Munschhausen by Internet? News to me.

[PiCO]

I agree with you there, Jean, but what about when people are making it up? I felt like an enormous fool after JGEMom was exposed. I stayed away from the old boards for months after that. I felt completely embarrassed to have been so gullible. I kind of got over that when I realized I wasn't the only one -- that many of us took her bait.

 

So now I tend to put up my guard quite quickly. To be honest, that doesn't feel very good either, but I don't think I could stand getting burned again.

 

Me too. I was accused by someone of being a faker during the JGEMom episode, but fortunately I know someone in real life who was on the board, so she vouched for me. It was still very hurtful.

 

I did post some very intimate details of my personal tragedy. Some people wondered why I shared this information on a message board. Well, it was late at night, I couldn't sleep, and I needed hugs- virtual and otherwise. The kind words were extremely helpful to me, at a time when I desperately needed them.

 

I do wonder about posters I see here and on other boards, but I would never try to "expose" them as being fake. How would I know? I just ignore them and move on. I do think it's sad that I can't believe them though. The JGEMom thing was way too hurtful to me, and I don't want to get burned again.

[Denisemomof4]

I don't either. Was this a case of just a lier that liked to rile people up...a troll...or a true case of munchausen's and how would anyone know for sure?

 

See, that's the rub. Some people really do just get hammered, over and over, with illnesses, injuries, storms of life, etc. I'd hate to begin suspecting everyone who is going through a bad spot, of mental illness or criminal behavior towards their children. But, I understand that there are people like this out there. I know I've been accused by a couple of posters on this board of "embellishing" or out and out lieing about dd's accomplishments as a paramedic. Yet, they are very, very true and because she works in an area that services level 1 trauma units, she sees patients with rare problems and ER's that are brimming with critical patients. Yet, I suppose, since I can't prove to the naysayers these incidents because I can't disclose location and identifying information due to Hipa, then I guess this proud mamma should just keep her mouth shut to the board.

 

Faith

 

 

NO YOU SHOULD NOT. I almost became an EMT in my earlier years and I love hearing those stories. Keep them coming!!!

[unsinkable]

The thing that I find ironic in this thread is that many people have had experience with posters (on this board and others) who have been less than truthful and yet, there is some stigma attached to not believing certain situations/posters/stories.

 

:confused:

[MelanieM]

Yeah, I've seen this many times online. I have also been in the position of BS detector and whistle blower on a few occasions. (ETA: I was in a position of community leadership in cases where fraud was occuring, so whistle blowing was necessary.) Not particularly fun. But even though I've been roped into this type of thing, I am still with the posters who have said that there's always room for kindness, because even if the presented issue isn't real, there's obviously something going on if people are displaying this type of behaviour. I do prefer to offer up that type of kindness from a distance, though there must be some payoff in the drama for me too or I wouldn't ever find myself in the middle of the detector side of it. lol! Above all, I try to always trust my gut on this stuff. So far, so good.

 

I will add that I much prefer my drama online than off. So if I have to pick, I'll pick the slightly crazy needy person spinning a web of lies online crossing my path over the in person variety. It's so much easier to ignore it that way! I like to live in a drama-free zone as much as possible!

[Denisemomof4]

The thing that I find ironic in this thread is that many people have had experience with posters (on this board and others) who have been less than truthful and yet, there is some stigma attached to not believing certain situations/posters/stories.

 

:confused:

 

:confused:I'm not aware of any untruths.......

 

ETA: Oh holy cow I understand what you're saying now, that we've experienced some untruths on other boards and with JGEMom, but I'm not aware of any other untruths on this board.

 

I thought you were referring to this thread and CLEARLY you were not.

 

Forgive me. I am NOT a morning person and dd11 and I awoke at 4:30 to go watch the sun rise and try to get a glimpse of six planets. My brain is mush!!!

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110429/sc_space/sixplanetsnowalignedinthedawnsky

Edited May 6, 2011 by Denisemomof4

[Impish]

I think the thing is, life can be chaos. Unpredictable, dramatic...

