Is it possible to make accurate psychological diagnoses based on forum posts?

a reply to: Profusion

Is 'Total Idiot' a psychological diagnosis?

That one shows up rather frequently around here.

Epidemic some days.

It would depend on the assumption that the person making the posts wasn't acting. Lots of people like to say things under anomalous identity that they would never say in their community. So the answer is no, you cannot judge someone's psychological state from online posts.

But then again, maybe I am a little OCD, ADHD, and have depersonalization disorder and derealization disorder, so how would I know.

a reply to: rickymouse

You're also not supposed to self-diagnose! Psychological experts gotta eat too you know!

a reply to: Profusion

A professional psychological diagnosis requires a lot more than just ones written communications.

Oh sure, it helps to round out a better understanding of one's views, and might provide some insight into a few aspects of one's personality, but long there are so many other factors at play than ones internet "play acting" (whether honestly genuine or playfully deceitful).

Even traditional psychotherapy sessions take time to get a rounded out and comprehensive profile of a personality.

I've been in therapy for well over twenty years, and for a while, even had home visitations to check in on me so they could see how I maintained my household in case I showed signs of deterioration, office visits to see if I was maintaining my grooming and personal upkeep. Face to face reveals a more comprehensive overall picture for such a situation. Speech, dress, eye contact, overall posture and social presentation, etc.

Blah blah blah....in short...while online interactions can show more "hidden" aspects of an individual psyche, it cannot alone be used to diagnose anyone on it's own.

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

And places like this are fair game for the dishonest

Facebook and social media in general is full of idiots. I'm not convinced that the majority is censoring themselves but rather that people like to play dumb or the victim card for some odd reason. I don't see the point in lying about myself though i wouldn't disclose my personal information but everything else at least in my case is fair game on here. Besides there is no existing picture of myself anywhere on the www.

I'm invisible to the outside world. I still make mistakes from time to time but i've got enough self confidence to acknowledge them now. I do hate myself but i don't project that on anyone because i learned to embrace and live with my guilty conscience. The only thing that i somewhat regret is the necessary dishonesty with my family to keep them not worried about me all the time. ATS is the only place where i can truly be myself.

I'm pretty good at reading people but i would never diagnose someone over a forum or there posts. Body language and speech patterns play a huge part in making a accurate diagnose. I'm not big on making assumptions about online personalities either. There is no way of knowing someones deppest thoughts and desires purely on some comments or posts that person made.

If a ATS member is up to the challenge you could diagnose me to prove me wrong for example. Fair warning! Diving into my mind could be dangerous though. I disclosed a lot of information about myself in some of my previous posts but i'm not sure if that's enough to establish a baseline. I believe most people with lesser willpower than myself would have been broken long ago. I guess what keeps me going despite all that unbelievable crap that happened to me is pure willpower and my own code. I just can't quit. Surrender is not an option.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
a reply to: rickymouse

You're also not supposed to self-diagnose! Psychological experts gotta eat too you know!

Paying someone to tell you that you are crazy seems kind of nuts.

a reply to: Profusion

Is it possible to make accurate psychological diagnoses based on forum posts?

I would say yes because in almost every thread I participate, people have no problem saying that I'm mentally ill.

a reply to: Profusion

It's not possible. It's not even ethical. I was a psychology major in college and part of the training was learning that to make a diagnosis you need a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist to examine the subject IN PERSON. There are psychiatrists and psychologists who are trying to diagnose Trump and all of the psychiatrists and psychologists I know plus the training I have had condemns this, even.

originally posted by: Freija
a reply to: Profusion

Is it possible to make accurate psychological diagnoses based on forum posts?

I would say yes because in almost every thread I participate, people have no problem saying that I'm mentally ill.

Mentally ill sounds so cold and impersonal, it is depressing. Being called Nuts is so much better.

Yes, You're all Bonkers!
I'm the only sane one

I'd bet any of them so called experts would be too far Left to give an unbiased diagnosis.

a reply to: Profusion
I read many posts that could be used as examples confirming the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

Pretty much standard practice. I think they use conversations and unguarded
statements and diaries,
stuff like that.

I usually make recall of a certain dream, to potential captors.

"I don't know how who or why. But when I looked out my backdoor, I saw that The White Suits had arrived, and were assembling equipment on the patio outside. While one was prepping a syringe, I picked up a remote phone, but it was dead. I opened the battery pack and inside was a yellow note pad scrap with a guy's phone number who I met through ATS, and later, protoplasmic traveler's place. But the wires connecting the battery were frayed...

