Mental health issues abound on ATS

...says the man with the joker as his avatar. Wasn't he a nutter too? LOL

Honestly, the reason I am here is because this is my new sci-fi channel. There is some great finction here and I am totally convinced that the entirety of star trek and stargate were gleaned from theories postulated on sights like this and by the types that inhabit places like it.

I do agree with you on your many points of observation into the way that people seem to act around here. I was kinda hoping this'd be a place that cuts to the chase, but that would be a silly presumption to make based on many of the headlines that hit the front page around here.

I have quite bad mental health problems - I have suffered from debilitating OCD for 13 years. But I don't claim to have seen anything as spectacular as a UFO or ghost or make that crap up.

[edit on 25-8-2008 by Hardee]

Originally posted by riggs2099
Some possible reasons for seeing shadow people.
Scientific explanations
Several scientific hypotheses have been proposed to explain sightings of shadow people, including optical illusions or hallucinations brought on by the physiological/psychological circumstances of the witnesses, drug use, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.......

Pareidolia

Hypnogogia

Chemical agents


Electromagnetic fields
Under the right conditions, electromagnetic fields can interfere with the functions of the temporal lobe; creating altered states of perception in which auditory and visual hallucinations can occur.

Using electromagnetic fields, researches have been able to recreate many of the experiences reported during paranormal encounters under laboratory conditions, including those of shadow people. Researchers have also documented correlations between variances in naturally-occurring magnetic fields and areas where paranormal events have been reported.

Neurological conditions
Certain neurological conditions, such as photosensitive complex partial seizures, have also been shown to cause sufferers to see shadow people.

These cannot be ruled out. People jump to the paranormal conclusion to many times before looking into it thoroughly. There is always a logical explaination, you just have to look for it.

[edit on 25-8-2008 by riggs2099]

While there's almost always some scientific way of interpreting these memories as delusional, there's obviously a way that these experiences can be delivered by unknown forces we have yet to understand also.

This can also suggest that our abductors are using this same science to cover their tracks.

Being disillusioned by the threads and posts here and other such forums, doesn't mean these experiences don't exist in other ways you and science has yet to discover or even admit.

It apparently doesn't take very much to disqualify a persons account by giving them a common diagnosis and a legitimate illness as if a cover.

Being a skeptic can also mean being skeptical of the science they use and their own possible agendas as colaborators and disinformants.

Even our abductors can apparently be part of this, otherwise, we would all be aware of their existence by now as common knowledge through integration etc.


Many inmates and or patients may say they belong somewhere and yet they are there, as you are now in this forum. Relax and enjoy your stay in the ATS zone.

Originally posted by riggs2099
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
[edit on 23-8-2008 by riggs2099]

Anyone can write on ATS what they have experienced, can't they?

It's a nice list ya came up with Ya studing to be a shrink? Don't regonize myself in it tho or it must be that I'm labelled ' Irritability'

Have been in therapy last year (not by a psychatrist ) and been told I'm quite sane. But that of course is debatable

I see ATS as a forum where ppl can share likewise experiences without being told all the time they are NUTS.

Things DO happen to ppl ya know. You don't have to believe a word of it but it's their Truth!

And yes the world is full of ppl who simply refuse to even try and see things from another / different angle. That's why fights and wars are born.

PEACE

reply to post by Melyanna Tengwesta

You don't have to believe a word of it but it's their Truth!

No. There is only one truth, and one version of it. It's practically impossible for anyone to actually know the real and complete "truth" about anything. All we can do is offer our best interpretations of it. This is called the "Rashomon Effect". (If you haven't read the story/play, "By the Gates of Rashomon", I highly suggest you do)

So you only want people to work with something that is tangible? What about any kind of spiritual awakening or Buddhist monk training, etc. Perhaps that is out of context but still. ~ Unlimitedpossibilities

compared to Science, Buddhism has provided no real benefit to humanity. Has Buddhism sent a man to the moon? Has Buddhism nearly eradicated polio? Does Buddhism keep your house warm in winter? Has Buddhism provided a worldwide network of instantanious communication? Does spiritual awakening extend human lifespan? Does it power your appliances? Does it keep your child safe during an auto accident?

The difference between Science and Spirituality is that science has a proven track record of success, while Spirituality never gets much beyond the point of poorly implemented philosophical ramblings. Some of the most highly regarded spiritual people on the Earth, the Native Americans, were powerless in the face of sheer technological superiority.

It. Doesn't. Work.

Interesting points that the OP raises!

Whilst I heavily filter a lot of the stuff that appears on here, there is the odd thing that is talked about that is genuinely interesting.

One thing about ATS is that people aren't afraid to talk about potentially controversial subjects.

The greatest strength ATS has is that it tackles the status quo head-on, and gets people questioning what is around them. Too many times, people take the MSM at face value, believe what they're told by the Government or some other agency of similar perceived authority without questioning anything they're told, and frankly I think that is scary.

Anyone who accepts anything without questioning it is said to be gullible.

If the majority just accept things as they are, it certainly gets you thinking what "normal" is, and whether the way things generally seem to be at the moment are in fact "normal".

