I’m a fake

[Caspers]

Does anyone else feel like you're exaggerating how bad you're feeling and that you didn't deserve the diagnoses you received? I often feel like I'm just making this up, or pretending I'm worse off than I am. People around me make me feel that way too, I feel like I'm a fake.

 

[sagajin]

Sounds like a intresting manifestation of imposter syndrome.
' Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments or talents and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud". '

This normally happens in a work envirement or financial setting.

 

[Tabbyql]

Yes alot. I feel like if I'm not doing stuff like s/h And I laughed or did sumfin "normal". Then I can't possibly have mental illnesses. Feel like I've exaggerated them or worse lied. I think wiv me it's to do wiv having a bf who thinks mental illnesses are not real, to him it's just a way of getting out of going to work. I'm in a constant fight wiv my self, trying to act like im ok all the time so I'm not a bother to anyone, pushing it all down hiding it. The symptoms unexpectedly exploding or creeping out. The 0 support or validation makes me feel like that too. Hugs

 

[timf]

I have known people who make statements like, "I'm no good" specifically to manipulate others in to offering them some sort of positive affirmation. Often these people grew up with little expression of parental love or affection. In a way this deficit is managed by seeking from others that which they never received developmentally.

I have come to see it not so much as a character flaw, but as an indicator of a type of injury like a scar.

If someone does exaggerate something, it may not be something nefarious as opposed to just a coping mechanism.

Thinking you have exaggerated may indicate that you really have exaggerated in the past and are starting to discover that you either need to do so less or have move past needing to. It may also be that you haven't actually exaggerated, but feel the need to see yourself as guilty of something. This can be a more difficult situation because it could reflect a degree of an inclination towards self-harm.

Self-evaluation can be difficult if you receive comments from others that are inaccurate such as praise or criticism. It would be essential to have an accurate view of yourself so that you can best measure if there is actually an inclination to exaggerate or not. It can also be helpful to favor "shades of gray" categories. If person is faced with claiming mental illness or not, it may be helpful to use expressions such as periodic episodes or occasional bouts of difficulty.

 

[GravityUtilizer]

OCD can make you feel like this/seek reassurance that you're not a fake.

 

[So-lowgid]

Does anyone else feel like you're exaggerating how bad you're feeling and that you didn't deserve the diagnoses you received? I often feel like I'm just making this up, or pretending I'm worse off than I am. People around me make me feel that way too, I feel like I'm a fake.

Can relate. I often feel like I should just be able to get on with life like everyone else and that others see me as a fake/leech on society and state benefits. I'm reassured that people don't think or say that but I believe it myself and pretty much hate myself for it

 

[Mustkeyknow]

Yeah. People tell me others have it worse than me, and even homeless people are more positive

 

[Life_and_Death]

yes. i think i dont really have mental disorders. i feel like im just making it all up for attention and it doesnt really exist. it even gets to the point where i dont believe others. just no its all fake this cant be. but if its all fake why cant i stop myself? the whole thing is messed lol

 

[noaccount]

Maybe you're starting to find that the 'illness model' isn't making sense for explaining your suffering? But if you find another way of understanding your struggles, that doesn't mean they're any less serious or that you need any less help!

 

[I_love_to_bake]

Yes I can relate... im never really sure about the accuracy of my past memories. Sometimes I'm afraid I'm exaggerating. So much of my childhood is just blank anyway so its hard to remember. I'm not really sure if I went through trauma or if I'm making it up to justify my failure to adjust

 

[Nymph]

I personally don't feel like this and I actually think that my diagnoses fit exactly how I feel and should be accepted but A lot of the people around me try to make me feel that my diagnoses are not right and that I'm normal and I'm fine and just like others. I don't feel right though and I'm not fine. I can't understand why people just don't try and at least try to understand what others are going through

 

[Moonbounce]

I feel this way sometimes too. You're not alone. I naturally compare myself to others often to unhealthy degrees.

 

[noaccount]

But do experiencing the things listed as 'symptoms' of a diagnosis mean that diagnosis is the only way to understand it?
The diagnosis also comes with an implication that one's suffering is personally internal and biological in origin, which may stop many people from questioning more deeply what has caused them to feel/think these ways.
It may also come with the baggage of telling you that to be 'recovered' you may need to change in arbitrary ways that don't match how you want to live.
It may also imply that how 'normal' people are acting around you is 'healthier,' or more ethically-correct, when these people may be hurting others or far less principled than yourself.
Often, psychiatry is a tool to take a conflict *between* any number of people, and re-cast it as a problem *within* the person with the least power.