 

For someone that is in a difficult time, doubting, calling out, whatever can seriously hurt them. Cause them to isolate themselves, cut off what support they have.

 

I'd rather risk praying for someone than hurt someone.

 

Maybe its b/c my life is so freakin weird, I don't know.

[cathmom]

JGEMom had me hook line and sinker. Now, I am (I think) getting pretty good at spotting them. I have a strong feeling there are a few on this board still. They aren't necessarily the people who have chronic health problems and post about them. Their posts just grab me as off somehow. Once you see the "offness", it is hard to believe they are being truthful.

 

That's why the ignore feature is so handy!

 

Some of these people may have NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder). I know someone IRL who definitely has this. One time she called me, really upset that her father and stepmother had come over and just out of the blue started rearranging her furniture, and how dare they, and she was so upset, etc. Later I found out that the furniture was a birthday gift from them, and that she had invited them over for the express purpose of rearranging her furniture!!!!! These people live on drama and being the center of attention, and if nothing is going on, they will create something.

[MelanieM]

:confused:I'm not aware of any untruths.......

 

I think she's saying that people who have been burned and tend to be skeptical because of it face a stigma of not being trusting, or as being perceived of being skeptical of the wrong people. It can feel just as awkward/uncomfortable to have people respond on this thread saying it's cruel to question the intentions of unamed posters as it is to read the questioning posts in the first place.

[In the Rain]

I was on another homeschool board where people were banned after being found out as frauds. I recall two different occasions.

 

OTOH, I know people IRL whose stories would never be believed online. Even I am baffled by how many things can go so wrong in one person's life (or pregnancy). :confused:

[Tammyla]

The JGEMom mess surprised and left me pretty jaded.

 

There was another ?tara? who used board member's sympathy for financial gain, but that somehow was more reasonable to me. It was wrong and greedy, but made more sense than enjoying and manipulating strangers heartstrings and sympathy just for the fun of it.

[Word Nerd]

I forgot about this related thread, which popped up when I searched for JGEMom. I'm not familiar with that story either. Would anyone give a short summary for those of us who don't know what you're referring to?

Edited May 6, 2011 by WordGirl

[elegantlion]

I think it's listener beware. I'm pretty good at reading people IRL, but on the internet you're missing so much body language, tone, etc. I've heard some fishy stories on different sites, but never anything outlandish.

 

I'm glad we have a sense of community here. I know there are people whose lives are dramatic and if they didn't have this community they might not be believed. I feel emotionally invested in some of those people. I care about them and their lives. They don't ask for money or post things that I question. I have a certain comfort level with them.

 

I also learned a long time ago that within a community some people feel free to share everything, others are more guarded. I take some of that as personality, some of that as the season of someone's life.

 

I try to take people at their words until they prove otherwise.

[unsinkable]

I forgot about this related thread, which popped up when I searched for JGEMom. I'm not familiar with that story either. Would anyone give a short summary for those of us who don't know what you're referring to?

 

I thought J G E mom said she had a 15 yo DD get pregnant while having $3x in the bathroom at youth group. BUT the thread you linked said her DH died of a heart attack?

 

So maybe I am getting my liars confused? :confused:

[arghmatey]

I've seen it a lot on a very popular parenting site.

[Stacie]

I thought J G E mom said she had a 15 yo DD get pregnant while having $3x in the bathroom at youth group. BUT the thread you linked said her DH died of a heart attack?

 

So maybe I am getting my liars confused? :confused:

 

 

I think she was posting under so many names (and posting as friends of those names) that everyone was getting confused. She also announced that her daughter died of a rare disorder. The inconsistencies and IP searches did her in.

 

The old board didn't have the registration accountability of this one, so people could type any name they wished and the post would display as such.

[AuntieM]

Sorry I can't take the time at the moment to read beyond the first page of replies, but I would like to recommend a movie to you.

 

The title is Catfish, it is a documentary, and currently available at redboxes. I do not want to tell you too much, as it will spoil the film to know too much ahead of time, but I think you will find it very interesting with regard to cyber-relationships (and no, it is not a freak-trolling-for-saucy-young-girls-sting-operation flick).

