ABC says conspiracy web sites are contributing to mental health issues

reply to post by angel of lightangelo

A. A pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

(1) suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her

(2) is preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates

(3) is reluctant to confide in others because of unwarranted fear that the information will be used maliciously against him or her

(4) reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into benign remarks or events

(5) persistently bears grudges, i.e., is unforgiving of insults, injuries, or slights

(6) perceives attacks on his or her character or reputation that are not apparent to others and is quick to react angrily or to counterattack

7) has recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding fidelity of spouse or sexual partner

That right there is the criteria for paranoid personality disorder as laid out by the DSM IV-TR. Those are pretty much the same things one thinks of when one thinks of one being paranoid. Now imagine one has been diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder or they are borderline. Do you really think coming to a site where one can't enter a topic without someone being labeled a disinfo agent; where some claim that a race of reptiles are ruling the world; where our governments are merely a front for a shadow organization bent on killing most of the world's population in order to take over and enslave the rest; where governments kill thousands of their own innocent civilians is not going to make a person more suspicious about the people and the world around him? Not to mention that since we're dealing with the internet one cannot perceive the true intentions of a person's post and pretty much anything can be seen as an attack on one's character. In the time Ive spent on here I can say without a doubt that I have seen plenty of people who fit the criteria for paranoid personality disorder. The question that must be raised however is whether people who are paranoid seek out conspiracy websites or if the conspiracy websites provoke them to become paranoid.

Originally posted by Xcalibur254


That right there is the criteria for paranoid personality disorder as laid out by the DSM IV-TR. Those are pretty much the same things one thinks of when one thinks of one being paranoid.

Unless...they know the definition of paranoid. "One" can think of whatever they like, some may think of more or less than others. Fortunately, we do not evaluate people based on what "most people might think of."

Most people thinkg that disassociative personality disorder is called schizophrenia. Most have no idea that schizophrenia has nothing to do with multiple personalities. I am not worried about what most people think of when I have facts. Exhibiting the symptoms of paranoid personality disorder and just "being paranoid" are miles apart. I guess you miss my point completely. The English word paranoid as it is defined is not at all the same as the actual disorder you are referencing. Close, and nice try.

[edit on 14-12-2008 by angel of lightangelo]

Now why in the world would the MSM want any one of us to be able to form our own opinion? I wonder. They couldn't possibly have a motive! I mean, what's more entertaining than the volume on your TV set increasing as they shove advertisements down your throat from their corporate sponsors? CALL NOW!, Buy our product and you'll save THOUSANDS! After twenty minutes of that, they feed you full of BS with no real content for a couple minutes and go to another commercial.

If you don't feel they're trying to control what you think you're delusional. Let's see even one of them actually inform the public how things really are, for instance...Tell the brain-dead masses how the Federal Reserve has as much to do with the Federal Government as Federal Express! Tell them how it's a private institution and answers to nobody. I bet more people would claim to have been abducted by a UFO than actually know this little fact.

Watching all the greed and hate in this world obviously has a more substantial impact on mental stability than watching people pour their thoughts out in a blog. At least they're exposed to a variety of opinions. If someone thinks there are aliens in their pancakes, the good folks here would probably help them investigate only to find out it was a blueberry. If the MSM tells you that mercury in vaccines (as a preservative) is good for your children, who's going to help you ask the right questions to figure it out.

Don't get me wrong, I don't claim to be the personification of mental stability and don't believe 99 per-cent of what I read.
FACT... I've never had a paranormal experience
FACT... I've never had an out of body experience
FACT... I've never had a religious experience
FACT... I've never had a homosexual experience (that I'm aware of)
FACT... all of the above could be false
FACT... I'd much rather spend three hours watching David Icke, Loose Change, or reading CT forums than waste my time getting brainwashed by the MSM.

To show them I'm a good sport though, I'll make them a deal. If they can show me WHERE THE SKY ENDS, or WHEN TIME BEGAN, I'll stand in line with my mouth open and swallow whatever they feed me as the last word.

Peace

Originally posted by ConservativeJack
THEY DO.

Hear me out, if you are a sober person, you never drink or smoke, all you do is go on different websites (from porn to conspiracies) you will GET SICK.

Its just NOT healthy to live like that and I think 99 percent of you guys do.

Not a personal shot, more likely its the facts.

What about those who are already mentally unstable? what caused that?
I'd love for you to post statistics from a recognized source that backs your claim 99% of people who visit such sites become mentally ill as a result.

