To think we are becoming a country of hypochondriacs?

[YellowTulips25]

Firstly, let me preface this by saying that I entirely sympathise with people who have to live with serious long-term medical conditions. I don't wish to downplay illness or disabilities - visible or hidden - at all.

However, does anyone else feel like we're rapidly becoming a country of hypochondriacs, where an increasing number of people let seemingly minor health issues dominate their life?

For example, an article on the BBC this week features a woman who talks about having 'chronic pain, migraines and travel sickness' as reasons why it's impossible for her to work in an office. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp9x0819417o

I think most of us suffer from aches and pains and headaches from time to time? What'd happen if we all started using this excuse?

And I know plenty of friends who always seem to have some ailment or other troubling them, whether it's being in pain, being tired, having a cough or cold, etc etc. It seems almost as if constantly being ill is part of their personality, a badge of honour?

I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but surely I can't be the only one to feel like rolling my eyes at some people's lack of resilience?

I understand your concern, but I disagree. You call the GP when you have a baby with chickenpox, it seems to be getting worse, or a child is getting concerning symptoms. Getting sepsis from chickenpox is very rare. You had to see the Dr because you got sepsis.

or the injections that most people had....

Agree. I had years of chronic migraines (hormone related) and could have one for 3 to 5 days, where I would often go into work dosed up on co-codamol and migraine drugs but then burn out and crash - I also have CFS. Add to that a then 3 year old DS. I had to have help from homestart as I was too exhausted to look after him safely.

Thanks to a very supportive employer who supports those with disabilities, I have managed to retain my job since I got ill in 2014. Which is a good job really as DWP didn't want to know. PIP rejected, the person interviewing actually made stuff up, I got the transcripts she typed up. I probably could have done mandatory reconsideration but I was too ill to go through it and challenge the decision.

I actually think more people struggle than we know. Yes, I am aware there may be some making noise about not much but there are also a lot of people unseen with chronic conditions like Long Covid which can decimate your life. And a lot of people who suffer in silence but going on working as they have little choice.

I don't see anyone I know complaining and giving up on work.life due to trivial health reasons. Most soldier on, in fact a bit too much - coming to work sick and infecting all and sundry.

I do think this post is slightly ironic on MN.
Mn posters routinely urge parents to take mildly ill children to A and E with increasing horror stories about the time a child died or nearly died with similar symptoms. They invariably post that they are back home after a very long wait, and just given advice to self treat.

Offices are often big, bright, noisy, and full of issues that don’t arise when WFH. Like, ooh, migraine triggers?

Good to see you are still here!

A question or two for you. Did you join MN in order to start this thread or did you name change? And in both cases, why?

Yep agree. WFH for some is a scam

Ok let's have a discussion about race, religion or sexuality and see how long that stays up for and how long it is until you touch a nerve. But you won't because you know it's not ok to target groups of people who are different to you its only disabled people that you can say your faking it, just a bunch of snowflakes there's nothing wrong with you your just attention seeking.

I'd like to know this to

Not sure why this is relevant to the discussion. Are you the thread police?

To answer your question, I started reading this website fairly recently and found the discussions interesting. I've been wondering about this topic for a while, as I've been feeling increasingly fed up of hearing about friends' health concerns (bad back, painful chest, you name it) and, as I said, this is something that's becoming increasingly prevalent. I was just curious to hear what other people thought.

Sorry if posting something slightly controversial as my first post goes against unwritten MN rules!

Thank you for answering.

Firstly, I think it's extremely naive and dangerous to downplay the role that people can play in managing and even preventing disability and illness. We know that simple things like diet and exercise can play a huge role in preventing lots of conditions like heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Lots of these conditions can ultimately lead to disability. Before you start accusing me of saying something that I'm not, of course there are also lots of cases that aren't lifestyle related but a hell of a lot are. It isn't controversial to suggest this as the scientific community is pretty unanimous that lifestyle is a major factor.

PIP claims aren't spiralling because elf workplaces not employing the disabled. You can claim PIP if you're employed so it certainly doesn't explain why claims would suddenly shoot up. Also most new claims have nothing to do with vascular disease. Arguably lockdown has caused more people to claim for mental health disorders than it saved in a potential increase for physical conditions linked to COVID spreading.

My point is that the state and society isn't some other entity. It is made up of all of us! There is a fallacy that the state and wider society has an inexhaustible capacity to carry the burden of anyone that is struggling with their physical or mental health. When this becomes the majority of the population then obviously too much falls onto the minority and there will be a reaction, especially when the 'strong and healthy' minority have their own issues and struggles to deal with. Talk of restructurng society is all well and good but there is stuff that needs to be done. We need to have economic growth to fund all the services we want and we need people to fill vital roles. Some of these roles are hard and difficult and put a strain on people's mental and physical health but they are necessary. We need to get real about this instead of pretending we can somehow sanitise the world and make it easy for everyone.

