20/07/2021
Migraine is often a hidden disease and reason for both physical and psychological struggling. The ability to enjoy life can be taken away, but sometimes its true impact is hidden.
Has anyone ever accused you of faking having a as an excuse to get out of obligations?
So many factors contribute to this- is primarily an ; it primarily affects women; it carries a stigma so pervasive that people truly don't grasp the severity. People living with migraine aren't making excuses to get out of obligations. We want to work. We want to spend time with our friends and family. We want to live.
Migraine is the most common and it’s the 2nd leading cause of disability worldwide. Every time you dismiss a coworker’s “excuse”, you're hurting the billion(!) people living with this illness. 90% of people can't function normally through a migraine attack. An attack often forces us to lie down in dark, silent rooms for hours or longer to manage our nausea, pain, cognitive dysfunction, and more. We would never dare lie about it or use it as an excuse.
We don’t fake being sick. In fact, many of us fake being well. Society is so dismissive of migraine disease that many of us are ashamed to admit to an attack. Just 42% of people calling out of work for a migraine attack tell their supervisors the truth due to fears of judgement or disbelief. This concern can be valid- just 22% of employees report that migraine is a serious enough reason to miss work.
This keeps migraine underresearched, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. The good news? We can fight this. Every time we share our story and educate others about migraine, we chip away at the stigma. We can't hide in this undeserved shame. Our is strong and together, we will shatter this stigma.
How do you respond when people accuse you of faking? How do you advocate for yourself and for the community?
