It’s called Munchhausen by Internet, the condition of faking illness online.  It’s a form of factitious disorder, a mental disorder where people fake illness or actually make themselves sick to get sympathy and attention. But one place online that experiences this at higher rates is in the cancer community.  People in online cancer support groups are routinely outed as healthy.  It seems almost impossible to think that someone could lie about such a serious illness, but it happens a lot, and those that offered their love, sympathy, and support often feel betrayed.  Roisin Lanigan, contributor to The Atlantic, joins us for why the internet has a cancer-faking problem.

Next, let’s check in on how the crowded field of Democratic hopefuls for president is doing. Coming in at 21 candidates, the newspaper headlines and social media mentions are concentrated on just a handful of contenders.  The top four getting all the love are Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris.  There’s still plenty of time for others to make a name for themselves, and the first debate is at the end of June.  Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, joins us for how the Dems are doing.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.