Mental health issues abound on ATS

I have been a regular on ATS for awhile now. I first came on here to try to get some answers about my personal experiences regarding UFO's. Lately though I have found that there are an awful lot of people with mental issues on here. These people claim to be abducted by aliens, see things in photographs that simply aren't there, claim to see things or be things that are impossible and a lot of other claims. I was wondering if there is something happening to the population; something that has just broken people and have caused them to lose touch with reality. There appears to be a jump in the crazy claims lately. At first I would see the occasional nutbag..but now it seems to be a thread created on some insane theory.
I say they are mental health issues because they all share the same symptoms:
Schizophrenia and psychosis
Anxiety
Irritability
Confused or muddled thinking
Noticing that things and people seem strange or unreal
Being preoccupied with particular ideas or thoughts
Unusual experiences such as seeing or hearing thing
Those are just some of the signs that I have used...they all seem to be common amonst a lot of people on here. This is a personal opbservation, I just had to say something because I am never one to shut up. I was wondering if anyone else see's the same thing I do.


[edit on 23-8-2008 by riggs2099]

Since you cant trust the mainstream media, the governments or basically anything anymore, I believe some people choose to trust their own perception of reality as a substitute.

Or it could be that a lot of people simply enjoy seeing how many people they can fool into believing what they type.

In any case, I think some threads here are great, others are not so great. I do just fine picking out the good ones, ignoring the rest. I dont need or want ATS to do this selection for me.


[edit on 23-8-2008 by Copernicus]

And seeing as how some folks beleive they can't even trust their own perceptions... it gets kinda nutty sometimes.

It's called 'Summertime on ATS' when all the bored kids decide to wind everyone up and pass the time by making stupid claims.

COme the end of Spetember or beginning of October, things will be back to normal - ie: fairly restrained lunacy, without the kids trying to hoax everyone/get attention that they are clearly lacking from their parents.

Peace,

MGGG

reply to post by machinegun_go_go


I think your right, because it did seem to pick up with the summer holidays. I never even thought of that.

hey did you check out the thread I just posted about Toxicity and mental health

Toxic Overload

I seriously think it's not just ats and my thread here sums up a good portion of whats happening to people

reply to post by riggs2099


Yep - it's great ain't it?

Sure there are probably a few mental health issues (SO's new avatar is certainly pointing to a mental breakdown of sorts ) dotted around the place, but at this time of year - it's just too damned difficult to tell.

Peace,

MGGG

[edit on 23-8-2008 by machinegun_go_go]

[edit on 23-8-2008 by Copernicus]

reply to post by riggs2099


It is all relative so it is kind of hard to determine who is who, especially since I am still new myself. To deem people as mentally ill if they claim to be abducted is absurd. Being mentally ill is relative, therefore making it non-existent.

reply to post by Unlimitedpossibilities


No lol, few people would be here if they didn't have some real curiousity or some beliefs in conspiracy or paranormal, some of us are skeptics more than others

Then you have, the guy who slept with an alien and went on his honeymoon in the Andromeda Galaxy and contracted Mrgollons brought it back to Earth and cured it with the help of a NYC witchdoctor/cab driver who used a mixture of sasquatch hair and chupacabra semen in a potion to make him better.

know what I mean, there are some freaks that wander through and, i can't say I haven't though schizophrenia or psychosis before a couple of times when talking to someone

i think it has to do with the so called awakening that has been happening as of late. there are too many people that are coming out of a very deep hole and that's how they are reacting to the light.

just my opinion.
if that's true, then things will get better.
people learn and adapt.

reply to post by mopusvindictus


I guess so but I just do not think people should dismiss any story right off the bat because they claim to be abducted (caused by supposed mental illness). However, maybe I just misunderstood. Obviously some are more far-fetched than others but HENCE MY NAME, that is my belief.

EDIT: damn twice. That's a first. Too tired. Goodnite!

[edit on 23-8-2008 by Unlimitedpossibilities]

[edit on 23-8-2008 by Unlimitedpossibilities]

Originally posted by Unlimitedpossibilities

To deem people as mentally ill if they claim to be abducted is absurd.

