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The things we find scary differ from person to person. For some, it might be an image of a spider crawling nearby, others are spooked out by ghost stories (let’s be honest, they often sound as scary at 30 as they did at 13). Let’s not forget the variety of creatures under the bed that are waiting for you to throw that leg over the edge.

Sadly, some everyday occurrences can be as spine-chilling as The Shining itself. The online community on r/AskReddit discussed what facts scare them the most. The answers are unsurprisingly grim, but they might be worth pondering over. Warning: some might unlock a new fear.

If these scary facts weren’t horrifying enough, browse Bored Panda’s list of haunting real-life facts you might have not heard before.

#1

The most well-educated and intelligent people are also those most afflicted with issues like despair, depression, and existential crises. Reality is a nightmare of horrors lying just beneath the surface, and the more aware of how things really work you are the more truly miserable you are, generally.

Emperor_Cartagia Report

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Kate Jones
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's why Eve eating from the apple tree of knowledge is considered the moment where the loss of paradise happens. I'm not religious at all but I'm fascinated by the 'story' about how everything goes to sh!t the more knowledge you have. A scary message to keep the masses uneducated and controlled, but there's truth to the idea that ignorance is bliss.

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#2

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread I logically know I am fine, but my anxiety won’t let me accept that.

HotSpicedChai , RODNAE Productions Report

#3

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread That my parents and grandparents are slowly getting older and it's just a matter of time before I start losing them all one by one and there's nothing I can do about it.

Kysman95 , Matt Bennett Report

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Libstak
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ive lost my dad last year at 84, i cant stand it, he was always so full of life and then in 3 years he deteriorated rapidly until he could no longer swallow without aspirating.

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Fear might evoke various negative responses, from a weird feeling in the pit of the stomach to complete panic. Yet this emotion developed as a reflex crucial for humans to survive. It’s a natural reaction warning of a possible danger and the need to protect oneself.

Fear is responsible for the fight or flight instinct that arises when we’re in danger. But it's not only physical threats that can cause fear. Our thoughts might do that as well. 

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Take this list as an example. Reading the scary facts does not put you in actual danger, however, some of the posts are definitely enough to give you goosebumps. A survey from America’s top fears in 2020/2021 found that the death or illness of a loved one—a fear shared by numerous members of the online community—is in the top ten.

#4

70+ million people voted for The Orange Piece of S**t

JamesWjRose Report

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Verena
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A two party system is not able to answer properly to the needs of the voters, they can only choose between two extremes and neither is fitting to the needs of the majority. The Netherlands overdo it with 21, it is impossible to make decisions and steer a country if every question needs to be discussed with everybody and every opinion needs to be evaluated. Keep it below ten and offer more than two choices. Germany learnt that lesson, google "Weimarer Republik"

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#5

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread The amount of women and children murder every year in first world countries at the hands of their current or ex spouses. One every 11 minutes.

DependentCrew5398 , Karolina Grabowska Report

#6

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread That since I was born the human population has doubled and the animal population has been cut in half.

sutroheights , dotshock Report

#7

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread That the insect biomass is rapidly decreasing. This is the foundation of the food chain.

bulletmissile , Johann Piber Report

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Libstak
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Has anybody noticed how slow and dumb flies have become? I can swat them in legit slow motion lately and they just don't move.

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#8

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread Melting permafrost is releasing potentially life threatening microorganisms that humans have no immunity to.

pluribusduim , U.S. Geological Survey Report

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RezFidel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At this point I am quite alright with humankind being wiped out by some ancient killerorganism... our species is the worst and does not deserve being here anymore.

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#9

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread It's likely that my chronic pain is uncurable and I'll have to live with it forever. It's cost me most of my hobbies and taken a huge toll on my mental health and it seems to be steadily getting worse too. That scares me a lot. I don't want this to be my life.

Seiliko , Rawpixel Report

#10

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread Some people buy and sell humans

puffykitty6942 , Pressmaster Report

#11

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread There's an illness called fatal insomnia.

You stay awake until you die, There's literally no cure and can't be predicted, you lose your mind slowly and you can't do anything about it.

