Someone who believes in the New World Order , Obama deception and Vampires who have attaked them is mentally disturbed?
June 25, 2010 4:49 PM Subscribe
Someone who believes in the New World Order , Obama deception and Vampires who have attaked them is mentally disturbed?
I know someone close to me who has been showing me information about the New World Order in a regular basics and also has mentioned was attacked by sb who was a vampire was bitted all over a few years ago. It caused she to be in poor health for some time. Some people has told me my friend might be mentally disturbed. about those two believes . I know this person and behaves normally in many ways . I am confused and I care deeply about her so I like to really know what this all about. Thanks for your perspectives.
I know someone close to me who has been showing me information about the New World Order in a regular basics and also has mentioned was attacked by sb who was a vampire was bitted all over a few years ago. It caused she to be in poor health for some time. Some people has told me my friend might be mentally disturbed. about those two believes . I know this person and behaves normally in many ways . I am confused and I care deeply about her so I like to really know what this all about. Thanks for your perspectives.
This post was deleted for the following reason: removed at poster's request -- mathowie
Someone who believes in vampires is delusional because they don't exist. That doesn't necessarily mean she is a danger to herself or others. You say she functions normally in her daily life. What is your concern? What do you want to have happen? If she truly believes she was bitten, you are not going to change her mind.
If you don't want to hear about her opinions on the New World Order or Obama, say so, and change the subject or don't open her emails.
posted by desjardins at 4:58 PM on June 25, 2010
If you don't want to hear about her opinions on the New World Order or Obama, say so, and change the subject or don't open her emails.
posted by desjardins at 4:58 PM on June 25, 2010
Well, I'm about 99.99999% certain that she couldn't have been attacked by a vampire. Because vampires don't exist.
So, either:
-She's purposely lying to you.
-She hallucinated the event, either from some kind of mental health problem or perhaps drugs.
-Someone did actually attack her and bite her all over (seems extremely unlikely), and she incorrectly attributed her health problems to that event.
The New World Order and "Obama deception" (?) stuff is connected but slightly different. Some people without mental health problems believe in things like this, often out of some combination of gullibility and a general anger and anxiety that drives them to blame someone concrete for the world being the way that it is.
posted by sallybrown at 4:58 PM on June 25, 2010
So, either:
-She's purposely lying to you.
-She hallucinated the event, either from some kind of mental health problem or perhaps drugs.
-Someone did actually attack her and bite her all over (seems extremely unlikely), and she incorrectly attributed her health problems to that event.
The New World Order and "Obama deception" (?) stuff is connected but slightly different. Some people without mental health problems believe in things like this, often out of some combination of gullibility and a general anger and anxiety that drives them to blame someone concrete for the world being the way that it is.
posted by sallybrown at 4:58 PM on June 25, 2010
People believe all kinds of things that are incredibly unlikely or demonstrably untrue - sometimes they don't even really believe it but say they do to make themselves sound more interesting. And of course, with the Internet, it's usually pretty easy to find other people who believe the same stuff - so some people feel accepted and validated by that sense of a community of believers.
So long as that person isn't a danger to themselves or others, you might just have to accept that that is how they think. If you care for that person, just keep a friendly eye out for them.
posted by Sparx at 5:04 PM on June 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
So long as that person isn't a danger to themselves or others, you might just have to accept that that is how they think. If you care for that person, just keep a friendly eye out for them.
posted by Sparx at 5:04 PM on June 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Some people just enjoy wallowing in beliefs that things are not how they seem: the moon landing was fake, the New World Order, UFOs, mind control, JFK was assassinated by the mob, 9/11 was an inside job, etc. These people seem drawn to the kind of mindset of "everyone else is against us, because we few know the real truth." Telling such a person that they're delusional just plays into the narrative that they've already got going inside their head wherein the more people tell them they're crazy, the more they must be on to something. It almost reinforces their belief because they thrive on being considered wrong.
Whether that encompasses a mental disorder is debatable. Certainly a disorder might predispose you to such lines thought but that doesn't mean that everyone caught up in those beliefs are necessarily suffering from anything more than a very pronounced fantasy life.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:43 PM on June 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Whether that encompasses a mental disorder is debatable. Certainly a disorder might predispose you to such lines thought but that doesn't mean that everyone caught up in those beliefs are necessarily suffering from anything more than a very pronounced fantasy life.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:43 PM on June 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
I just want to point out that while vampires don't exist, people who truly believe they are vampires do exist. So it is possible that one of those people may have actually bitten your friend.
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:50 PM on June 25, 2010
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:50 PM on June 25, 2010
i don't get a great vibe from this person at all. it sounds like they are mentally disturbed. i don't know if you can distance yourself from this or not, or if you have someone you can trust who you can share this stuff with (tg help you cope with your questions), but either one of these options will help to clear the air between you and this very fuzzy and delusional person.
i am the first person to say that the truth is probably stranger than fiction, but if this person believes all of this stuff together, apparently without discernment, and with physical manifestation of their beliefs, then it points to some real vulnerability and you may best serve yourself by recognizing that. you say that this person behaves "normally"...what does that mean? normal is kind of relative.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 7:27 PM on June 25, 2010
i am the first person to say that the truth is probably stranger than fiction, but if this person believes all of this stuff together, apparently without discernment, and with physical manifestation of their beliefs, then it points to some real vulnerability and you may best serve yourself by recognizing that. you say that this person behaves "normally"...what does that mean? normal is kind of relative.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 7:27 PM on June 25, 2010
tg = to
posted by lakersfan1222 at 7:27 PM on June 25, 2010
posted by lakersfan1222 at 7:27 PM on June 25, 2010
is the desire to believe in something bigger than everyday life a mental disturbance? she may be, but she may be no more disturbed than someone who is annoyingly religious. And MexicanYenta is correct.
