Girls Using Walking Sticks

EDS is a genetic disorder, and the diagnostic criteria were tightened in 2017. One cannot simply self diagnose a genetic disorder.

POTs/MCAS are being diagnosed more often, and mostly in women, since 2020. They are common post viral sequelae of Covid-19 infection. (And, frankly, the consequences of Covid-19 will continue to increase as long as public health policy continues to ignore it.) They are real and debilitating.

I think it would be very unfortunate if prominent GC commentators start to pass comment on disabled people, especially at the moment when disabled people are under significant pressure due to discussions about disability benefits and cuts. Disabled women in particular have been central to the campaign for single sex spaces.

DOI I use a walking stick. (I do not, however, have any self ID diagnoses, and I don't have POTS or similar.)

Yeah, it's the whole chronically ill/neurodivergent trend that's been big for the last few years. You see a lot of these people on TikTok. They usually have at least four or five of the following:

Walking stick, sunflower lanyard, POTS, fibromyalgia, ADHD, non-binary, EDS, autism, C-PTSD, emotional support dog, PIP, dungarees, brightly dyed hair, misophonia.

Of course not every young person with a walking stick is a spoonie, before anyone jumps on me.

On the contrary, I think it's interesting that using a stick is being attacked as a lifestyle choice but when I dropped in a similar reference to gluten free diets I got jumped on (and rightly so). Like I say I am glad some people choose to avoid and others have to avoid it as it has massively increased the availability of products for my wheat allergic child. He doesnt mind other people being "gluten" free as there are far more products available now than in his toddler years

But you’re completely missing the point here.

Where there are more people using mobility aids and making a noise about it, that typically leads to more provision being put in place to accommodate disability.

I for one would absolutely LOVE every person to have to be on cutches, or to use a wheelchair, for, say, one week every year, so they would have some tiny idea of how vulnerable, annoying and time consuming it is to have to deal with life through that lens.

Bring on this army of young blue haired stick waving women. I’m here for it!

I think you thunked wrong on this one.

Disabled people have plenty enough issues from the general population, culture and physical environment making their lives difficult.

Policing other people’s claim on disability just isn’t a thing, much as you’d like it to be.

I’m wondering why you think that some people go gluten free as a “lifestyle choice” rather than because they have a genuine intolerance and are attempting to alleviate their symptoms? Isn’t this exactly the same thought process as the one that you are criticising on this thread?

Do you have this kind of temper tantrum every time someone disagrees with you politely? You must be an absolute nightmare to live with.

On the contrary, I think it's interesting that using a stick is being attacked as a lifestyle choice but when I dropped in a similar reference to gluten free diets I got jumped on (and rightly so). Like I say I am glad some people choose to avoid and others have to avoid it as it has massively increased the availability of products for my wheat allergic child. He doesnt mind other people being "gluten" free as there are far more products available now than in his toddler years

So you are deliberately “baiting” other posters. I don’t quite know what point it is you think you’ve made but at least now it’s clear you aren’t arguing in good faith.

Oh absolutely I know that and I dropped that in there to see if anyone would take the bait

Of course.
I don't see what relevance that has to my comment.

They are a pair of pathological liars (to quote their nephew). So was Belle Gibson.

So my point stands. If someone on Mumsnet said they had cancer I have never seen the next question be "have you been formally diagnosed?". Because the implication of that question being asked is that I must just "self-identity" as having a condition,.which is a pretty grim suggestion

I'm trying to imagine what a nice shower stools would look like and failing! Maybe sparkly, or rainbow coloured ....

And yet equally, women are often accused of things like this only to find out there is a very real physical cause.

I’m wondering why you think that some people go gluten free as a “lifestyle choice” rather than because they have a genuine intolerance and are attempting to alleviate their symptoms? Isn’t this exactly the same thought process as the one that you are criticising on this thread?

This interesting PhD thesis makes the point that “a pathological fascination with becoming disabled has been noted within the clinical literature since the late 1800s”.

Among other things, it uses the ecological niche theory of transient mental illnesses, developed by Ian Hacking, to help explain the phenomenon.

ore.exeter.ac.uk/rest/bitstreams/177145/retrieve

Yes this too.

My daughter has a favourite shop and I didn't used to be able to take her shopping before I got my wheelchair because I got ill so swiftly. I love taking her shopping there particularly since the shop keeper noticed my struggles to get round it and rearranged the layout to make it much more accessible.

In a similar way, my children have allergies and I am so grateful to all the people who are gluten free /vegan as a lifestyle choice as it has massively increased the number of food options available to my children.

Final dip back in! It really isn't. I don't think people appreciate the levels some will go to to elicit care. And how powerful social contagion can be.

I have to say, working in the field I do and back when I worked in psychiatric hospitals, fantasising and acting on it, about being an amputeee or deaf/blind etc is not as rare as people may think.

I'm not thinking about people faking a disability to get PIP or any of the other points raised. I completely appreciate invisible disabilities.This is not about me judging whether someone has a disability or not.

My concern is vulnerable young girls identifying as disabled when they are not and causing potential significant harm to themselves in the process. Some fantasise about being amputees, blind or deaf. This is very rare but gender dysphoria was also very rare and look where we are now.

We have seen the lengths girls will go to, self harm, anorexia, PBs, mastectomies. I am not fear mongering and I hope this is completely misplaced. Trans is moving on and we need to keep an eye on where it's going.

Nope- it's about people concluding people are identifying as having disabilities with very limited evidence beyond the fact they aren't visibly disabled.

Hell yeah! Let’s hope cool shower stools will be the next big thing for edgy teens. Extra demand massively encourages stores and manufacturers to create and sell this stuff, so the more mainstream it goes, the better.