Brovo, don't be a colossal dickweed. Okay, we know, you've had a hard time as a result of your own experiences with mental illness, and people faking it or trivialising it only make things a million times harder. You know that I know that because I wrote a whole freaking article on public misconceptions of mental illness and used you as a source, remember? Trust me, I get it. I've been there myself, actually.

But what you have to remember is that [i]it doesn't make you an expert on every mental disorder ever[/i]. You don't have a freaking clue who Wayne is, what doctors he's seen, what hospitals he's been to, or anything else. Maybe it doesn't seem believable within the realms of your own experiences, but honestly, just as equally someone who's never experienced a disorder could call bullshit on stuff you've said about your experiences. You aren't in a position to pass judgement on everyone else who has any sort of connection to mental illness just because you have experience with it too. You are limited and locked within your own personal experiences just like anyone else.

Maybe you're right about Wayne's diagnoses not matching up with the way it should be diagnosed, I wouldn't know - but holy shit, you must be lucky as hell in your experience with mental health professionals and doctors if you think they always have actual competency and know the 'rules'. I'd bust out some statistics about how many wrong diagnoses are made annually or whatever, but honestly, I don't think I need to - it's a well-known issue that mental health treatment, even in the plushy Western countries most of us live in here on RPG, is still often pretty appalling. And with the clusterfuck of different diagnoses and conflicting opinions I've seen some people get caught up in, it wouldn't surprise me if some people didn't know what the hell was on the official record anymore. 

But y'know what - let's just assume you're right. So what?

Calling people out on it, whether they are actually lying or not, helps [i]nothing[/i]. It accomplishes nothing. You have no way of disproving what they've said, and it comes down to a bitchfight between the two of you, your word against theirs. It proves nothing. In fact, all it does is make people with genuine issues afraid to discuss them, in case they're actually persecuted by their own kind who don't believe them. You see a similar phenomenon in "nerdism", so to speak. Geek culture is so fucking brutal to people who they consider "posers" or not "real" geeks that it massively deters people from openly and genuinely enjoying "geeky" things and showing an interest. Another example: a girl I knew posted something up on Facebook condemning others for self-harming just for attention, which detracted from the seriousness of people who "genuinely" had a problem - completely fucking oblivious to the fact that half the reason harmers are so afraid to be open about it is because of the fear of being labelled "fakers" or "attention seekers", and that her doing that was only making life more difficult for people with those issues. You're doing the exact same thing here. Regardless of whether you're right about Wayne or not, busting everybody who's story doesn't pass your freaking arbitrary mental authentication checklist just means people feel fucking petrified of ever coming out and speaking about their issues in case they don't pass your little test, and end up being rejected and abused by those who should have been likeminded and supportive.

This is a personal issue for you. I know that. But you're an intelligent guy; don't let it cloud your judgement. Think about what you're saying and what it means in the wider context, just as you're angry at those who fake illnesses for attention for the wider repercussions they cause. 

Anyway, despite my rant, I know you guys resolved your differences and whatever and don't think further argument is conducive to the discussion at hand, which is about RPing. I just felt it was important to note.