 

It premiered at Sundance 2010.

[EKS]

There are a few here that I wonder about sometimes; always drama, always the victim. Makes me go hmmmm.

 

:iagree:

[LNC]

There was another one a few years back. A woman (from Ga. I think) posted frequently about her child with the same rare genetic disorder my child has. I saw some rare flags in her posts bc I knew about the diagnostic process. She eventually posted that her child died and itcame out she was a troll. Does anyone remember that?

 

I also remember the JGE one too. It made me think no one would ever believe our damily's special needs, but I post during my homeschooling anxiety attacks or for specific curriculum questions anyway!

[BarbecueMom]

DH used to be part of an online gaming guild. The big joke was that if anyone posted real-life drama, it was fake, because none of them had real lives to contain any drama.

 

They more than made up for it in heated political debates.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I think you have to separate out a few issues when talking about this.

 

1. There's true Munchausen which is an actual psychiatric condition. I only know the popular definition of this but I understand that it involves making people think you (or a child by proxy) are extremely ill when you aren't.

 

2. There are scammers who just want to prey on people's generosity.

 

3. There are people who are complainers and martyrs and/or narcissistic not to the point of illness but just as a personality trait.

 

4. There are people who just have had a tough time in life.

 

I don't think it's helpful to lump them all together because #3 and #4 are not evil. They might be a bit sad in the case of #3 but then don't we all fit this category at some point or another? I know that I do. There are times when I'm having a pity party or a time when I realize that I'm complaining too much.

 

Someone earlier in this thread made a good point about what someone wants in a post. Some people only want to vent - not just on occasion but always. Some of the motivation for venting might be to blow off steam but often (and I've done this too) it is because we really do want sympathy. Wanting sympathy on occasion is not wrong. But when someone wants sympathy all the time and never wants any advice on how they might fix it or look at things differently, then that's sad and could (depending on the severity) veer into mental illness.

 

I have chronic illness and I often think I've heard every piece of advice there is on what to do about it or how to cope but you'd be surprised. I've gotten very good advice here - much of it is stuff I knew but had forgotten about but occasionally someone has given a totally new perspective. I value this forum because while it is a warm fuzzy place at times, it also is a place where I can get a (hopefully gentle) kick in the butt. I need that in order to be a better and healthier person.

[Parrothead]

 

Maybe its b/c my life is so freakin weird, I don't know.

Hey, yours can't be any weirder than mine. Who would believe that I've lived in.... how many different states in one life time? And within those states I've moved up to 4 times. :tongue_smilie:

[Impish]

LOL!

 

Having RSD, is, in itself, pretty weird. Its sooooo much fun explaining to Drs what it is, how it happened, how it effects me...

 

My personal fave was the Dr I fired, b/c he didn't know what the R stood for, but insisted that the SD stood for 'Stress Disorder' and wanted to send me to a psychiatrist. Bone head.

[abbeyej]

Lisa K too (who posted under half a dozen different names a day on the old boards for a while). And there was a woman on another board I used to frequent. She made up the death of a child, etc. ... There are posts from time to time now that I wonder about, but I just don't pay enough attention to be sure.

[Abigail4476]

I think it's important to judge each person and situation with fresh eyes and not bring along past baggage of betrayals into it. For instance, I don't go around suspecting all men of being scumbags even though I've personally known several who were. :)

 

I think this board is awesome, and I love the stuff that is shared here. Sometimes I read even when I don't have time to comment because it's a boost for my day. Recently one that really touched my heart was the woman who couldn't reach her son in Alabama and one of the members here so generously offered to go check out the situation for her. (And gave her some much-needed peace of mind.) I love how the kindness obviously does extend to RL, and it's amazing.

 

I've never known anyone with Munschhausen, BUT on another board where I post there was a longtime poster who one day, out of the blue, posted as if he was a bereaved family member--and that particular poster had passed. (Something along the lines of, "I'm sorry, _______ has had a heart attack and will not be posting here anymore; thanks everyone for being such a great friend to him, he loved it here.")