Conversely, I understand why someone would want to believe corporate media does NOT lie and that things are as they say...but it's just not so, they do what the government tells them and does so for profit!

As for the physical health argument, yes I agree sitting at your keyboard on the net all day/night is not healthy in ALOT of ways, but to imply it's directly related to 'conspiracy' sites is plain wrong!

The open sharing of one's opinion/views of world events wasn't possible till the internet came along, now because someone learns the ugly truth about something they'd otherwise have no knowledge of, doesn't make it wrong.

True, there are those basement-dwelling twits come along with what amounts to open mic night on a GLOBAL scale, but you YOURSELF have to be able to judge for yourself what is/isn't true, but that's a matter of perception...a thing that wouldn't have soo many possibilities if there weren't global sharing of unedited information.

Perfect example, try hosting a party and ordering PIZZA, most will agree with toppings that are widely accepted, then there's going to be those who know what they want even if it doesn't go along with the 'popular' choice, bottom line we all need to retain the right to choose!

Believe this...the push for disclosure about our not being alone in the universe used to be a laughable topic on nightly news, but now, there's serious discussions appearing all the time, have to ask yourself...how long did they know...or did Big Government finally say..."ok tell the people".

In my book...it's ok to keep an open mind, just not soo open your brains fall out!

Originally posted by nyk537
Please…ABC contributes to more mental health issues than ATS does.

What with all the fear mongering and disinformation they spread. If anyone needs to be monitored or removed from public view, it's the MSM.

Fear-mongering??? I have never seen the level of "fear-mongering" in the MSM that I've seen on ATS. The "news" is only to be trusted when the sources are to be trusted. I trust about 60 - 70% of the sources the MSM uses for domestic political / international political stories, because they are usually sources I have delt with. either first or second hand. I trust about 20% of the sources offered on ATS, usually because they are the same as the MSM sources. Some guy living in his parents' basement gabbering about the NWO is not a source - he's entertainment!

reply to post by OWGNOW


You mean ABC does not have 17 seperate news shows all discussing how the current president is not a citizen based on internet rumors and bad lawyers looking for attention?

I think the mindset of the users of these web sites are paranoid and hostile towards anything they do not understand of have enough access to know about.

Just like in the middle ages were people would accuse others of being witches, people see things that aren't really their patterns that don't exist and come to conclusions which are sometimes very right and sometime very wrong.

And to tell people their government is trying to kill them, and they are in danger and have banner adds everywhere saying you better stock up on rations other wise you and your family are going to die is going to create some sort of paranoia, i'am not saying mental illness as such but the way people go about putting across this information doesn't help anybody make any progress.

It needs to be calm collected and sensible, we need to look at somthing that is going on produce anough evidance that it is happening and then act on it to try and stop it. Not scare ourselves so much we are like rabbits staring in to the headlights of a car. The car being a metaphor for the mounds of information and accusations that are flung around on a daily basis.

Perhaps they are afraid that the reason viewerships are down.. is because of sites like ATS.. perhpaps they are afraid of having news in a forum type enviroment where people can comment and debate the issue at hand... now this I beleive most of the crap that comes out of main # media is bull... not to say theres not allot of lies on the web but at least we get to debate the merits of it in an open and democratic envirment.. the MSM is a fascist one.. I stopped watching msm years ago... and I never felt better

after continuing to briefly read thru the rest of this thread i must say i fully understand where abc's coming from

some people on here are WAYYYYY too confrontational, nuts, and mentally unstable

but then again its like i said.....ya gotta sort thru the nut job morons to get to the truth which is all out here on several pages in black and white throughout the board, unfortunately all the crazy people make that hard to find by arguing over things wayyyy off topic and completely uncalled for

so lets all on ats support ats, and quit bickering about ats, and if you wanna dog ats, just dont come to ats


or if you wanna have the conspiracy about how ats is maybe run by government dis-info agents, do that, but if you're just going to call everyone here crazy and talk about how everyone on here is at risk, then look in the mirror and realize the same things you're saying apply to yourself and go to the loony bin

which makes for less pages the rest of us have to sort through

[edit on 14-12-2008 by Dramey]

Originally posted by Dramey
after continuing to briefly read thru the rest of this thread i must say i fully understand where abc's coming from

some people on here are WAYYYYY too confrontational, nuts, and mentally unstable

WHAT??!?!?!?!?! How dare you?!?!?!?!

