Title: Munchausen by Internet:
Description: Faking Illness Online
Description: Faking Illness Online
Birdbomb - December 21, 2005 06:57 PM (GMT)
LINK TO ARTICLE
A must read.....
Editors Note: Munchausen syndrome is a condition where a person fakes an illness or disease mainly to get attention from with the medical profession or from their family and friends. Sometimes it is done to obtain sympathy, to act out anger or even to control the behavior of others. It is not common but it happens occasionally. Now it is happening on the internet.
When you discuss a condition with a person in a chat room or reply to questions and comments on a message board, you may be communicating with a person who is just faking the problem. (This is important to keep in mind.) But how would you know? That person may also be playing several roles in the chat room or message board. They have simplified the deception by taking to the internet rather than attending a hospital emergency room or doctor's office.
The following article by Marc D. Feldman MD, who has followed patients with this condition over the years, gives tips for recognizing this syndrome on the Net.
Munchausen by Internet:Faking Illness Online
by Marc D. Feldman, M.D
Online Support for People with Illness - The Internet is a medium of choice for millions of people who need health-related information. Medical websites have multiplied exponentially over the past several years. Thousands of virtual support groups have sprung up for those suffering from particular illnesses. Whether formatted as chat rooms, as newsgroups, or in other ways, they offer patients and families the chance to share their hopes, fears, and knowledge with others experiencing life as they are. These online groups can counter isolation and serve as bastions of understanding, deep concern, and even affection.
Unfortunately, cyberspace resources are sometimes deliberately misused by people intent on deceiving others. False product claims in spam are perhaps the best-known example. But even in the relative intimacy of health support groups, individuals may choose to mislead others by pretending to have illnesses they do not. They divert the attention of the group toward their feigned battles with cancer, multiple sclerosis, anorexia nervosa, or other ailments. The eventual discovery of the deceptions can be devastating. One group member called it "emotional rape" to have cared so deeply about a person who lied to her and others from his first post on.
Munchausen by Internet - For decades, physicians have known about so-called factitious disorder, better known in its severe form as Munchausen syndrome (Feldman Ford, 1995). Here, people willfully fake or produce illness to command attention, obtain lenience, act out anger, or control others. Though feeling well, they may bound into hospitals, crying out or clutching their chests with dramatic flair. Once admitted, they send the staff on one medical goose chase after another. If suspicions are raised or the ruse is uncovered, they quickly move on to a new hospital, town, state, or in the worst cases — country. Like traveling performers, they simply play their role again. I coined the terms "virtual factitious disorder" (Feldman, Bibby, Crites, 1998) and "Munchausen by Internet" (Feldman, 2000) to refer to people who simplify this "real-life" process by carrying out their deceptions online. Instead of seeking care at numerous hospitals, they gain new audiences merely by clicking from one support group to another. Under the guise of illness, they can also join multiple groups simultaneously. Using different names and accounts, they can even sign on to one group as a stricken patient, his frantic mother, and his distraught son all to make the ruse utterly convincing.
Clues to Detection of False Claims - Based on experience with two dozen cases of Munchausen by Internet, I have arrived at a list of clues to the detection of factititous Internet claims. The most important follow:
Lessons - Perhaps the most important lesson is that, while most people visiting support groups are honest, all members must balance empathy with circumspection. Group members should be especially careful about basing their own health care decisions on uncorroborated information supplied in groups. When Munchausen by Internet seems likely, it is best to have a small number of established members gently, empathically, and privately question the author of the dubious posts. Even though the typical response is vehement denial regardless of the strength of the evidence, the author typically will eventually disappear from the group. Remaining members may need to enlist help in processing their feelings, ending any bickering or blaming, and refocusing the group on its original laudable goal.
A must read.....
Editors Note: Munchausen syndrome is a condition where a person fakes an illness or disease mainly to get attention from with the medical profession or from their family and friends. Sometimes it is done to obtain sympathy, to act out anger or even to control the behavior of others. It is not common but it happens occasionally. Now it is happening on the internet.
When you discuss a condition with a person in a chat room or reply to questions and comments on a message board, you may be communicating with a person who is just faking the problem. (This is important to keep in mind.) But how would you know? That person may also be playing several roles in the chat room or message board. They have simplified the deception by taking to the internet rather than attending a hospital emergency room or doctor's office.
