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?

Michelle Mone is being investigated but realistically the scale of her fraud will be a drop in the ocean compared to how much we spend on disability and out of work benefits. The latter is an ongoing cost that is set to spiral even further over the next few years. I have already mentioned that.we spend an equivalent of 2/3rds of the NHS budget each year on servicing our nation debt. We have to tackle the big hitters and get these costs under control otherwise things will get worse and worse.

Michelle Mone, HS2 etc all need to be dealt with but welfare spending is absolutely something that should be looked into and reformed as a matter of urgency.

Yes I do. I also know that there are ways to complete the claims that can lead to vastly different awards for the same condition and that many people are actively encouraged to emphasise their symptoms on the worst days to optimise their awards.

@Bumpitybumper actually chairties in the past who did this do not advise to use bad days as a standard answer anymore.
And of course awards differ for the same condition, they effect everyone differently!

I don't dispute that, although she's far from the only one committing various frauds at a high level. and it all adds up. What I'm saying is a lot of people target those with disabilities and the poorest in society, in general, disproportionately because they hate or resent them, not because they genuinely care about the country's finances.

I also do not think that a high number of people are claiming sickness benefits and PIP fraudulently because it really is not easy to do.

Pip has nothing to do with your condition it's how it impacts your life

In fairness, there are people who get PIP who have far milder impacts on their life than people who have applied for PIP and been turned down. If you use the right words, you can get it when you do not actually need any extra help.

Charities might not advise this anymore but advice is rife all over the internet about how to maximise your claims. A quick search on YouTube alone will give you all the guidance you need.

The difference wasn't about the impact it had on the individual but how they reported this in their claim. A lot of this stuff cannot be realistically verified by a health professional so they have to take your word for it. They can't hide spy cameras in your house and check that your anxiety means you can't leave the house or you physically struggle to wake and dress on a bad morning.

I know that's what OP posted. But that poster I was responding to, and the conversation, had moved on a lot from that.

I was responding to that particular posters and her posts, not misc people.

Okay, so if you're applying for PIP and you only mention how you're affected on your good days, then chances are you will be denied it, even though you might have way more bad days than good.

If you're expected to find a job because on your good days you're basically fine to work, then there comes the problem of finding employers who will hire you knowing you may be very unwell and able to work several days a month. What do you do then?

This is why I'm self-employed. I can work when I can, and work around it when I can't. A lot of people don't have that privilege. I'm lucky I've never had to claim benefits. I can't imagine the hell of it all, and then to be judged on top of that.

I know! I never suggested otherwise.

Everything i stated while applying for pip had to be backed by medical evidence

You said people with the same condition get different awards. Well obviously they do as conditions effect everyone differently

PIP is not easy to claim. 57% of those making new claims and who are not terminally ill are turned down, at least initially.

Only partially. Lots of how a condition affects you is self reported

But you can't say i can't walk without having proof of why.

Still waiting to hear how all women with Pots, Fibro and ME have the same appearance, talk the same and are the same type of people. It's been a while, so do explain...

If you're expected to find a job because on your good days you're basically fine to work, then there comes the problem of finding employers who will hire you knowing you may be very unwell and able to work several days a month. What do you do then?

They don't care and won't be happy until the disabled are only given bare subsistence levels. Look at the US right now.

Well quite. I don't think this thread was posted in good faith. I regret getting sucked in.

I agree. Some people seem to base their whole identity around their ailments. I don’t think it helps that there’s all these awareness videos on social media all the time though. My sister is always having to tell us about her various ailments and as my brother said she’s just “chronically online”.
I’m also struck by the amount of my friends who are just constantly taking their kids to the doctors for completely minor things just to have it checked out or to confirm it is what they think it is.

"The one that frustrates me is 'I've got anxiety' as if it's a medical diagnosis and verging on a disability. A convenient excuse to opt out of things they don't fancy doing.
This is not a pop at people who are actually ill, diagnosed and being treated, I think statements like this actually devalue their experiences."

@MrsDefrost I know you're not having a pop at people who are actually ill and you're defining "actually ill" as having an official diagnosis and receiving treatment, but how do you know which people who say they "have anxiety" are flakey people and which are people who are concealing enduring debilitating mental health problems that can look very much like they're just being flakey and making excuses to avoid things, who don't receive a psychiatric diagnosis and who can't access treatment?

Definitive medical evidence can be very thin on the ground for some conditions. This is because there aren't any medical tests that can be run and thus the doctor is relying on patient testimony.

This post @BeQuirkyBalonz