My grandpa died slowly from it.

LastTime-_- , cottonbro studio Report

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patricia patricia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't worry. It only occurs in members of a few families from the Mediterranean. It's extremely rare, and it is genetic, a mutation in one gene, so if nobody in your family has had it there's no likelihood you'll have it. I fell sorry for OP, because his/her case is tragic. Having that threat looming over you must be soul-destroying.

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Id row
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not just called fatal insomnia, it's called fatal *familial* insomnia, meaning it's purely genetic. Your grandpa had it, yet chose to have kids anyway and perpetuate this nightmare. And his kids chose to have kids. Why would you go and have kids if you have this disease? It truly is awful to suffer from. Why would you inflict that on someone else?

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patricia patricia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is easy to judge other people's lives from the point of view of our comfortable lives. When OP's grandfather was born, sixty or seventy years ago, nobody knew anything about genetics or genes, and a lot of diseases and syndromes didn't even have a name because they couldn't be explained. When several members of a family had the same disease, people thought it was God's will, a curse, or a punishment. Families used to hide the fact they were "cursed", because they could be blamed of being bad, heretics, witches, whatever. The symptoms develop late in life, and once they start they progress quickly. When granddad started to show symptoms he must have already been an adult with children, and probably grandchildren. What is obvious and easy for us was not so obvious years ago, so it's useless and stupid to try and apply your "logic" to people who lived in totally different circumstances.

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gloria benado
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's familial and genetic. There are only two family trees that carry this . One in Italy and one here in the states. Are there more that have not been studied or reported? Very curious. There are some amazing medical documentaries on this unique condition..

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Lory
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think there is one family in Australia. Their mother, who was 61 when she died, had it and her son and daughter have the gene mutation. They most likely will die from the same disease. Very sad.

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Lisa H
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

*double checks my supply of melatonin, lavender flower supplements, and lavender spray*

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bmicheau avatar
Barbara Micheau
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've never heard of this before. As a person who doesn't sleep well, there aren't even words for how terrible that would be.

aliahood avatar
Alia Hood
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I looked into it about 10 years ago due to horrible insomnia. I go for 3-4 days at a time without sleep pretty regularly so this stuff scared the s@#t out of me when I heard of it. Luckily, extremely rare and genetic so the chances of me, or you, having it is unlikely. Thankfully!

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Alleman Jennifer
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There isn't medicine which could conk you out? I mean they can put ppl induced comas?

libstak avatar
Libstak
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being medically unconscious does not provide the rest the body needs and I am guessing the body may be incapable of effectively absorbing the chemicals that induce sleep. People typically have to recover from medically induced comas and anaesthesia and repetitive doses cause permanent damage and even death.

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Cuppa tea?
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had a bout of mild insomnia recently - difficulty to fall asleep, waking up, getting like 6 hours of broken sleep for a week. Went to GP prescribed sleeping pills. One dose and I was gone for solid 8 hours. Reduced to half dose, still works. So my curiosity if that or other methods would help too?

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patricia patricia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No. Apparently sleeping pills, hypnotics, etc only speed up its development. I'm not a doctor, and this information is a couple of years old. It may have changed, but I doubt it. The most terrible thing about this kind of extremely rare conditions is that no laboratory is willing to research and try to find a cure, because there are so few patients that it would not be profitable.

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Doug FM
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I went a week with little to no sleep. I was a raving lunatic by day 7.

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Brenda Pereira
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It can be inherited. I watched a research video about a family where every one eventually got it . It is a hideous disease.

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Susan Robinson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What’s even worse is that there is a type that runs in families! It is called Fatal Familial Insomnia ☹️

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Andrew McLoughlin
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fun fact, this tends to be hereditary / run in families. It doesn't tend to strike randomly. Most people reading this will never have to worry about it. There's a good chance OP actually does.

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rodger coghlan
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A friend said "Insomnia is the only self-healing malady" - I told him he needs to do more research

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Timbob
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1. He became old enough to be a grandfather? 2. What about an induced coma?