 

You would not believe the heartache that caused. People really liked this poster and had *real* feelings for this person as a friend or acquaintance. About a year later, this person came back [to life???] and said it had all been a big joke, but when he saw how upset everyone was he had been afraid to post. Needless to say, he was neither forgiven nor accepted back. It's terrible to mess with people's emotions like that. :glare:

 

I'm not going to let one crazy person spoil my view of humanity, or limit my compassion, but I WILL be more likely to check the obituaries for the facts and see if there's a real funeral home where I can send flowers.

 

It's always okay to ask questions, and I DO think we should trust our gut instincts. I've discovered that when my gut tells me something is "off" it usually is.

[MelanieM]

I think you have to separate out a few issues when talking about this.

 

1. There's true Munchausen which is an actual psychiatric condition. I only know the popular definition of this but I understand that it involves making people think you (or a child by proxy) are extremely ill when you aren't.

 

2. There are scammers who just want to prey on people's generosity.

 

3. There are people who are complainers and martyrs and/or narcissistic not to the point of illness but just as a personality trait.

 

4. There are people who just have had a tough time in life.

 

 

</p>

Excellent point, Jean. I have run into #2, which is the stuff I think people most often need to protect themselves from. I wouldn't be surprised if those people have #1 or #3 mixed in there leading them to that behaviour.

 

I've also seen lots and lots of #3. Sometimes I think putting a lot of energy into those types of people can do more harm than good for those individuals (I see it as a form of enabling), and I'm not inclined to go there in general. But if other people want to go there, then more power to them. Lots of people like their drama, whatever side they tend to come out on. I've certainly allowed myself to get caught up in my fair share of it!

[mommymilkies]

DH used to be part of an online gaming guild. The big joke was that if anyone posted real-life drama, it was fake, because none of them had real lives to contain any drama.

 

They more than made up for it in heated political debates.

:lol:

[SkateLeft]

I've seen it a lot on a very popular parenting site.

 

:iagree:

 

I stopped hanging around those general parenting forums years ago for that very reason. I have a dear IRL friend whose photos of her micro-preemie daughter were appropriated by a sick woman on a popular parenting board. The whole situation was very sad.

 

I also dealt with a few of those types of situations when I was list owner of the K12users yahoogroup. Ugh.

 

I remember the JGEMom thing. I've been around these boards (and the old boards) a very long time, though I don't post very often!

 

I still give people the benefit of the doubt though. I'm not going to send money to anyone I don't know IRL, but it doesn't hurt to say a little prayer for folks sometimes. :)

[DarlaS]

This is an older article, but it's new to me. http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/532844/A_Guide_to_Not_Being_Gullible_AKA_Beware_the_Munchausen_By_Internet

 

I remember the JGEMom fiasco on the old boards. I fell for it and hard, but after it was over, I thought for sure that was an isolated incident. I had heard of Munschhausen's syndrome, but I hadn't heard of this variation, even though I guess I encountered it with that incident.

 

Is this a common thing? I'm on very few other forums. Most are quite small and for very specific interests, so from my perspective it doesn't seem rampant. I suppose we do occasionally get trolls here, but that's not the same thing at all.

 

If you are on online forums a lot, do you see this often?

 

How does someone get past that emotional manipulation? Or, should we always be cautious with our emotional investments online?

 

Absolutely. I don't go to that forum anymore. Said poster is now here. (Ignore button is unnecessary. I just keep movin' on...)

 

And yes, do not get emotionally invested in online relationships. I do not now, and never have, considered the internet to be a source of true friendships. That's just not what it's for (IMO).

[jujsky]

My friend is on a board for cerebral palsy (her daughter has it) and something just like this happened on that board. A woman claimed her daughter died and there was an outpouring of sympathy....until she posted the picture of her infant DD and it was a picture of another mom's child. That mom was also on that board and called her out. It's pretty sick.