The following article by Marc D. Feldman MD, who has followed patients with this condition over the years, gives tips for recognizing this syndrome on the Net.
Munchausen by Internet:Faking Illness Online
by Marc D. Feldman, M.D
Online Support for People with Illness - The Internet is a medium of choice for millions of people who need health-related information. Medical websites have multiplied exponentially over the past several years. Thousands of virtual support groups have sprung up for those suffering from particular illnesses. Whether formatted as chat rooms, as newsgroups, or in other ways, they offer patients and families the chance to share their hopes, fears, and knowledge with others experiencing life as they are. These online groups can counter isolation and serve as bastions of understanding, deep concern, and even affection.
Unfortunately, cyberspace resources are sometimes deliberately misused by people intent on deceiving others. False product claims in spam are perhaps the best-known example. But even in the relative intimacy of health support groups, individuals may choose to mislead others by pretending to have illnesses they do not. They divert the attention of the group toward their feigned battles with cancer, multiple sclerosis, anorexia nervosa, or other ailments. The eventual discovery of the deceptions can be devastating. One group member called it "emotional rape" to have cared so deeply about a person who lied to her and others from his first post on.
Munchausen by Internet - For decades, physicians have known about so-called factitious disorder, better known in its severe form as Munchausen syndrome (Feldman Ford, 1995). Here, people willfully fake or produce illness to command attention, obtain lenience, act out anger, or control others. Though feeling well, they may bound into hospitals, crying out or clutching their chests with dramatic flair. Once admitted, they send the staff on one medical goose chase after another. If suspicions are raised or the ruse is uncovered, they quickly move on to a new hospital, town, state, or in the worst cases — country. Like traveling performers, they simply play their role again. I coined the terms "virtual factitious disorder" (Feldman, Bibby, Crites, 1998) and "Munchausen by Internet" (Feldman, 2000) to refer to people who simplify this "real-life" process by carrying out their deceptions online. Instead of seeking care at numerous hospitals, they gain new audiences merely by clicking from one support group to another. Under the guise of illness, they can also join multiple groups simultaneously. Using different names and accounts, they can even sign on to one group as a stricken patient, his frantic mother, and his distraught son all to make the ruse utterly convincing.
Clues to Detection of False Claims - Based on experience with two dozen cases of Munchausen by Internet, I have arrived at a list of clues to the detection of factititous Internet claims. The most important follow:
- 1. the posts consistently duplicate material in other posts, in books, or on health-related websites;
- 2. the characteristics of the supposed illness emerge as caricatures;
- 3. near-fatal bouts of illness alternate with miraculous recoveries;
- 4. claims are fantastic, contradicted by subsequent posts, or flatly disproved;
- 5. there are continual dramatic events in the person's life, especially when other group members have become the focus of attention;
- 6.there is feigned blitheness about crises (e.g., going into septic shock) that will predictably attract immediate attention;
- 7.others apparently posting on behalf of the individual (e.g., family members, friends) have identical patterns of writing.
Lessons - Perhaps the most important lesson is that, while most people visiting support groups are honest, all members must balance empathy with circumspection. Group members should be especially careful about basing their own health care decisions on uncorroborated information supplied in groups. When Munchausen by Internet seems likely, it is best to have a small number of established members gently, empathically, and privately question the author of the dubious posts. Even though the typical response is vehement denial regardless of the strength of the evidence, the author typically will eventually disappear from the group. Remaining members may need to enlist help in processing their feelings, ending any bickering or blaming, and refocusing the group on its original laudable goal.
Petunia - December 22, 2005 12:02 AM (GMT)
I must say I find that very interesting! Maybe you have something there?!...
I wish I was just making it all up. Couldn't even imagine wanted to make up everything that I have, but to each there own.
I wish I was just making it all up. Couldn't even imagine wanted to make up everything that I have, but to each there own.
howdydave - December 22, 2005 03:03 AM (GMT)
"Munchkin Madness", eh? :doh:
Rocking4Epilepsy - December 22, 2005 05:44 AM (GMT)
LMFAO :rolleyes:
It is so sad that we DO know people who do this,
It is so sad that we DO know people who do this,
Birdbomb - February 6, 2006 05:38 AM (GMT)
Sympathy-Seekers Invade Internet Support Groups
One Expert Calls It 'Munchausen by Internet'
By Jim Morelli, RPh
They're supposed to offer comfort and advice for those suffering from a medical problem, but Internet support groups may feature something else: fraud.