What else would you call it when someone claims to have been taken aboard a space craft and experimented on. I call it insane because of the fact that it seems that greys abduct americans more than they do anyone else. The reason is that the greys are more popular in america and have become a pop icon. Where as in south america....their culture is flooded with strange rituals and creatures, when they get abducted they get abducted by weird looking creatures that donlt even come close to the greys. What I am saying is this; depending on where you live or what your brain has been flooded with, those are the aliens you will be abducted by. Your brain creates false memories of abduction by whatever is popular at the moment or the culture of that country. Look around....you will see that abduction cases differ from country to country and that the alien species differ also.

reply to post by Unlimitedpossibilities


Oh, I don't I definitively believe in the pressence of greys and have had several serious paranormal experiences in my life.

But most of us I think know when someone is utterly making something up and when they believe something that definitely can not have happened or flys in the face of everything anyone who has studied various phenomena knows to be true

Not hard to tell when someone is loopy

I get annoyed too when serious annabe debunkers blast someone who has a story that could quite possibly have been real, more than once i have seen posts from people who have had possibly real and traumatic experiences and they get shredded for no rela reason

so I'm with you

but the op has a real point too

Originally posted by riggs2099

Originally posted by Unlimitedpossibilities

To deem people as mentally ill if they claim to be abducted is absurd.

What else would you call it when someone claims to have been taken aboard a space craft and experimented on. I call it insane because of the fact that it seems that greys abduct americans more than they do anyone else. The reason is that the greys are more popular in america and have become a pop icon. Where as in south america....their culture is flooded with strange rituals and creatures, when they get abducted they get abducted by weird looking creatures that donlt even come close to the greys. What I am saying is this; depending on where you live or what your brain has been flooded with, those are the aliens you will be abducted by. Your brain creates false memories of abduction by whatever is popular at the moment or the culture of that country. Look around....you will see that abduction cases differ from country to country and that the alien species differ also.

If someone claimed to have been taken aboard a spacecraft, I would take every point and piece of the story they provided, and determine whether or not it was plausible (devoloping my own opinion). I would not claim mental illness.

I guess that is possible for them to be relative to country to country. I just have not seen any evidence for any side really so I just interpret everything as mere story at first. Then the plausibility. I will take your advice and research this topic.

reply to post by riggs2099


you do have a point, while greys are seen worldwide and I have seen alot of cases where they are seen by individuals who really shouldn't at least have had exposure to our culture

Greys are most common in the states

The experience of abduction however remains a worldwide phenomena and I haven't drawn any hard conclusions as to what it is, but I do tend to believe it goes beyond ordinary psychological phenomena and some sort of entity is involved

Never had an actual encounter myself, so can't say for sure.

If abduction is a psychological phenomena only, then it's been happening for thousands of years

I meditate alot and recently also posted on an experience I had with flies after some very negative experiences in my life...I do tend to believe I had some sort of spiritual "thing" happen to me recently, but remain objective to a scientific explanation

with that said though, science does point to the existence of other dimensions and I can't chalk up for certain some of my experiences to "ordinary science"

I could just be releasing large amounts of dmt naturally during a more intense spiritual meditation session and the whole process is purely a chemical hallucination

or

I could be actually percieveing things I might not ordinarilly be able to percieve

I tend to honestly lean to the later and it's not trust in my senses that leans me, I am fully aware how easy it is to decieve oneself

Most of physics points to higher dimensional states

the thing that intirigues me the most is the fact that energy exists in higher dimensions and if we have intelligence in the electro field we call a body, it is likely to me than that when the body dies a body of sorts could well exist in a higher state and this is sort of like an after birth when we die

There are indeed some real possibilities

But until I know for sure I remain open on the subject and look for answers

I am of course most skeptical of those that feel they know the whole origins of everything

as far as aliens go; Something is happening and I am not sure what

But I take a singular stance on this topic, we should be prepared to defend this planet as a whole and our military should be engaged in sorting in an aggresive way all possibilities because the odds of other life is extradonarilly high

IF we are being buzzed or abducted a militray response regardless of technology is appropriate, the Natives could have defeated the small numbers of conquistadors IF they weren't superstitous about the whole affair, despite much more advanced tech their number were small

so while I have no evidence of anything real atm, after the discover of 300 planets I would not put it past happening, from a perspective of civilization our only true threats aside from ourselves i.e. Asteroids or comets, that we know of come from off world, we should be readying both expansion first to moon/ space station, begining terraforming and, prepareing

One day even if these stories are not real we may very well find ourselves confronting a real enemy





[edit on 23-8-2008 by mopusvindictus]

reply to post by mopusvindictus


Agreed, lets just all make sure remember anything is possible, but with respectable discrimination of course. Its late. Sleepnite.