 

I've known people like this. Not to this extent, but people who ALWAYS make themselves out to be the victim and then go on the attack when you question them. I left another board because of that and then internet stalking by said person. It's truly sick and disturbing.

[DarlaS]

I'm one of those posters with constant family drama. I have posted pretty frequently. (Duh.) I haven't even told every.single.thing. that has happened. I did at first, but I'm learning not to. I hope you all know I'm real, and I'm trying not to have my life defined by those around me, and that I do so appreciate the prayer support and good vibes. I actually turned down MariannNova's dinner at one point, because I just didn't have the energy even to receive real life support! How weird is that?

 

I was here also for the JGEM thing, but I honestly don't remember it all.

 

I think it's interesting how fragile a thing trust is...built up slowly, shattered in an instant, even slower or sometimes impossible to build again.

 

I hope you know I never take your trust for granted.

 

I don't associate your posts with drama at all.:001_huh:

 

Seriously, I think it's the poster who posts little or nothing else that sends up red flags.

[Word Nerd]

 

1. There's true Munchausen which is an actual psychiatric condition. I only know the popular definition of this but I understand that it involves making people think you (or a child by proxy) are extremely ill when you aren't.

 

Munchausen by Internet is also a real mental disorder that has been written about in medical journals. I understand what you're saying, but I think there could be some overlap between #1 on your list and #3. We often have no way of knowing.

Edited May 6, 2011 by WordGirl

[Jean in Newcastle]

Munchausen by Internet is also a real mental disorder that has been written about in medical journals, and I don't think anyone has misused the term here.

 

I don't think anyone said that they did:confused:

[Word Nerd]

I don't think anyone said that they did:confused:

 

I agree, and I apologize. I took that out after I reread it but didn't get it updated before you quoted it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Munchausen by Internet is also a real mental disorder that has been written about in medical journals. I understand what you're saying, but I think there could be some overlap between #1 on your list and #3. We often have no way of knowing.

 

Oh I agree that there is overlap. But isn't that the way it is with mental illness in general? Everyone (at least that I know) has some anxiety at some point in their life. But taken to an extreme it becomes an anxiety disorder or a phobia or some other manifestation. Everyone has sad times but when it causes you to cease to function it is depression. . . .

 

And I agree that we often have no way of knowing. I offer my genuine sympathy and prayers for people but yet I protect my heart a bit by realizing that so much is out of my control because I don't really know the truth of the matter (and because my control is so limited!). I offer advice too but realize that people are free to take it or leave it. This is true in face to face life too. There is often a lot that we don't know then too.

[Jennifer3141]

Almost 8 years ago on AOL, some nut made up this entire story about her dying baby and the real sofhearts amongst us started charity auctions for her. (The less softer-hearted like me just bought stuff! lol)

 

They raised THOUSANDS. And the mom went on a CRUISE with the money after posting pics of her dead baby. Days after all the money had been sent, the REAL mother of the dead baby shows up and she is not happy at all about her child's image being used in this matter. Gross.

 

Our internet board went nuts for days and weeks. Everyone felt so disgusted and used. Everyone finally settled down because we had to accept that the money left all of us in good faith. The fact that a whackadoo lied about it all didn't mitigate the good we tried to do. And when it came down to it, we all realized this "April" woman was really just mentally ill. As despicable as she was, at least none of the rest of us certifiably belonged in a mental hospital.

 

That's pretty mcuh the last time I got involved in a case. I've seen a few happen in other places, but I just block them and move on as soon as my "spidey sense" starts tingling. :D

[leeannpal]

It happened on a board that I used to frequent. A lady that had been a member for years claimed that her daughter was molested. We all responded sympathetically, and many people werre helping her with legal advice. A few weeks later, a frined of hers IRL who also posted occasionally, told us all that this lady had committed suicide! She said she read it on her blog. Anyway, a few days later, we found out this was not the case. This lady said she posted that on her blog because she was being stalked! after that, I left that message board. Too weird for me!

[Pink Fairy]

Sorry I can't take the time at the moment to read beyond the first page of replies, but I would like to recommend a movie to you.