Marc D. Feldman, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Center for Psychiatric Medicine, calls it "Munchausen by Internet" -- a variation of the type of psychiatric disorders that include Munchausen syndrome and Munchausen by proxy. In these disorders, people cook up or induce fictitious illnesses in themselves or others in an effort to gain sympathy.
Feldman points out that the overall rate of these disorders, named for a German baron famed for his tall tales, is low: "In real life ... Munchausen syndrome is rare. My sense is, at least at this point, I have to believe the same is true for online [Munchausen]." Still, the fakers are out there -- and Feldman offers some clues on how to spot them:
They make fantastic personal claims, which are later disproved or contradicted.
They describe the worsening of an illness, followed by a miraculous recovery.
They give light-hearted descriptions of serious medical problems.
They bring in "supporting players" when their audience's attention wanes. ("Now my mother's terminally ill.")
In a study published in the Southern Medical Journal, Feldman describes four cases of Internet posers. In one, a "young woman" held a support group spellbound with the tale of her struggle with cystic fibrosis. Her dream was to die on the beach. That finally happened, according to a posting from the sick woman's sister "Amy." Group members picked up on the ruse when they noticed similarities in spelling errors in postings from Amy and from the sister who was supposed to be dead.
In another, group members were duped by a person claiming to be a 15-year-old-boy with migraine headaches, a blood disorder, and a seizure disorder -- who also happened to be a fourth-year medical student. His deaf "mother" stepped in when members started asking questions, and warned them that the boy might slip into a severe depression if they kept it up.
"I became aware of these cases because people who felt victimized contacted me," Feldman says. "I think their telling me was an effort to expunge their souls of this deception, but also to get professional advice to restore their groups."
And there's no doubt these storytellers can have an enormous impact on Internet support groups. Among other things, Feldman says, they can:
Create a division between those who believe the tale and those who don't
Cause some to leave the group
Temporarily distract the group from its mission by forcing it to focus on the poser
"Overwhelmingly, these support groups offer a tremendous benefit to people," he says. "[But,] as in other areas of our lives, we have to be informed."
But figuring out who is faking may not be easy. The unspoken tenet of Internet support groups is acceptance, and many of those suffering from disorders like Munchausen do their homework -- which is easier than ever, thanks to the web.
"The Munchausen patient used to have to go to a biomedical library and lug around these heavy textbooks," Feldman says. "Now they can lie back in their chair and click here and there ... and become more of an expert at esoteric medical diagnoses than a doctor."
Still, online fakers are far less of a concern than real-life ones, says Beatrice Crofts Yorker, RN, MS, who is a professor of nursing at Georgia State University in Atlanta, an attorney, and an expert on Munchausen by proxy. People with Munchausen by proxy may inflict injuries or illnesses on their children to gain sympathy for themselves.
"The only thing that's hurt here are users of the Internet [support groups]," she says. It's more important, she says, for health care workers to focus on people with these disorders when they are physically hurting other people -- and/or are unnecessarily spending health care dollars.
As for getting rid of the online attention-seekers, Yorker says confrontation is probably the most reliable way of stopping the postings.
LINK
One Expert Calls It 'Munchausen by Internet'
By Jim Morelli, RPh
They're supposed to offer comfort and advice for those suffering from a medical problem, but Internet support groups may feature something else: fraud.
Marc D. Feldman, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Center for Psychiatric Medicine, calls it "Munchausen by Internet" -- a variation of the type of psychiatric disorders that include Munchausen syndrome and Munchausen by proxy. In these disorders, people cook up or induce fictitious illnesses in themselves or others in an effort to gain sympathy.
Feldman points out that the overall rate of these disorders, named for a German baron famed for his tall tales, is low: "In real life ... Munchausen syndrome is rare. My sense is, at least at this point, I have to believe the same is true for online [Munchausen]." Still, the fakers are out there -- and Feldman offers some clues on how to spot them:
They make fantastic personal claims, which are later disproved or contradicted.
They describe the worsening of an illness, followed by a miraculous recovery.
They give light-hearted descriptions of serious medical problems.
They bring in "supporting players" when their audience's attention wanes. ("Now my mother's terminally ill.")
