Ever read a crazy post on ATS?

Ever been on ATS and read a crazy post? Well most often the OP may have an actual mental illness.I'm not trying to be insulting, after all you have to be a little crazy to seek alternative theory (a little crazy is a good thing, keeps humans moving forward with new and progressive thought.), I'm talking about people clearly separated from reality.
The first clue will usually be a gross misunderstanding of basic science ( I'm not talking about not accepting something,evolution for example. More like twisting science to conform to their personal ''awakening''). Official symptoms are as follows

Symptoms of chronic/serious mental illness: Acute, "positive" symptoms (at least one of these usually present, at least during an exacerbation of illness): Distorted perceptions; loss of contact with reality; Delusions. Hallucinations. Disordered, disorganized and confused thinking. Unstable and inappropriate emotions. Bizarre behavior; impaired judgment.

Residual ("negative") or deficit symptoms (several of these usually present most of the time): Vulnerability to certain kinds of stress. Extreme dependency (sometimes combined with hostility). Difficulty with interpersonal relationships. Deficient coping skills. Poor transfer of learning; fear of new situations. Restricted emotional response and lack of enjoyment. Reduced speech and impaired abstract thinking. Reduced ability to pay attention; slowness. Apathy; lack of motivation; phobic avoidance of situations. Sensitivity to over- (and under-) stimulation.

Source
Look, I LOVE to debate, but all to often someone displaying these traits is exploited on here. Not cool ATS. People very close to me have been victim to mental illness, the subject really hits home. More often then not someone with illness is an intelligent person (when not delusional). A chemical imbalance could happen to anyone, certain people are just more prone depending on genetics.Someone detached from reality doesn't need facts, (they wouldn't believe obvious facts from reliable sources anyway. But that's a whole other rabbit hole.)they need help. In extreme case's your comments (true though they may be) might drive a person over the edge, when they may already be suicidal. In which case,if you notice red flags you should be a decent human being and contact ATS and request they use what info they have to alert the authorities in the area for medical help.(though it's fairly rare you would see these red flags soon enough)
I should make it clear that not all attention seekers (or punk kids you see on here from time to time) are mentally ill. False diagnoses desensitize us to people who really do have an issue, if you have ever had to take care of or witness a meltdown you undoubtedly recognize the difference.
I posted a mini version of this rant on this thread here but on page 14 damage is done, and my point ignored, as flame war is already in full swing.

I know some people out there flat reject mental illness and consider it a conspiracy (I'll meet this thinking half way, we do shove pills needlessly on many) but sometimes the brain misfires so severally the person in question will forget their own name (as well as what they were literally in the middle of doing or saying), in some cases they may demand to be known by a different name.

Also consider, while in this delusional state of mind, people usually try to ''awaken'' others to their belief. They are well intentioned (wrong usually, but very well intentioned)

In conclusion, proving a person wrong and crazy, doesn't make anyone right (your facts may be 100% right, but your conviction to bring a fellow human being down is wrong) The only exception to this rule is if it honestly takes you a second to realize this person is detached, in which case you offer help if you can, if not abandon thread and stop encouraging the individual.

Just read one.

thank you for posting this. I DO have a mental illness. I have BPD(Borderline-Personality Disorder). It sucks. I've ruined a lot of relationships because of this and my last batch of "friends" actually used it against me and pretty much got me shunned from parties, social gatherings, anything that is fun basically. It's been hell this past year dealing with them and all of this. I could write a whole goddamn book on how my brain hurts and functions day to day from feeling like this. To almost be three different people is hard. Stressful. All I want to do is run away or end it all. But motivation, the human connection, sites like this, maybe doesn't help at times but it lets me know that I'm not alone. That's the first step. You're never alone. It just takes the courage of others to admit that they too need help. I realized I just kind of ranted but that alone should give you a clue about my illness. Anywho, thanks for your post. S&F.

reply to post by PutAQuarterIn



Seriously, if I reported every obviously delusional person showing these red flags on ATS, then that's all I'd ever have time to do....24 hours a day. Every other post I read on here, fits those criteria!

What I find more concerning is the people that are perfectly sane, but which are so naive and desperate to believe anything that they go right along with the person's delusions, and encourage them. Isn't this just as damaging? Especially if their delusions involve apocalyptic visions, and evil NWO entities lurking behind every corner.

The point I'm making is that there is little one can do. If the person has no family or friends that can get them help, then there's really nothing I can do to help....If the person lives in America, then it's unlikely they would ever be able to get much help anyway without an active support system of family, friends, and money for doctor visits and prescriptions. Don't get me wrong....if there was ever anyone talking suicidal on here, then obviously I'd make every effort to contact someone that could help. But as for someone simply showing signs of delusions.....there's little I can do for an anonymous person living thousands of miles away. Best I could possibly do is hope they are borderline and that something I write is logical enough to snap them out of it long enough for them to seek help themselves. Yeah, I realize that logic isn't going to help someone totally gone...but maybe if they re-read it when they are a bit more 'with it' (I've known plenty of people like this that would have 'episodes' then come out of it) that maybe they'd realize just how bad they had gotten, and seek out help for themselves.

In which case,if you notice red flags you should be a decent human being and contact ATS and request they use what info they have to alert the authorities in the area for medical help.

Who do you work for FEMA?

Chill out and if you dont like a post then simply dont read it and dont comment.
Is it that hard?
If it is, then you're not all up there either now are ya?

reply to post by PutAQuarterIn


You make a lot of really good points and suggestions. The problem often is too....some of the people that appear to be mentally unstable...really are not...many are just silly and eccentric.