 

The title is Catfish, it is a documentary, and currently available at redboxes. I do not want to tell you too much, as it will spoil the film to know too much ahead of time, but I think you will find it very interesting with regard to cyber-relationships (and no, it is not a freak-trolling-for-saucy-young-girls-sting-operation flick).

 

It premiered at Sundance 2010.

 

Oh yes, I LOVED this movie--absolutely fascinating!

 

I also wonder about a few posters here, but generally it doesn't bother me much. Probably because I've never been hurt or taken advantage of online (that I know of, anyway). I think if I'd really been suckered, I'd be more suspicious, more angry at the ones I suspected. As it is, I just pity them, especially if their stories are true, but even if they aren't.

[teamturner]

That is so sad for your friend. And I'm sorry for your loss.

 

:grouphug:

[kitten18]

It happened on a board that I used to frequent. A lady that had been a member for years claimed that her daughter was molested. We all responded sympathetically, and many people werre helping her with legal advice. A few weeks later, a frined of hers IRL who also posted occasionally, told us all that this lady had committed suicide! She said she read it on her blog. Anyway, a few days later, we found out this was not the case. This lady said she posted that on her blog because she was being stalked! after that, I left that message board. Too weird for me!

Hmmm, sounds extremely familiar to me. I wonder if we were on the same board/boards?

[ocelotmom]

A lot of that's valid, but this particular point isn't really up to date.

 

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.

There's not really any strange place for an internet connection these days.

 

Many hospitals have internet connections for patients/visitors, and, even in those that don't, many people have internet access on their cellphones. I wouldn't consider posting from a hospital to be suspicious in the slightest.

 

Circumstances would be more likely to raise my eyebrow than location - liveblogging their baby's Code Blue, or claiming to use the free wireless during the viewing at the funeral parlor or something like that - situations where reasonably their priorities would be elsewhere.

 

I've seen internet fakes. I've also seen enough (in real life) that was really freaking weird and improbable but 100% verifiable. I so want to tell a particular story but it's improbability is enough to make it a HIPAA violation in itself! I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt in absence of actual evidence to the contrary... but wouldn't send them anything of value without some sort of reliable verification, either.

 

(Several years ago, someone posted ultrasound pictures from their horse. I was so tempted to create a fake persona, join an internet pregnancy community, and eventually post my "ultrasound" pictures and see if anyone caught it. But I don't have anywhere near the free time on my hands to actually go through with it, as well as some level of scruples,)

[twoforjoy]

I think it's probably pretty common, unfortunately. I've been on a few boards where it's just seemed really, really obvious to me (and I'm not a particularly cynical person, I don't think) that somebody was, at the very least, exaggerating things to get sympathy.

 

I find that annoying, but unless they move into actually trying to scam people (and I've seen people either explicitly ask for money or go on so much about their dire financial woes, in such detail, that it's obvious they're hoping people will send them money) I mainly just think it's sad. Because if you need to make up that kind of drama to get emotional support from people, then you probably are in need of emotional support, you know?

 

Pregnancy boards seem particularly rife with this, probably because you've got new batches of posters coming in every month. I felt like the birth boards on Babycenter were probably half filled with people who just make up relationship/pregnancy traumas for fun.

Edited May 6, 2011 by twoforjoy

[pfamilygal]

Gosh, that's terrible.

 

I hope y'all don't think I'm a troll because I'm new and posted about getting robbed yesterday. I really just wanted to know what I needed to do.

 

Turns out the thief dropped my phone and camera in the front yard (we were able to get the phone working after a bit of fussing, camera is fine). Dh thinks he might have put my ring upstairs, but can't remember where. So it seems the thief may have got NOTHING! Woot!

 

Oh, and our neighbor just replaced his door. So he has an extra door frame exactly like ours that he and dh are going to use to replace ours this weekend. Yeah!

 

I guess the thief got scared off by the dog? He was barking in the backyard. Kind of laughable, our dog is an 11 lb mutt.