posted by Redhush at 10:24 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Redhush at 10:24 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think it all comes down to action, not belief. Are any of the actions of this person likely to be dangerous to themelves or others? Are they talking about doing something extreme based on their beliefs? If not, however much you may disagree with what they believe or find it weird or whatever, it's their right to believe it.
posted by scalefree at 1:50 AM on June 27, 2010
posted by scalefree at 1:50 AM on June 27, 2010
Sparx nailed it.
For whatever reasons she believes this, are there any other sign of mental illness that would negatively affect your relationship or her day to day life? If she demands you believe her then that's one thing, that can be awkward. But if she simply offers it as something she believes happened to her (for whatever reason) I would simply sympathise.
Reality can be difficult for some people and some of the stories they tell themselves help them survive their realities. As long as it doesn't interfere with her life or your friendship I would let this go.
posted by Wilder at 2:52 AM on June 28, 2010
For whatever reasons she believes this, are there any other sign of mental illness that would negatively affect your relationship or her day to day life? If she demands you believe her then that's one thing, that can be awkward. But if she simply offers it as something she believes happened to her (for whatever reason) I would simply sympathise.
Reality can be difficult for some people and some of the stories they tell themselves help them survive their realities. As long as it doesn't interfere with her life or your friendship I would let this go.
posted by Wilder at 2:52 AM on June 28, 2010
i like wilder's answer, and mexican yenta's answer. i think that is a very good way to look at this, and i think in some ways my previous answer was extreme. that said, what deeply concerns me here is that this person was in poor health for a long time from being bitten all over by a "vampire". that sends up some red flags for me. the long-term nature of this person's poor health, plus their belief that it was an actual vampire, kind of leads me to believe that there are some major depressive issues going on here, but yeah, it shouldn't necessarily get in the way of your friendship. that definitely depends on the bigger picture. i stand corrected, and hope for nothing less than clarity for you and your friend. there are many roads in this life.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 12:26 PM on June 28, 2010
posted by lakersfan1222 at 12:26 PM on June 28, 2010
i notice that the tag on this post is "boil"....i wonder about that. mistaking boils for vampire bites? if one was covered with boils, one would definitely experience poor health. does this person have access to medical care? could you help your friend by urging them to go to a doctor? i still think that the vampire bite thing is concerning.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 12:47 PM on June 28, 2010
posted by lakersfan1222 at 12:47 PM on June 28, 2010
The world was once flat and the Sun and the Heavens rotated around it. Just because we all KNOW something is true or false, doesn't mean we're correct.
posted by phritosan at 4:18 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by phritosan at 4:18 PM on June 29, 2010
What changed our minds in those cases was repeatable, verifiable evidence: you can make a telescope yourself and see that Saturn has moons, and you can watch ships masts descend as they reach the horizon. That is how science works and how it converges on explanations for why things are as they seem -- explanations that make predictions that can be tested and verified. Evidence is also precisely what crank conspiracy theories lack, which is why it's a fallacy to compare the two. It's almost the hallmark of the snake oil salesman or the crank to compare himself to Galileo, but in doing so they completely misunderstand the reason why Galileo is seen as a hero.
posted by Rhomboid at 4:34 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by Rhomboid at 4:34 PM on June 29, 2010
Just because this person believes things that go against the main stream, it is not lead directly to the conclusion that they are mentally ill.
As far as the first two beliefs, the New World Order and Obama deception, these aren't popular beliefs with the majority of people. But are there not rational reasons she could believe them? I am certain many people without mental problems believe these ideas, whether or not their reasons for believing so are good reasons.
The vampire idea is obviously much more far fetched, but as others have mentioned, there could be a number of real events, such as being bit by a person, that your friend believes she was bit by a vampire.
Just because someone believes something that you don't believe doesn't mean they are crazy. And remember, just because a belief isn't held by the majority doesn't make it false. And a belief isn't made true by acceptance of the majority. Truth is based on reality, not on the opinion of the masses. Food for thought.
posted by chocolatemilkshakes at 3:43 PM on July 4, 2010
As far as the first two beliefs, the New World Order and Obama deception, these aren't popular beliefs with the majority of people. But are there not rational reasons she could believe them? I am certain many people without mental problems believe these ideas, whether or not their reasons for believing so are good reasons.
The vampire idea is obviously much more far fetched, but as others have mentioned, there could be a number of real events, such as being bit by a person, that your friend believes she was bit by a vampire.
Just because someone believes something that you don't believe doesn't mean they are crazy. And remember, just because a belief isn't held by the majority doesn't make it false. And a belief isn't made true by acceptance of the majority. Truth is based on reality, not on the opinion of the masses. Food for thought.
posted by chocolatemilkshakes at 3:43 PM on July 4, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Vampires do not exist; they are fictional. So, to believe in their existence also suggests problems.
It is possible to be mentally ill and still behave normally under certain circumstances.
posted by Deathalicious at 4:56 PM on June 25, 2010 [1 favorite]