Many people who do have deep mental problems....often do appear normal to most....they are difficult to detect.

I think we all should just remember to try and be kind to all...and with some we will (agree to disagree)...debating can be challenging!

I am curious....if we really become concerned about a member...what exact procedure do you think we should do to alert someone?

After all...we just know each other by our member names....and most do not share their personal information with other members.

How do we know that their reality isn't the real reality and we're the ones in an altered state of reality?

reply to post by chrismicha77


It's like I say day to day though, "Some days I feel like a crazy person in a sane world, and then other days, I am the only sane person in this crazy world."

Well, I have a friend from another dimension. And we're both tired of people in our own dimension telling us it's impossible to have a friend that lives in another dimension. Are we both crazy?

Seriously, if ATS members start trying to pick out the "crazies" among us. You'll drive the staff insane with reports. In a heated debate, the words insane, crazy, mentally ill, and so on get used a lot. Anyone who disagrees with someone else becomes crazy just because they strongly disagree.

People are crazy because the system says they're crazy. And remember. All conspiracy theorists are detached from reality. There are several members on here that will tell you as much. And they're here to help us see the truth about our delusional state.

Unless someone starts another suicide thread, or something similar, best to leave it alone, and don't be trying to diagnose others. It might be you that's crazy, and you don't even know it.

My question is, how do you define normal or abnormal thinking/behavior ?

The psychology of a person, is a very complex problem, because there is a fine line between the definition of normal or abnormal thinking ?

Psychological disorders which are, in one way or another, maladaptive in that they threaten the well-being of the individual train of thought or conform to whats socially acceptable in our retrospective cultures.
Discomfort, impaired functioning, bizarre behavior, and disruptive behavior, surely we all fall into this category one way or another, at times in our life's.

There was never a genius without a tincture of madness. "Aristotle"

I understand totally what you mean. I have seen some mean posts here.

But, I don't feel sorry for the folks who do the original weird posts, and get made fun of or teased.

I feel that if you say something in public that is outrageous, you should be prepared for some flack. To me, this is about as public as it gets.

Also, I feel that if you are smart enough to figure out how to post on here, then you should be smart enough to know that something you are posting may get made fun of, or receive negative replies.

Honestly, most of the posts that I have seen that got a lot of real flack were posts that actually really were kind of ridiculous.
If you(not really you, just anybody in general) are claiming to be an alien, even if you really think you are one, then you should be prepared for the regular guy, like me, to perhaps make fun of you a bit, or at least reply that we don't beleive you. I mean who really would believe you. And if there was a real alien on here, and they see a post by another alien, I would imagine that they would probably not reply, unless it had something special about the content that other aliens would be able to find through a search and was recognizable by aliens. And then if all this is true, and you really are an alien, then I doubt that the mean and silly replies that you would get, would really bother you. But I digress.

If your smart enough to figure out how to post here, then you should be smart enough to be able to accept the negative replies that almost always come with any post.

This is a great topic for discussion.

One thing that truly disgusts me is when people make references to medication.
They'll ask a poster if they forgot to take theirs or recommend that they get on some.
These kinds of comments are not necessary and should be taken down by the mods as soon as they appear. As far as I know, nobody here is a certified psychotherapist or psychiatrist and shouldn't be recommending that someone needs meds.

I'm not talking EVERY crazy post here (or for that matter alternative realities.truth means different things to different people, as long as you have your wits about whats actually going on around you. like I said anyone who has an illness or has ever cared for anyone who does knows the difference), I'm talking about people who are obviously a physical danger to themselves and possibly others. A little paranoid is OK (sometimes it CAN keep a person safe in a situation) When someone in a paranoid altered state feels the world is rapidly ending before their eyes (Yes anything with a begin has an end, but who is to say when that is? keep in mind this latter part isn't what I'm debating.) There's alot of ''crazy'' people on here, but most are not a danger to anyone. When someone feels they have a ''message'' (another sign is putting heavy importance on themselves as a messenger or prophet) a person will undo what they worked their whole life to achieve. This site is an escape for some of these people, who's families and so called friends turn their back. Encouraging unhealthy behavior is worse than ignoring the situation. It would be a freak situation you notice someone suicidal A) in time B) they are probably not likely to post location, but if you have the means to save a life you should.(unlikely situation, but never say never, in my time lurking over the years there were some obvious ''bad ends'') No one should ever have to apologize for being ill but people will argue for pages and pages with someone who doesn't need to be provoked.

As for Absco, kudos for comming out and saying it, took courage. Although I've read some of your other posts I hadn't picked up on it, so you must have a decent level of control. Keep doing what your doing. Your mini rant is welcome to the table. (I like to rant to, for what its worth)

reply to post by PutAQuarterIn


yea there are so doozies on this website. Its something you just assume you will see on here though. I think if anyone who doesnt pay attention to world events or only watches MSM were to come on here they would think everyone is nuts. But there is something to be said to for going down the rabbit hole. Once you start reading things and digging in you have to step back and realize that although your sources add up when taken as a whole the place you got to is nuts. Its just one of those things if you read your last source you would realize its nuts but incrementally getting to it makes it seem more normal.

However there are so crazies on here and its sad that others further that behavior, when they should be telling them to seek help. We have all seen the threads that talk about people being contacted by outside forces or black ops and being told that the end of the world is on X date. Instead of debating these people it would probably be wiser to ignore it