his FND has improved so much. Which is great. 👍

I didn’t say that being open was a problem. But when that is ALL a person is about then it’s become unhealthy IMO. I was grateful to have shared experiences in that FB group and I learned a lot from people who had lived with the diagnosis longer than myself - but it did become clear that it was all about the group admin person and attention to their plight.

Or they are simply raising awareness and trying to make the best of a very shitty situation.

How dare they wobble on social media.

Would people do fake stuff to get views?

Have you ever seen the reality tv industry? There is no shortage of people who will do anything to get views.