I suffer from severe depression. I had a friend who was very judgmental about my illness, and very demanding despite my barriers. Her lack of sympathy hurt me, so I tried to gain back sympathy by pretending to be diagnosed with a terminal illness. But it backfired horribly: Even though she believed me, she still treated me poorly, acted like it was no different from any other illness, and even started ignoring me more. Now I’m even more depressed, because it turns out that even if someone thinks I’m dying, I’m still not worth their time or sympathy. I know I’m wrong for lying, but I can’t help it feel like a victim because she’s also wrong for not caring.
