Sadfishing is a term used to describe a behavioural trend where people make exaggerated claims about their emotional problems to generate sympathy.
[3] Another consequence of this behaviour is that people with "real problems" end up being overlooked or even accused of sadfishing themselves and being bullied for it.
Young people who seek support online have started being accused of sadfishing, a report has said.
[citation needed] Sadfishing can be caused by many things, the main reason being that someone doesn't get enough attention, and/or has low self-respect.
Loneliness can result in sadfishing as well; by posting about their emotional problems, people tend to crave attention.
This is due to the fact that social media often lacks context and the ability to read nonverbal cues, says Dr. Lindsey Giller, a clinical psychologist in New York.