Hot take: Teens faking mental illness isn’t a problem and never will be. If someone thinks they have a mental illness, they probably do, even if they are wrong about which one.
The problem is teens linking their refusal to be polite and civil to other people as 100% on their mental illness.
I’m autistic. I totally say asshole-ish things unintentionally and people are rightfully hurt when I do so. Its my job to figure out what I said that made them mad, and either not do that again or not talk to them again, whichever is preferable.
I wouldn’t want people around me to go “He’s autistic. Lets coddle him so he never learns anything from this and exist in discomfort because of him.”
Its unfair that I have to learn how to be polite manually. It fucking sucks and I hate it. However the burden is still on me, not all of my casual aqquantices to tolerate me.