Ok, so I want to give you this point. Let's say we have some crazy folks just on the edge and they have two choices

1-ATS

2-MS news

on ATS they will read about grand conspiracies of thousands of people or thousands of years or intergalactic partnerships and governments conspiring against their own people but taking well over 200 years to pull it off and so and so forth.

on the news he will hear about the pedophile that moved nearby, the threat of pedophiles near local schools, stories about how pedophiles use your computer to magically beam themselves into your child's bedroom where they can steal them and take them back through the wires, and who got shot, robbed, beaten, killed, attacked, whatever in the neighborhood. Hmmm...I wonder which one is more likely to upset the balance of someone already in need of justification for their delusions?

Part of the problem is that people pick and choose what to believe based on what feels good, instead of checking facts. And with so many so heartily sold on what is allegedly going on inside this website without checking facts, it's no wonder ABC News came to the conclusion it did.

Can't you come to the same conclusion?

reply to post by Xcalibur254


Another question that should be asked: Is paranoia even harmful to society?

[edit on 14-12-2008 by cognoscente]

reply to post by cindy22761


can you go to your history so we can try the wayback machine to see if we can pull up the article?

So if you're not a brain washed, naive, close-minded idiot who does nothing but eat the spoon fed bullshlt from the corporate media...you're crazy?

Hmm...

I think I like being crazy.

last report I read said "ABC is contributing to mental health issues"

Originally posted by thefreepatriot
Perhaps they are afraid that the reason viewerships are down.. is because of sites like ATS.. perhpaps they are afraid of having news in a forum type enviroment where people can comment and debate the issue at hand... now this I beleive most of the crap that comes out of main # media is bull... not to say theres not allot of lies on the web but at least we get to debate the merits of it in an open and democratic envirment.. the MSM is a fascist one.. I stopped watching msm years ago... and I never felt better

This concept is ridiculous but yet you are all falling victim to a prejudice opinion towards this topic. I feel as though many of you feel threatened and insulted by the article. It isn't even calling for Internet Censorship but yet this topic also arose.

The facts are plain and simple and laid out in plain view by blowfishdl which was the best post I have seen on this thread if you ask me.

1. Being paranoid is a mental illness.
2. ATS definitely makes people paranoid.
3. ATS contributes to mental illness'.

It doesn't mean that we are all sick in the head mind you, so don't take it that way. It's like taking a gun from someone in the wrong state of mind. It's OK to have the gun as long as you are mentally fit, but the moment you are not mentally fit you most definitely should not have a gun.

This remains true for the paranoid. If you love conspiracy theories and are mentally fit, by all means hop right in. If you are not mentally fit and are reading about really outrageous conspiracies (which can often encourage anger, distress, paranoia, etc.) then you should probably lay off the conspiracy websites to prevent you from going over the edge!

I don't even think this is a matter of opinion anymore. It's a pretty simple concept.

Timothy McVeigh bombed the Murrah Federal building due to the atrocities he witnessed in the Army. If he had not witnessed and become knowledgeable of these atrocities, the bombings are likely to have never occurred.

Applying this concept to the same knowledge available on government conspiracy websites; in the wrong hands, and the mentally incapable hands, the information could lead to domestic terrorism.

Originally posted by Yoda411The facts are plain and simple and laid out in plain view by blowfishdl which was the best post I have seen on this thread if you ask me.

1. Being paranoid is a mental illness.
2. ATS definitely makes people paranoid.
3. ATS contributes to mental illness'.

What has been so frustrating in this thread is this.

1. Being paranoid is not a mental illness. There are various mental illnesses with the symptom of paranoia, but paranoia itself is not a mental illness.

2. Does ATS really make people paranoid? I don't think it makes me paranoid. If it makes people with a tendency to become paranoid more paranoid, what makes you think they would not become more paranoid by watching ABC news?

3. Since your first two premises are false, this conclusion remains undemonstrated. As the ABC article itself said, psychiatrists are not in agreement about whether this is true. And they actually know what they're talking about since they define the terms themselves.

________________________________

At the risk of challenging our comfort levels, I suggest that it might be productive to look at this article from an "ATS-influenced" perspective.

That doesn't mean assuming that it was written by Reptilians, or demonstrates the imminent end of the Internet.

It means thinking about why it's suddenly so important to mainstream media to run stories about conspiracy theory websites.

And why they are choosing to highlight mental illness in these stories.

When they want to give the public a face to associate with conspiracy theory, why do they choose David Icke, whose theories are pretty extreme by most conspiracy-theorist standards? Why not Peter Schiff, who's getting a lot of play here at ATS these days for having tried to warn the world about the financial situation?