''mental health issues'' are abound throughout the entire civilized world! not just ats. I do believe that ats draws a lot of people who have significant problems, but no more than others.

In my honest opinion, I believe that a person who abides by societies rules with strict adherence, and believes that working and dying is what life is all about have mental health issues.

there is something more, and things that people cannot explain. Many of those that experience those things are not here to hoax people, or persuade people to believe them. These experiences, however profound, will never mean anything really significant to anybody but the person who experienced them.

A lot of people put stuff out there to see if they aren't alone.

and I will have to second the motion made by unlimitedpossibilities that anything is possible.

reply to post by riggs2099


Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . .

Wellllllll, uhhhhhh . . . what do I, with a PhD in clinical psych think about that . . .

1. Eric Fromm in SANE SOCIETY decades ago noted that in an insane society, only the insane would be sane.

2. These REALLY ARE VERY CRAZY TIMES we live in . . . getting crazier seemingly at the speed of dark or light or both.

3. This is a site which . . . kind of glories in, luxuriates in exploring topics from the VERY STRANGE to the UTTERLY VERY MOST STRANGE on all extreme ends of many continuum's. It's more than a little plausible that it would attract folks with . . . ISSUES.

4. If the satanists/globalists ARE running things . . . how exactly are a lot of folks to deal with that with serenity and confidence when faith in God has been undermined for the last 50 years in western society--again--by design of the same powers that be? Even in normally good Christian churches . . . it's a mess. Authenticity and deep rooted trust in God is not exactly front and center in a lot of groups.

5. REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDER seems to be rampant in our society and has been for 50 years or more. When folks are missing out on bonding, love, affirmation from a very loving, healthily affectionate EMOTIONALLY BONDED with intense caring fathers . . . where is their confidence going to come from--their very brain structures are distorted/mangled thereby.

6. Media, movies, music, rap seem to be churning out fear mongering filth 24/7--Not exactly conducive to confidence building and serenity.

7. A lot of folks hereon seem to be grasping at straws in the wind and anything else they can to concoct some sort of stability, hope, encouragement, dependability in their lives as they see lots of things go to h**l in a hand basket all around them.

8. I have a lot of compassion for all the tortured souls whether from an accurate assessment of current realities or inner demons they've wrestled with for years. I doubt it's going to get better for quite some time.

9. I'm thankful that there is a place like ATS where folks can come and feel at least understood by others of similar ilk. Many folks will NOT go to a counselor for a variety of reasons regardless of how intense their need. At least at ATS such don't need to feel so extremely isolated and ostracized.

10. Will ATS fix their angst? Not likely at all. Will likely tweak up the anxieties of a good many. Alas, a lot of other things afoot in the world would tweak them up sooner or later anyway. At least here, they don't have to feel so alone.

Interesting question. Thanks for an interesting ponder.

reply to post by riggs2099


How can you tell it is about insanity? What if, you just can't see what they see? I am not claiming that they actually see anything, just suggesting what if

I think Copernikus just below your post said all the relevant which needed to be said about these threads which may seem mentally disoriented:

Originally posted by Copernicus

Since you cant trust the mainstream media, the governments or basically anything anymore, I believe some people choose to trust their own perception of reality as a substitute.

Or it could be that a lot of people simply enjoy seeing how many people they can fool into believing what they type.

In any case, I think some threads here are great, others are not so great. I do just fine picking out the good ones, ignoring the rest. I dont need or want ATS to do this selection for me.


[edit on 23-8-2008 by Copernicus]

for that !!

All the best,

-v