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patricia patricia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think so. As far as I know it is not a "normal" insomnia caused by the imbalance of serotonin, melatonin, or the like, but by an accumulation of prions in the brain. Once the process starts, it's unstoppable. Prions are also the cause of Mad Cow Disease, which is incurable, too.

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OneHappyPuppy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've heard of someone who was granted euthanasia for this illness. Truly tragic and horrifying

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Amanda Panda
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just looked it up. There's a genetic version and a sporadic version.

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Paulo Freitas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fatal insomnia syndrome, yea, you literally get insane because of the lack of sleep, but its a genetic disorder as far as i know, só you can't " get it " you have to have the genetic mutation that provoques it.

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#12

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread That outside of our planet, zero of our achievements/history/language/currency matters. It can all be erased in a second and there would be no knowledge of us ever existing in the first place to anyone else in the universe. We are meaningless outside of this sphere.

EmergencyNoodlePack , goinyk Report

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N Miller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As individuals, we're pretty meaningless inside this sphere too. Unless you are (in)famous (and even then, for more than 15 minutes) you will be forgotten and have zero legacy within 100 years or so of your passing.

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#13

The amount of child abuse the catholic church got/gets away with

CloudTiger_ Report

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Libstak
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The amount of child abuse in general, it's not a particular church issue it is a humanity issue. Entire cultures all over the planet allow child abuse, particularly those that allow child slavery, child labor and child brides.

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#14

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread That Dopplegangers exist. They say that there are at least a couple people in the world that look exactly like you without being blood related and I met mine.

He was a f*****g criminal and got into trouble so many times with the law that I myself had been mistaken for him three times. The only difference was me having sleeves. My tattoos saved me from being mistaken for him who sexually assaulted a woman. I was brought in and put in a line up and she said herself, “that looks like him but he doesn’t have a single tattoo”. 4 hours later they found him and the sheriff’s department was dumbfounded that we weren’t twins. Like looking in a mirror. I was released and a more than needed apology was given by the chief of police and arresting officer.

TinyoneT33 , Derek Dolro Report

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N Miller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

More than needed? Granted they had the wrong man, but putting you in a police line up is the police doing their jobs correctly, acting on all information available to them. Had you been arrested and held in cells while they waited days for DNA to exonerate you, then it would be much needed. Blame the AH doppleganger - the police were doing thing right here, it's a creepy set of coincidences that they got the wrong person originally.

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#15

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread Any day, you could have a stroke and lose all your autonomy and become as dependant as a baby.

FrenchMaisNon , Pixabay Report

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Mrs Irish Mom
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jesus reading all these are going to send me on the drink 2nite 🤦‍♀️

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#16

My dog is gonna die at some point...

StiffyStaff91 Report

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HelluvaHedgehogAlien
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel that 😨 I hope I die before my cats, turtles and dog dies, but that would be selfish to hope right

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#17

That one day will be the last of something and you have no idea until that day is over. It's surreal to me that their was a day in my life when my group of friends all hung out together having fun and then never again. There will be a last time I will see the ones I love and not even know. It's painful.

Morel3etterness Report

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#18

After 4 years of Donald Trump as President, half the country wanted more.

bigedthebad Report

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Zack Vander
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Trumphumpers are so disconnected from reality it's frightening. Since they all worship Putin they should move to Russia and volunteer to fight against the Ukraine. But the gun loving trumpers are wimpy wannabe soldiers. Pathetic losers.

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#19

That poverty, homelessness, orphans exist, yet people continue to reproduce at an alarming rate and this will only get worse and worse and worse…

Faith_loves_cake Report

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PleasantCrocodile
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fertility rates in developed countries has actually plummetted. We just need more available and reliable contraception in developing countries. I live in Brazil, and the number of teenage pregnancies is staggering.

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#20

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread The fact that the past 10 years of my life have flown by, and it means I got about a decade before I become the same age as my parents when I was born. Meaning that I’m just slowly going to age till it’s time for me to pass. And I still don’t even know why I’m living or what I want to do, or even feel like I’m happy.