There was a brief struggle, before I somehow immobilized them all, and then I knelt over the guy with the needle works, and buried it in his neck to the hilt. It was all so...automatic. Then I snapped the needle, just to be sure. I left them to fend for themselves and went back inside.

Outside, I saw that the stretcher they had brought for me was loaded to capacity with their dead bodies. Then, while inside, I noticed that the hinges, and lock, were mounted on the opposite side of the door."

It's also the first and last page of my diary.

# 701

a reply to: Profusion

ye there is half truths everywhere language r medium for the brain lets u get into each other if u want to get deep

Like those people who purposely seek out supernatural/religious/conspiracy forums so they can diagnose everyone there with schizophrenia? If personality disorders exist, I'd say that's one.

a reply to: Profusion

So, how much truth is being revealed about people's personalities on a forum?

You could get to know the people who post a lot and/or about their day-to-day life better than they know themselves -- even to the extent that you could predict and change their behavior like in real life. e.g. You might know your partner is forgetful of something, so you leave them notes on certain days to remind them.

I mean, you can pretty much hit the board on just about anyone, but to hit the bullseye you need certain info.

We get to know people by their behavior patterns (spirit/will) , so if you can learn enough about behavior patterns, you can learn to see people's will/spirit. (And thoughts are a kind of behavior. Scary thought, huh? It's true though.)

a reply to: Profusion

Yes, it most certainly is. Not only possible but happening constantly. Online advertisers, propagandists and law enforcement authorities identify and select targets based on their internet behaviour. Forum posts are very much a part of their modus operandi.

I know that I'm frequently role playing to an extent on that forum, and people there have gotten the wrong impression about me based on that.

That doesn’t matter one bit. The assessment is not based merely on information volunteered by the poster; in fact, the information (or misinformation) provided is largely irrelevant. The assessment is based on other considerations such as internet behaviour (sites visited, time spent on each, etc.), word choice and association in forum posts, affective responses to various statements made by other internet users and so on.

People can tell all the lies they want, pretend to be whomever they like. Those very lies speak volumes about them.

One needn’t be a trained psychologist to make accurate judgements of people on the Web, either. All it takes is a good practical understanding of human nature and a certain detachment from the fray.

...even protected by the shade of anonymity, a dog will often make himself known with a stray, accidental bark.
— Konnikova, M., The Psychology of Online Comments, New Yorker, 23 October 2013

In fact, you don’t even have to be human. A computer may be able to do it even better.

These speech features predicted later psychosis development with 100% accuracy, outperforming classification from clinical interviews. — Bedi et al., Automated Analysis of Free Speech Predicts Psychosis Onset in High-Risk Youths, NPJ Schizophrenia, 26 viii 2015.

Many frequent posters in forums display pathologies of various kinds. Trolls are particularly sick people:

Overall, strong positive associations emerged among online commenting frequency, trolling enjoyment, and troll identity, pointing to a common construct underlying the measures. Both studies revealed similar patterns of relations between trolling and the Dark Tetrad of personality: trolling correlated positively with sadism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, using both enjoyment ratings and identity scores. Of all personality measures, sadism showed the most robust associations with trolling... — Buckells, E.E., Trapnel, P.D. & Paulhus, D.L., Trolls Just Want to Have Fun, Personality & Individual Differences, vol lxvii, Sept 2014

Are you a troll? It’s easy to find out for yourself — but even easier for others to discern.

When people had a GAIT score under 3, there was a mix of sadists and non-sadists. Once the GAIT score climbed above 3.5, everyone in that range was highly sadistic. — Golbeck, J., Are You an Internet Troll?, Psychology Today, 19 Sept 2014

You can role-play and mislead all you like on the internet, but psychological speaking, you’re an open book.

a reply to: darkbake

I was a psychology major in college and part of the training was learning that to make a diagnosis you need a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist to examine the subject IN PERSON.

Yes, that’s what they teach you at undergraduate level, for fear that, otherwise, you may engage in unprofessional practices that may do your future clients (and others) more harm than good. It’s a good rule to follow, but it isn’t always true.

According to this post, you role play on every forum you visit. Do you even know who you are?
For someone who talks a lot about people lying to them, don't you think you're being deceitful in your interactions with people on the internet by roleplaying to them? Genuine question.