In a study published in the Southern Medical Journal, Feldman describes four cases of Internet posers. In one, a "young woman" held a support group spellbound with the tale of her struggle with cystic fibrosis. Her dream was to die on the beach. That finally happened, according to a posting from the sick woman's sister "Amy." Group members picked up on the ruse when they noticed similarities in spelling errors in postings from Amy and from the sister who was supposed to be dead.
In another, group members were duped by a person claiming to be a 15-year-old-boy with migraine headaches, a blood disorder, and a seizure disorder -- who also happened to be a fourth-year medical student. His deaf "mother" stepped in when members started asking questions, and warned them that the boy might slip into a severe depression if they kept it up.
"I became aware of these cases because people who felt victimized contacted me," Feldman says. "I think their telling me was an effort to expunge their souls of this deception, but also to get professional advice to restore their groups."
And there's no doubt these storytellers can have an enormous impact on Internet support groups. Among other things, Feldman says, they can:
Create a division between those who believe the tale and those who don't
Cause some to leave the group
Temporarily distract the group from its mission by forcing it to focus on the poser
"Overwhelmingly, these support groups offer a tremendous benefit to people," he says. "[But,] as in other areas of our lives, we have to be informed."
But figuring out who is faking may not be easy. The unspoken tenet of Internet support groups is acceptance, and many of those suffering from disorders like Munchausen do their homework -- which is easier than ever, thanks to the web.
"The Munchausen patient used to have to go to a biomedical library and lug around these heavy textbooks," Feldman says. "Now they can lie back in their chair and click here and there ... and become more of an expert at esoteric medical diagnoses than a doctor."
Still, online fakers are far less of a concern than real-life ones, says Beatrice Crofts Yorker, RN, MS, who is a professor of nursing at Georgia State University in Atlanta, an attorney, and an expert on Munchausen by proxy. People with Munchausen by proxy may inflict injuries or illnesses on their children to gain sympathy for themselves.
"The only thing that's hurt here are users of the Internet [support groups]," she says. It's more important, she says, for health care workers to focus on people with these disorders when they are physically hurting other people -- and/or are unnecessarily spending health care dollars.
As for getting rid of the online attention-seekers, Yorker says confrontation is probably the most reliable way of stopping the postings.
LINK
labrat - September 16, 2006 04:32 AM (GMT)
I wish I could have imagined my illness, then I wouldn't have the side effects to deal with. I feel sorry for these people. There are enough problems in life without inventing them. I guess to each his/her thing. A lot of money, time, and energy is wasted. Heaven help them if and when they do finally have an illness.
:im_033: :im_033: Labrat :im_033: :im_033:
:im_033: :im_033: Labrat :im_033: :im_033:
Bernard - September 16, 2006 01:16 PM (GMT)
Mental illness is a real condition.
Birdbomb - September 16, 2006 05:22 PM (GMT)
Munchausen is a mental illness but it unfortunately hurts others by the deceptions the individual carries out.
If the suffer has Munchausen by proxy, then they inflict horrible situations on another so they can look like the concerned and supportive caregivers. Those with Munchausen by proxy are much more dangerous, and if caught, will usually spend time in prison. We have all heard about parents who smother the child then do CRP to bring them back, or inject fecal matter, cleaning solution, medication, whatever into IV's.
These people do not realize or understand how sick they really are. The attention they recieve, justifies their actions.
The internet is an excellent medium for the poliferation of this tragic illness, the anonymity in the safety of one's home, the vast number of messageboards, groups, chatrooms, etc., such a big, big cyberworld out there, so many places for this illness to fester and blossom. We have a had a few here. Some are very easy to spot, some are really hard to decipher, but once you are aware of the symptoms and have experianced a few of these sick individuals, they become much easier to spot. But dealing with them can be another matter in itself.
If the suffer has Munchausen by proxy, then they inflict horrible situations on another so they can look like the concerned and supportive caregivers. Those with Munchausen by proxy are much more dangerous, and if caught, will usually spend time in prison. We have all heard about parents who smother the child then do CRP to bring them back, or inject fecal matter, cleaning solution, medication, whatever into IV's.
These people do not realize or understand how sick they really are. The attention they recieve, justifies their actions.