See when you say no need to take things personally and ask if you've touched a nerve...

People with chronic health conditions have likely spent years battling with medical professionals over their issues, trying to get a diagnosis, feeling something is wrong and not getting any answers or waiting years to see a consultant

So it gets wearing when people then start posting "hmmm maybe they're just a hypochondriac"
People will be pissed off if like me you've spent the last 18 months sat on a gynae wait list to be told you're just not trying hard enough or maybe you're exaggerating

OP has mentioned being sick of hearing about a friend’s health problems. I do understand to an extent - I’m sure it is tiresome when you are well and able-bodied. However, when you are chronically ill, your world shrinks so much that all that is left in it is you and your horrible illness and the symptoms and the sadness that life is t what it once was. There is very little to talk about other than your health because you’re not well enough to do anything or go anywhere to prompt discussion of the usual things. She’s probably just as sick of talking about it as you are of hearing about it

I am disabled too. I know this. It's not people with genuine disability or illness that I am talking about.

I'm 55 and have had chronic illness all my life. I've taken steps to self manage the problems and just crack on. I did have to quit my career over something others would deem a nonsense problem though (allergy and very painful sinusitis caused by working environment) so environments can cause issues.

People going to the doctor for a cold is just ridiculous, but I suspect they do it for attention or they're bored. Same with family A&E visits.

When my dcs got chicken pox I just gave them calpol. Now, it seems parents panic over it.

I have about 10 diagnosis and not one of them was caused through lifestyle choices. Very few are.

I just feel like you're blaming disabled people though. Why can't we organise society to protect the vulnerable? Or even include them? It is just so grating hearing the assumption that we arent trying hard enough, that we are a burden, that we are making it up. People forget that anyone can become disabled at any time, and most of the time it's not their fault. I just urge you to have a bit more compassion, not everyone can be the model member of society you seem you expect them to be.

Don't come on here with your stats, don't you know it's all mollycoddled youngsters who are scared of a bit of hard work.

Stop trying to shut down discussion by deliberately not acknowledging nuance. Nobody has said that all disabled people are faking it or are snowflakes. We cannot ignore the explosion of claims for disability and sickness benefits and there is a growing feeling that not all of these claims are completely valid. The poll in this thread reflects this.

Considering the state of the country's finances and the debt burden the country carries where interest payments alone are crippling us then we are not in the financial position to not tackle this. It's not about targeting groups for their characteristics but about ensuring systems and resources designed to help and support the most vulnerable in society aren't being exploited. Like it or not, there is a real feeling at the moment that people are manipulating the system and this is often informed by people's anecdotal experiences where they know people that quite openly do this. This is why posters claiming that it never happens fall on dead ears and people become suspicious of everyone as there is just no acceptance of the obvious. We need to root the exploiters out so that the system is sustainable and can support the right people.

It's not disabled people though, is it?

Why are you so fucked off with people saying there are some claiming chronic conditions to not work, make phone calls, pick up their own shopping (or whatever)? Do you not think those people exist?

I'm genuinely sorry you are not well and have lots to contend with. And I'm sorry if you've faced skepticism. But as adults we can have a hypothetical conversation about this sort of stuff when you only have to open <insert social media of choice> to find a person talking about their completely self-diagnosed condition which stops them doing stuff they don't really want to do.

Although it appear I have touched a nerve with a few of you. But aren't forums supposed to be for discussion/debate? No need to take things so personally

You haven't touched a personal nerve with me, I have no chronic conditions or disabilities. I just think you sound like a fool. And of course people will take it personally if they suffer from one of the conditions you dismiss with a casual "oh we all get headaches/aches and pains" and suggest they just toughen up a bit.

The clue is in the descriptor there though surely, it's not an 'ache and pain' it's chronic pain, which means it's persistent and severe. Which you know, obviously.

If you don't have chronic pain that's great, but that doesn't mean that other people don't, or that they must be liars or hypochondriacs when they say they do. I accept that it's possible for human beings to do the splits even though I can't.

What an odd and ignorant stance to shout so loudly about.

...there is no such thing as a burden of proof on an internet forum. We aren't in a court of law.

It is however longstanding (if unwritten) forum etiquette.

But the OP used the real-life example of a real woman with real chronic conditions. A woman who also works (because apparently working for home is not good enough). She also dismissed these real conditions as the aches and pains and headaches we all get from time to time. Can you really not see why people have pushed back?