Girls Using Walking Sticks

I presume the op had read this piece
https://dailysceptic.org/2025/07/07/introducing-pots-the-next-social-contagion-to-grip-miserable-teenage-girls/

Yes but what I'm saying is, it still happens. Not the best comparison maybe but also not the central point of what i was trying to relate there.

Are they actually saying they’re self diagnosing? Or are they saying they have POTS and people are assuming they’re self diagnosing?

eg You dont walk into a hospital and try to figure out who the fake doctors are - although there are people who have falsified qualifications etc.

I think this is probably a bad comparison. There are layers and layers of protocols and regulations that ensure that fake doctors are not employed in hospitals. Obviously this does fail on occasion but the safeguards are there for a reason and for the most part work effectively.

Which part was ableist?

I personally dont think people should self diagnose because it means they might diagnose incorrectly. But i dont see how it harms the disabled community - I get f a from the state anyway, I'm not missing out on anything! That isn't controversial.

And you don't have to reply but seems a bit silly starting to talk about something on a public forum then shutting it down when someone disagrees with you.

I see you don't think self diagnosis is harmful or an infringement on disabled people and their rights Baggingarea or even your comments are also abliest so i will just leave it here and not reply to you anymore.

Might I suggest you are noticing this because while disabled teens used to not be very visible, now we have influencers who are disabled. People don't feel like they should have to fade into the background or avoid certain situations.

And come on, disabled people are always likely to be a bit alternative. We've suffered and been rejected by the popular kids. The pretty blonde disabled women you see on tv are on tv because they've been deemed "acceptable disabled" by the mainstream. Just like non-disabled women on tv are usually far more attractive than Jan next door.

I've seen this on X.
It's really common for teenagers, male or female to faint. It can run in families as it does in mine. Stand up, go dizzy, black out. I used to do it all the time, both my DSs did. You grow out of it eventually.
It's not POTS but POTS sounds much more glamorous. At least they're not starving or deciding to be trans.

The issue here is simple and I will explain why some of the responses on this thread are ableist:

There are many people assuming that there are fake disabled people and actual disabled people. Are we all meant to believe there are hordes of people out there pretending to be disabled? Im going to say that this is a very very, very slim minority. This fake disabled trope is so dangerous and based in fear and hatred.

eg You dont walk into a hospital and try to figure out who the fake doctors are - although there are people who have falsified qualifications etc.

If someone feels they need to use a stick then why does it matter? It takes nothing away from long term disabled people. If a teenager who has self diagnosed pots uses a stick, the disability police aren't going to come round and take my stick away from me.

I could go on but honestly why bother? People are stuck in their (ableist) ways and won't bother to read.

I'm far more upset by people who think they can judge who is disabled or not by looking at them than I am by an alleged fad for people to use a stick when they don't need to.

I’m not judging or ridiculing anyone. I’m just noticing a very recent social phenomenon that appears to be linked somehow with trans and identity. I actually think these trends are quite harmful to young people so it is important for society to take an interest. Also I’m starting to think that any subject that results in the sort of name calling we can see on this thread should be talked about more not less. If there is a massive uptick in young women needing to use mobility aids we really need to understand why? Name calling doesn’t work anymore. We’ve all been there and done that already.

I read a post on a local autism forum from a woman whose child had started at a local college and declared they were non binary. Then started walking with a stick. Then told her they needed a wheelchair. There was nothing wrong with them, I'm guessing they were playing with identities. Which is shit. Shame she saw nothing wrong with non binary part and the progression from that to self identifying as disabled.

An autistic relative of mine is now trans, and suddenly needs to use sticks, a walker, a wheelchair. All pink or purple of course, to show he's totes a girl. 🙄

I'm autistic myself, as are two of my kids. I don't need the world to know that when we go out. Only in specific circumstances would I even mention it. It is not our whole identity, and we are all properly diagnosed.

I am also physically disabled so I hear you but you know nothing about me I just commented that a perfectly healthy teenager has started to use a stick this isn't a reflection on you, the op noticing something that seems to have escalated isn't a reflection on you. The question is if these girls are self identifying as disabled surely that is more harmful to disabled people than not ? I am fully aware of hidden disability just fyi.

And fwiw I was genuinely asking of you were ok your post came over as if you were distressed, use your stick if you need it because my opinion doesn't actually matter.

Well, yes, we're discussing a trend that's been observed. Whether it's just due to people with disabilities being more comfortable using a stick as it's more acceptable (I think everyone will agree this is a good thing), or, whether it's due to girls who would have been self-harming or bulimic a few decades ago doing this instead (I would think everyone would agree this is bad for the girls and bad for actual disabled people taking their spaces). This is the discussion. It's the first I heard of it. Actually, no, "transabling" is in the third Strike novel come to think of it!

😂

No im not alright because I became disabled and now I nded to use a stick. The only time I ever feel depressed is when I am judged or side eyed or read threads like this. Im sure there are people at a low ebb who will see ableist threads like this and do themselves harm.

Or in my case I'm likely to try go without a stick because I cant deal with the agg, fall and seriously hurt myself.

For the record, I dont wear a sunflower lanyard or have green hair but so what if i did? I'm just a mum, in a professional job, trying to go about my day without exhausting myself and risking injury. And I dont claim benefits - in fact I have to shell out for shortfallings in the nhs.

Im so sick of the judgement and I'm so sick of people like you making excuses for behaviour like this. There are consequences and trying to do the classic mumsnet "are you ok?" is just so pathetic and teenage.

PIP stick?

gosh I’m so sorry to have annoyed you. Jeez.

I make fancy wooden sticks and staffs so I hope this trend really takes off!

I am well aware what it is. It just annoys me what people use terms like "Munchausens by proxy" thinking they sound all fancy when it's clear they don't understand the words they are using at all

oh, it’s the other one, got them mixed up. See NHS:

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/munchausen-syndrome/overview/

How could you possibly know all these things?

You are ill informed that isn't what you think it is.

If you for 100% sure definitely know someone who is playing at being disabled/making it up then for sure.

But this thread was started about judging people in the street, so people would have no idea if they’re genuine or not.

Then it progressed into saying people with various specific illnesses are just wanting to say they have those illnesses because they’re “trendy”. Again with no medical knowledge regarding these individuals. That’s the issue!

If you are going to use fancy sounding terms you need to at least understand what they mean

Munchausens by Proxy is " a mental health disorder in which a caregiver creates the appearance of health problems in another person, typically their child."