The internet is an excellent medium for the poliferation of this tragic illness, the anonymity in the safety of one's home, the vast number of messageboards, groups, chatrooms, etc., such a big, big cyberworld out there, so many places for this illness to fester and blossom. We have a had a few here. Some are very easy to spot, some are really hard to decipher, but once you are aware of the symptoms and have experianced a few of these sick individuals, they become much easier to spot. But dealing with them can be another matter in itself.
Birdbomb - September 25, 2008 10:10 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| This afternoon I posted a warning on the journal post concerning the supposed story of a 10 week old dying in a friend's care over the weekend in which the mother came directly online (did not pass go, did not collet 200 dollars) and relayed the tragic story. Anyone who cried fowl (and I do mean big fat turkey) had their posts immediately deleted while the said poster was supposed to be offline making funeral arrangments. If that didn't confirm the fish story what would? Well apparantly there was still an outpouring of sympathy even though the poster wasn't even supposed to be online in the first place. So how can you not be gullible? First, one must know the perptrator and what they look for. I've been on the Internet for more than a dozen years and I've seen all this before and it plays out the same way. There is always a pattern. It isn't always about money (sometimes it is) mostly it is about being the center of attention and gathering up a following. Identify the Nature of the Attention Hound 1. They are nearly always new members. A tragedy relayed to the public board at large within a few weeks of posting is the first sign of a fish story. 2. They seek boards in which the population is trusting and always forthcoming with the virtual hugs and sympathy and prayers. In other words, an atmosphere of nearly blind trust. It is much easier to infiltrate an enormous loose community like Cafemom than it is to wheedle one's way into a private group of a closeknit community. 3. They always say that the Internet is how they are "making it through" and that it is the "only thing keeping them together" and that "without the support of all the people they would be a mess" 4. They will claim to be "gone" to take care of whatever situation it is they are claiming, but they are active elsewhere and clearly online and posting in another place. 5. They seem to have Internet connections in the strangest places. Internet connection in the hospital, for example, or the house of their sister's cousin's father's former roomate. 6. Mysterious "relatives" seem to pop up to defend them and use the same IP address or the same username and claim that so-and-so gave it to them and "OMG all this stress and negativity is causing her to have a stroke." 7. They take on the guise of the sweet and innocent but tragic life. Something is always going wrong. They join a lot of groups and post nice things though never enough to really get to know them, but just enough to get a small backstory going. Some even go so far as to post other people's pictures. 8. Their "bad luck" gets progressively worse and worse until it culminates into a death or terminal disease. 9. The non-ameteurs are good. Very good. They are experts in manipulation. They have their stories well planned out with verifying details, pictures carefully chosen, and they first make close, tight knit friends over the course of MONTHS or a YEAR or more to suck them in before dropping the first in a line of tragic events. These people are hard to spot. It is only when a few people start to put two and two together that the story begins to unravel, but not before they are ganged up upon for being so mean to the longstanding member going through such a hard time. Again, a real story is easy to confirm. A web of lies that is well woven is hard to break apart. 10. They use real stories and real emotions to play upon. An attention seeker is more likely to choose death or disease to relay than a story that requires them to keep playing or coming up with new information as time passes. That isn't to say that they don't do so, but death, illness and disease are much more convenient and shocking for that immediate gut reaction. That is what you want from an audience because if given to much time to think there is no effect. How to Identify a Fish-Story 1. Inconsistency and unbelievability: It can be hard to keep track of the trail of lies that inevitably goes with a fish story. The ameteurs generally do this quite early on. Ages not right. Medical impossibilities. Backtracking. 2. Post tone: A person who has truly gone through something tragic will have a certain tone to their posts, a way of writing, things they say that lend credibility to what they say; and are generally private and not sent to the community at large unless a significant amount of time has gone by. Posts of a lie are contrived, have an eerie balance and have certain elements in this pattern in the present tense: Dear Everyone--Opening sad statment--followed by very vague details--and a closing of 'how am I going to get through this', punctuated by a 'send thoughts/prayers'. A short while later update posts are produced. Real tragic events are nearly always spoken about in the past tense as nearly all of the time it is hard for the person to talk about it and a significant amount of time has passed since the event. 