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A Canadian IBM employee lost her disability benefits after the insurance company checked out her Facebook profile. According to the Daily News, "Nathalie Blanchard was diagnosed with depression and granted leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Que." a year and a half ago. She received monthly benefits until Manulife deemed "the pictures Blanchard posted to her private Facebook account prove she is no longer depressed. One showed her having fun at a Chippendales show, another at her birthday party and a third on a beach holiday." Blanchard said she has the same problems—plus her doctor told her she needs fun—and her lawyer said, "I don't think for judging a mental state that Facebook is a very good tool."
Collecting Disability Insurance While Facebooking Fun Times
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Jake you're doing so much better at the Extra Extras. Keep it up!
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i called it...
note to self, only post sad emo goth pics if collecting UE
normally i would complain that this has nothing to do with nyc but this time i'm complaining that the picture is too small.
The lawyer is an idiot (big shock there, huh?). Depression, true depression, robs its victim of their willpower to do ANYTHING. People who are truly depressed will rarely, if ever, leave their homes. It would be nice if they could prove she never had it and then make her pay back the money she received fraudulently.
There are many different levels of depression. Some depressives can function, function at a limited level and not at all. It's not always constant, either.
ok, fine. If here level of depression allows her to go to the beach and party down with her girls at strip shows, I'm sure she'll be able to get her ass to work.
lazy folks, workin' the system.
This could very well be a case of fraud. But,I was only commenting depression isn't a all or nothing situation where you're a completely incapacitated basket case or Paris Hilton on crystal meth.
She's almost as dumb as the people who decided it was a good idea to pay someone to not work simply because they're not feeling particularly joyful.
the plague of "depression" in our modern era is merely the diagnosis of crybaby syndrome. the winners? Pfizer, Merck, and lazy-asses like Ms. Blanchard.
I'm also sick of like, "people with cancer." It is just dying of natural causes, stop complaining.
cancer and depression. yeah, they're in the same ballpark...
reductio ad absurdum, mofo!
a swing and a miss. but let's table that for now while you lay back on the couch and tell me all about your daddy issues.
In some ways, they are.
There are cancer patients training for marathons, working long hours, raising families and some are just dying in a hospital bed. There are people with depression training for marathons, working long hours, raising families and some are going to kill themselves to end the darkness.
That's one charming ballpark. Sounds like Detroit.
If everybody who felt like crap about their lives stopped working, the subways would be empty at rush hour.
"I don't think for judging a mental state that Facebook is a very good tool."
i agree. "look, we have pictures of her smiling" would never hold up in court.
Except, Hotcup, that is exactly where this is headed...
..but yeah. Pretty ridiculous.
"I don't think for judging a mental state that Facebook is a very good tool."
That sentence makes my head hurt
"I don't think that Facebook is a very good tool for judging a mental state"
phew, sorry, OCD is rough.
The lawyer's first language is most likely French.
Dead Himmler, are you reading this?
I always look out for camaras when I go bowling, play sofball or compete in tug of war.
The link is broken, for what it's worth.
Sorry about that—should be fixed now.
After reading this story, I'm unable to go to work because I am so depressed.
If you need proof, just look at my sad, sad photos on Facebook.
everyones and armchair psychologist, everyone gets depressed once in a while. the stupidity of the situation is the logic has to apply to all cases and the opposite scenario. im not an expert nor do i claim to be one,
but using the pics to 'prove' shes not depressed is like claiming to be happy and content then someone pulls a sad facebook picture with your status as im feeling down to say it proves that your not happy.
that makes no sense.
In the dark ages, people were institutionalized into asylums for decades on the word of somebody without any training (annoyed relatives, annoyed local cops, etc.).
Today we're judging because of a photo?
There must be a website with smiling photos of people who killed themselves shortly afterwords.
Nathalie Blanchard was on long-term disability for 1-1/2 years because of depression. She was neither hospitalized, nor was she diagnosed as suicidial. During this time, she was obviously well enough to attend parties, socialize at Chippendales and enjoy a vacation at the beach. Regardless of the Facebook photos, her "depression" seems to have had a limited impact on her ability to go out and enjoy life.
Depression FAIL
She may very well be cheating the system, and if she is then it makes it bad for people who really need the help. Judging from the posts here (and the same old same old "if you're not affected by it you have no sympathy") people still think depression is a ruse for lazy people, or that it affects everyone the same way.
But then, some folks think that everyone who ever gets help in any way is just looking for attention or is lazy. You can't win with some people.