Unhookingsnow6 , gpointstudio Report

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Mia Black
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In view of the coming changes caused by the climate, I would like to have at least a little bit of meaning in life with my small permaculture garden project. the multiplication of people does not help us and I will definitely not contribute to that - I think many people have children because they believe that they will then fulfill a meaning in life. I believe that the proliferation of small oases can hopefully make a difference and I would like to support animals and plants - which ultimately, if many participate, can possibly also help humanity.

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#21

That something someone can do totally beyond my control, will impact me in a way I could never recover from, or my family. Accident, violence, mismanagement etc, they’re the scary things

becomingthenewme Report

#22

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread The number of people older than me will never increase.

Vinny_Lam , photobac Report

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#23

Some states are totally okay trying to censor LGBT people. I only worry about what's to come.

Mister_Moho Report

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madbakes
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This deeply concerns me for my sister's kid. We're in Ohio, and my sister is researching and making backup plans should they need to leave the state. That kid has enough internal struggles; it scares me what can happen when the struggles are just too much. Too many kids don't make it out alive.

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#24

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread We still don't know how exactly anesthesia works and yet every day about 60.000 people are having surgery under anesthesia. And about 1 in 1000 patients wakes up during surgery and is often traumatized for life.

HorrorHund , Ibrahim Boran Report

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King Joffrey
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But we do know how it works. It stops the nerves from passing pain signals to the brain...

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#25

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread How much our brains trick us "for our own good".

For instance, your brain does not record input from your eyes as they move. So if you are looking at object A and move your eyes from object A to object B, it does not record the motion blur as your eyes move.

Moreover, it accounts for this gap by taking the image you settle on and backfilling it in your memory, so you think the time your eyes spent in motion was actually spent looking at object B. The causes several optical illusions. Most notably, why a blinking light will seem to stay on or off longer when you first look at it. That's because your brain backfilled the image of it being on or off in your memory. It's easy to experience this. Just find a blinking light and look away, then look back at it. Unless it's timed just right, you will appear to observe the light being lit, or not, for just a split second longer than it should be.

The brain will also backfill details that are missing from your memories, sometimes making them up completely. It really makes you wonder just how much of what we see is actually real.

Netskimmer , kegfire Report

#27

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread That we’re hurtling towards an ecological geological disaster the likes of which humanity has never seen at breakneck pace and a massive number of us can’t seem to do much about it.

LikeASomeBoooodie , Grigory_bruev Report

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Thomas Bentley
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That, is because global warming is a hoax, and Trump wanted to save us from the lizard people who rule over all people unless they drink a potion of bleach and rat poison that has been sanctified by a tanning bed. If you cannot tell that this is sarcasm, you are lost to me.

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#28

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread That any of us could have a brain aneurysm right now and not even know it's coming.

becomingNope , Robina Weermeijer Report

#29

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread When I was 17 I had been dealing with a mystery headache condition and was become "mysteriously ill". Doctors couldn't explain it.

I was told by a prolific doctor that they'd be shocked if I "lived past 30." It struck me like a train, and not much bothers me. The doctor apologized but said they couldn't lie to me.

I turn 29 soon and I've been diagnosed with an aggressive autoimmune disease, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, ADHD, and OCD.

I've never been more sick in my life, and as we speak my heart is pounding so hard it's shaking my bed. My wife who is used to me being ill is legitimately concerned, so yeah, doc may end up being right after all.

SecretlyBiPolar , Rawpixel Report

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Libstak
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, he is wrong. If he can't give a definitive diagnosis he is guessing and doing it badly.

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#30

30 Creepy Facts Not For The Fainthearted, As Shared On This Online Thread That we have an elderly stockpile of nuclear weapons that could erase most of life on the planet several times over. There have been some scary near misses on our history with nuclear weapons and I believe it's only a matter of time before there's a horrific accident.

Lurchie_ , Anna_Om Report

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HelluvaHedgehogAlien
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thanks. That’s quite enough internet for me today before my rotten luck decides that since I’m aware of the possibility, why not let a huge disaster come and wipe out everyone except from me and let me die with injuries 😐

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