Maybe it's because that would imply that we might be on to something here, and that we are right in saying that mainstream media has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo and protecting the political and financial elites.

The problem I have with the ABC article is that it is propaganda designed to associate the words "conspiracy theory" "Internet" and "mental illness".

The problem I have with those who are defending it in this thread is that they don't see the propaganda side – they are willing to swallow it whole. If we at ATS don't recognize propaganda about us as propaganda, I fear how well it must be working on the general public.

Originally posted by americandingbat

Originally posted by Yoda411The facts are plain and simple and laid out in plain view by blowfishdl which was the best post I have seen on this thread if you ask me.

1. Being paranoid is a mental illness.
2. ATS definitely makes people paranoid.
3. ATS contributes to mental illness'.

What has been so frustrating in this thread is this.

1. Being paranoid is not a mental illness. There are various mental illnesses with the symptom of paranoia, but paranoia itself is not a mental illness.

2. Does ATS really make people paranoid? I don't think it makes me paranoid. If it makes people with a tendency to become paranoid more paranoid, what makes you think they would not become more paranoid by watching ABC news?

3. Since your first two premises are false, this conclusion remains undemonstrated. As the ABC article itself said, psychiatrists are not in agreement about whether this is true. And they actually know what they're talking about since they define the terms themselves.

1. If it is not a mental illness, it can still be classified as a mental health issue. This is after-all how it was defined in the article anyway.

2. Yes. ATS makes people paranoid I am sorry to say. 2012? 9/11? Government Spying? Monsters? Maybe not for you, and maybe not for me, but for some individuals it does. This is obvious and I am surprised anyone would debate that issue.

3. My first two premises were false only in your own narrow minded opinion. The article itself admits there is further research to be made, which is why we are debating our opinion.

Do you honestly not believe Timothy McVeigh bombing the Federal Murrah building over military corruption to be an example of where a conspiracy leads to domestic terrorism? I found this to be an intriguing comparison. While it is not surrounding websites the theory still remains. After all, it is not about where you find the information it is just that you do find the information. The internet is a valuable resource for such evidence not printed in the newspapers and magazines.

[edit on 14-12-2008 by Yoda411]

Originally posted by Yoda411
1. If it is not a mental illness, it can still be classified as a mental health issue. This is after-all how it was defined in the article anyway.

I am willing to concede that point but one should consider how rampant paranoia is. Not so much a huge mental health issue more than a mental health concern. We see crimes and violence occur more as a result of desperation and reaction than we do crimes motivated from paranoia.

One of the big problems I have noticed from people posting to this article is that it seems to be a black and white issue for them. Paranoia can be manifested in many different intensities and does not necessarily detract from a healthy and functioning individual.

2. Yes. ATS makes people paranoid I am sorry to say. 2012? 9/11? Government Spying? Monsters? Maybe not for you, and maybe not for me, but for some individuals it does. This is obvious and I am surprised anyone would debate that issue.

Not obvious and again you are making a blanket statement regarding hundreds of thousands of people who visit this site each month, most of whom just read. For some, it may be the novelty and entertainment value of the website, others may have genuine questions regarding some of these theories and yet others may just be interested in keeping up with current events that only ATS has shown we can do - which is provide an exhaustive history and surrounding information on a topic to supplement the original article. Take a look at one of the Ossentia threads from a few months ago...absolutely staggering in its' coverage on a level that far surpasses CNN.

Does a collaborative website necessarily translate into a mental health issue?

No!!

Do you honestly not believe Timothy McVeigh bombing the Federal Murrah building over military corruption to be an example of where a conspiracy leads to domestic terrorism? I found this to be an intriguing comparison.

I find it to be a fallacious comparison.

How can you attribute an entire theopry that assumes a conformity from many people who are unrelated and unassociated to one domestic terrorist act?

You can't. You really can't.

this means that this is the time of the end. the powers that be are "losing it" and they have forced GOD'S HAND by saying this "garbage." We are at the end...these are the final end times...such evil behavior like this is not and will not be tolerated by GOD. people have to understand that nothing here is important on this earth. the only thing that is important is to connect to GOD. nothing else matters...I REPEAT...NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. the REAL GOD is NOT responsible for this physical creation (abomination). when people detach from this horrible life...matrix...reality...they will be free. you have to let it go...not only does this life mean nothing, but it is evil...THE TRUTH WILL PREVAIL REGARDLESS OF ANYONE'S BELIEF IN IT. ONLY THE SPIRIT IS REAL, NOTHING ELSE.