 

But thank God, we are no worse for the wear. People keep telling me I should feel violated, but I really am not that upset. We are fine and stuff is just stuff. :)

[mom2jjka]

I've seen it just recently on another board.

The board banded together to help someone who's home was apparently destroyed in the southern tornadoes.... Turns out not a speck of her story was real.

[Jean in Newcastle]

There have been some other posters with sob stories on this board over the years. They posted for a while but got nothing but sympathy and they drifted away. Could it be coincidence - yes. But I don't think that we are wrong to be careful when it comes to giving.

 

It's a totally different thing if we get to know a boardie in face to face meetings and then see a way to help them. But even then be aware that giving always has risks. I gave to one person at some sacrifice to myself (not a huge sacrifice but it was not "extra" if you know what I mean) then I found out that what they called dire straits were quite different than what I would call dire! I felt used even though the gift was freely given. I had to let that go in my mind so that it wouldn't sour me on reaching out to others.

[Audrey]

I thought J G E mom said she had a 15 yo DD get pregnant while having $3x in the bathroom at youth group. BUT the thread you linked said her DH died of a heart attack?

 

So maybe I am getting my liars confused? :confused:

 

No that was the same person, although she posted under multiple monikers on the old boards to keep her stories going. First it was the dead dh, then the pregnant dd, then a dying dd. When it was all exposed, it was also discovered she'd been selling books through the boards and scamming people that way. She received payments but never sent any books. That's how her name came out and yes, it was a Tara in Georgia. IIRC, Butch was the one who laid the whole trace and discovery out on her blog at the time and on the boards.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Audrey

[Audrey]

LOL!

 

Having RSD, is, in itself, pretty weird. Its sooooo much fun explaining to Drs what it is, how it happened, how it effects me...

 

My personal fave was the Dr I fired, b/c he didn't know what the R stood for, but insisted that the SD stood for 'Stress Disorder' and wanted to send me to a psychiatrist. Bone head.

 

 

But, Imp... that's not all you post about. Like Jean, like Chris, you contribute to discussions and it doesn't always come back to revolving around YOU. RSD is part of your life, but it isn't the only thing we get to know about you.

 

When people are so enmeshed in their own dramas and posting only about that (or predominantly about that) it sometimes looks "off," KWIM? Or when people post overly dramatic, obviously attention seeking posts repeatedly... that seems "off" too, especially when that appears to be their main contribution to the board.

 

Maybe I'm not expressing myself well, but I don't distrust people for their life difficulties. We all have them. We all need support. I think Jean's use of the phrase "narcissitic personality" is spot on. I think that, for me, that is what prompts my red flags to go up. When something dramatic or traumatic comes from a poster, it doesn't instantly make me suspicious. It's the pattern of narcissism that eventually turns me off.

[FaithManor]

Is anyone else feeling the need for another kilt kerfuffle?

 

Kilts, the magic cure to all board stresses!!!!

 

Seriously, agreeing with Audrey here about the "narcissitic pattern" diagnosis.

 

Faith

[Mommy22alyns]

I have seen it at least a few times, on a couple of different boards. :glare:

[Liz CA]

I've been on this board since waayyyy back when the board still *flipped* but I don't remember this JGEMom either. Finally something I did not fall for?

I cannot understand people like this???? Wouldn't you rather post something good, something GREAT happening, rejoice with others...??? Totally lost on this one.

[Denisemomof4]

When people are so enmeshed in their own dramas and posting only about that (or predominantly about that) it sometimes looks "off," KWIM? Or when people post overly dramatic, obviously attention seeking posts repeatedly... that seems "off" too, especially when that appears to be their main contribution to the board.

 

.

 

what's wrong with me? Do I really miss that much? Or is it my memory? I seriously just have no recollection of seeing any poster like this!!! I've seen this mentioned before and have kept a little more of a lookout for this type of poster........ I guess I just....... well I don't know! Maybe my selecting to read threads that only interest me have me missing a lot of drama?

 

I guess ignorance truly IS bliss. :tongue_smilie: