Faking depression

learning_to_drive

DCFC79 wrote: »

ok we will agree to disagree, he isnt what i would call scum, what he needs is a good kick up the backside,

My brother needs a good kick up the backside sometimes, however he isn't planning to be signed off work faking an illness that brings misery and worry to the sufferer and their immediates like your "friend" is.

So I would say scum is a pretty accurate description really.

mr.brightside87

This is disgraceful. I can't understand why someone would contemplate doing this.

I have been in the clutches of depression for the last 2 years. I have been refused incapacity benefit even though one point, I couldn't bring myself to leave the house. I complained several times about it and got nowhere but yet someone I know got signed off work and was was accepted for incapacity benefit yet he was fine and dandy... and he was "diagnosed" with depression. Later he admitted he layed it on at the docs and I dont speak to him now. Should it be fair that someone who couldn't get work because of it was refused but yet somebody who fakes it gets what the person who is actually ill is entitled to?

I now have to get by on JSA and have to go on stupid courses which gets me even more depressed simply because I can't get a job while i'm in this state. But yet the job centre don't seem to understand. All they see you as is a statistic.

If this person gets benefit's then it shows how bad this country really is. I would put him up the proverbial creek and snitch on him. Or even better, send him my way. He'd think about doing it again!

I agree with all the comments upthread.

You may also want to point out to him that if he is signed off work with "depression", it will go on his medical records. In future, when he tries to take out permanent health insurance and similar insurance cover, he will be asked to declare whether or not he has ever suffered from depression or other mental illness and has ever had to take time off work for it. If he doesn't want to invalidate the insurance, he will have to answer yes, which will increase his premiums and/or affect his ability to get cover - for the rest of his life. That's the price he'll pay for dishonesty now.

Not always... My health insurance hasn't gone up at all. I only signed the form last week as it ran out. Saying that, I don't actually pay for all of that due to not being in work so the team I play rugby for pays just under half of it. The only time it might go up is if you have come off your medication. Obviously, because it is not monitored, relapses may well happen.

jennihen

Ironically work is one of the best therapies for depression!!

mr.brightside87

jennihen wrote: »

Ironically work is one of the best therapies for depression!!

Not when you work with knives in a busy kitchen...

My boss wouldnt let me near the kitchen. I didn;t get sacked just chose to leave

fatou256

not everyone with depression will benfit form work ! depression can affect yourlife in many ways for example concentration, speech memory etc....

mr.brightside87

fatou256 wrote: »

not everyone with depression will benfit form work ! depression can affect yourlife in many ways for example concentration, speech memory etc....

Well I got told not to go in simply because we used to cover 300 covers a day at lunch and about the same at dinner. It was a stressful place and arguments were a plenty.

The number of times I stormed out before I left were unbelievable

jennihen

not necessarily 40 hours/week of mind-numbing or stressfull soul-destroying slog. a couple of hours volunteering can really make a difference. It beats dwelling on the negative and can really open your eyes and a whole lot of doorways to new opportunities.

fatou256

again jennihen not everyone will benefit form few hours of volunteering. there is different degree and cause of depression what works for you doens't mean it will work for another one !

depression is not just a case dwelling in the negative or feeling sad this is very wrong preception of what is depression !

upsykimsy

People like your friend make me genuinely sick. All the females on my mum's side of the family have suffered from depression at some point. Myself included. But not once have any of us given up on work. My mum worked until retirement. My sister is still working. I lost my job but I'm returning to college in september. Not everyone with depression leaves employment. The fact your friend is considering making a mockery of such an illness enrages me. Sit him down with a genuine depression sufferer. Let them tell him what it's life to wake up in the morning and just want to sleep through the rest of the day, what its like to go to bed at night not caring if you wake up. To cry yourself to sleep. Or to even contemplate, or god forbid attempt, suicide. Let him hear the effects anti-depressants have on your body. They sent me suicidal, made my self harm worse, made me lose my appetite to the extent that I went days without eating. And this was expected side effects from the medication. Tell your friend to grow up. Because if he fakes this, he'll be insulting the entire country.

upsykimsy

Work did help me. I was getting out. I was walking to work, releasing enforphins, and getting a slight social life at the same time. I was lucky that I had an understanding boss. It doesn't work for everyone. I'm lucky. It worked for me