3. Online Activity: Pay attention to when events are supposed to have occured and see if they are possible. If the person is supposed to be in the hospital why are they posting on a thread on a similar site? The reality is that these people are members of multiple boards and don't think they are known. 4. Newspapers and Funerals: Any tragic accident is going to be in the local paper. If there is a death there will be funeral arrangments or a funeral announcement. There was one incident I witnessed in which the story was so good and the member a LONG TIME member made up a story and when someone took up a collection and tried to send flowers the fake story's cover was blown. 5. Passwords: Who gives their online password on their deathbed to their sisterunclemothercousinunclebrother just to come online to post a defense or to relay tragic information updates every half an hour!? No one except liars. There was one real story that I remember on another community in which a husband logged in to relay information several days after the fact under his own name becaues he knew the community (he knew his wife spent a lot of time there) and wanted to say thank you for the letters and flowers. The truth of the story had already been confirmed. 6. Recycled stories: It is not unusual for people to use stories they have read on the Internet or in a book and change a few details. When a prolific community memember or prolific reader says they have seen the story or picture somewhere before, you may want to consider the possibility. |
| QUOTE |
| Edited to Add: First, I am very glad that so many found this post helpful! I wanted to add something, however. There is nothing wrong with a new member posting a horrible story the first time logging in--sometimes that is what they registered for; to get it out. I have done it myself. The difference is that they will nearly always post in a specific group, they have very vivid details, they often "ramble" because they are having difficulty getting their thoughts down, and their posts do not have that weird calm monotone of a story that is made up. Unless the person is a very good writer, made up stories read very hollow. When a real person with a real story is asked questions they answer immediately and their answers do not vary at all even if they are asked the same question by five different people. They do not hedge or evade questions and there is no need to call them on an inconsistency because there aren't any! It is ALL the elements I talked about together in this article that makes for a hoax; the things that do not reconcile with common sense. This doesn't mean that you won't get taken in by an expert liar, but it will allow you to better avoid the obvious fakes. Don't be the post police though! I once got accused of being an employee at at a bridal shop pretending to be an bride just to post where I got my dress by one person who was on a one-woman mission to stamp out "people like me". It was my first day, it was a bridal bargains site, I couldn't help it, I was so happy after a dreadful first outing at another place and I gave a glowing report! The problem was that even when I proved I was telling the truth beyond a shadow of a doubt, that one person didn't even have the decency to apologize. She was even rude and nasty when she confronted me about it in the post. Just don't get overzealous, the best thing to do when in doubt is not involve yourself in it. If you are so sure of a lie then say it with grace. And if you make a mistake then do make amends. |
labrat - September 26, 2008 01:00 PM (GMT)
If one of my chilren died, you probably wouldn't see me on THIS BOARD for a while. The grief would be to hard to talk about! :hand talk:
Dispatch - September 26, 2008 05:13 PM (GMT)
:Yeah That:
Dispatch B)
Dispatch B)
Birdbomb - September 26, 2008 05:50 PM (GMT)
When my mother died, I posted here to my staff and then was gone, I had things to do and the internet didn't exsist. It never even crossed my mind to get on the computer when Daddy died. In fact I have no recollection of the rest of that day or several days after I was told. Shock does wonders.
Such an obvious red flag for these fakers. :Violent:
Such an obvious red flag for these fakers. :Violent:
oreo - September 28, 2008 09:02 PM (GMT)
I recently finished a novel (based on some actual cases) of a mother falsely accused of Munchausen's by Proxy.
Thanks BB for providing info that alerts us to the possibility of being drawn into an unhealthy fictitious relationship.
In a healthy relationship, both members benefit....when it's unhealthy at least one person will be hurt.
Thanks BB for providing info that alerts us to the possibility of being drawn into an unhealthy fictitious relationship.
In a healthy relationship, both members benefit....when it's unhealthy at least one person will be hurt.
gel61820 - September 29, 2008 03:00 PM (GMT)
:Yeah That:
Birdbomb - July 24, 2009 05:46 AM (GMT)
Dispatch - July 24, 2009 11:52 AM (GMT)
:D THANKS for the bump Birdbomb.
There are lots of good people on the net who are legitimate and are truly in need of a good support system. It is the fakers that are so darn time consuming, not to forget to mention they suck the emotional life out of people who are trying to give support and encouragement.
B)
There are lots of good people on the net who are legitimate and are truly in need of a good support system. It is the fakers that are so darn time consuming, not to forget to mention they suck the emotional life out of people who are trying to give support and encouragement.
B)