The way some of my fellow countrymen behave, I seriously question it.

Originally posted by Lasheic
compared to Science, Buddhism has provided no real benefit to humanity. Has Buddhism sent a man to the moon? Has Buddhism nearly eradicated polio? Does Buddhism keep your house warm in winter? Has Buddhism provided a worldwide network of instantanious communication? Does spiritual awakening extend human lifespan? Does it power your appliances? Does it keep your child safe during an auto accident?

It depends on what you define as a benefit to humanity, and it surely depends on who is capitalizing on the technology at hand. We live in a society that for the most part, depends on many of the things you listed. However, we as a nation for the most part take for granted all these advances in science.

Science without spirituality will lead to destruction.

Let me ask you this. Which would you rather have at the forefront of AI physics and programming. A Buddhist or an Athiest?

Originally posted by Lasheic
The difference between Science and Spirituality is that science has a proven track record of success, while Spirituality never gets much beyond the point of poorly implemented philosophical ramblings. Some of the most highly regarded spiritual people on the Earth, the Native Americans, were powerless in the face of sheer technological superiority.

It. Doesn't. Work.

It depends on what you define as success. and especially how you define spirituality.
The slaughter of millions of innocents, the callousness of psychopaths with extreme political influence, the gullibility of the masses, and the millions of people who remained silent and took orders are not honorable in the path to success.
Manifest destiny is a cop out for socio/psychopathic tendencies.

spirituality without science is lost.

The europeon mindset was radical to the american native mindset.
The many tribes of different descent that populated the americas before the conquest, did not believe in ''owning'' land. Rather they were stewards of the land that lived the way their ancestors did. In a spiritual and harmonious way.
The europeons instantly cried savage and assumed that their way of life was not only primitive, but also sinful and against god.

From my research and experience I know that they knew more than we did.
They did not have the success of atomic bombs, ak47s, high suicide rates, trillion dollar debt, online predators, uranium bullets, sarin gas, aids, psychological operations/warfare, electromagnetic warfare, and hi resolution satellites that can track anything on the planet.

They also did not have 5 star restaurants, planes to go skydiving from, ferrari modenas, advanced medical care, 1000s of television channels, the internet, i pods et c.

These things that entertain us and keep us from experiencing discomfort are all very lovely things. But I would give them up if they would mean that we could get rid of the power struggle.

I believe that the truth is that the ancestors of the native americans, and every other culture had technology far more advanced than what we have today at this time. They had it and lost it because they lost their spirituality, just like we, as a majority, have today. People have lost their connection(for the most part) with the earth, their ancestors, their community, and most of all, their TRUE selves.

Spirituality has the potential to be the greatest benefit to mankind

When people are harmonized, there is no need for a power struggle. You are connected with the source of the energy of the universe.
When one is disconnected from the source, one steals energy from other beings in various ways, and one gets their energy stolen in various ways.


All the b.s. is all the result of people in power allowing their ego's to control their lives.

The hallmark of a truly spiritual person, is the abandonment or significant erosion of the ego.


There are two sides of a coin. On one side is spirituality. On the other is science. Instead of choosing sides, I believe people need to find a balance, but I believe they need to find it on their own.

[I don't subscribe to scientology and have remained seriously closed minded about it because I don't like the hype surrounding it. I don't like how its regarded and from what Ive gathered, its not for me. ]



[edit on 8/25/2008 by iiinvision]

[edit on 8/25/2008 by iiinvision]

The start up of the hadro ncolider is the end of the time loop we once lived in as real living organisums. The closer we get to the endless repeating of the start up of the collider , the more sycronized the insanity becomes within the populations of us , the dead.

Those things we call ghosts , they are reflections of the living found within the quantum tunnels of the living that are in fact alive and make up the whole of the living realms.

We are in dark matter with only scattered glimpses of reality passed through the pores of the tunnels. Insanity ? Plumb F(#&*$% crazy.

reply to post by iiinvision

Let me ask you this. Which would you rather have at the forefront of AI physics and programming. A Buddhist or an Athiest?

I would like to say that religion doesn't matter, but I would rather have the person most well qualified for the job. However, upon inflection, I would most likely prefer to have the Atheist on the project who's, imo, more apt to look at all angles of development choices and chose the best and most reasonable courses of action. Provided he's more than well qualified enough.

The point is moot, regardless, because it most likely not be human hands which create AI. AI will likely either arise itself or will be created via a combination of Evolutionary Algorithms and emulation. You also seem to think that AI could likely be some hideous and malevolent, devoid of morals or respect for life if it were created by a "godless and immoral atheist" (which is itself a false stereotype and falsehood) Rather, if Strong AI and Humanity first develop as separate entities initially - they likely will not be for long as humanity merges more and more with their technology. You will eventually have a middle ground, and then the two will eventually become one.

The slaughter of millions of innocents, the callousness of psychopaths with extreme political influence, the gullibility of the masses, and the millions of people who remained silent and took orders are not honorable in the path to success.

The slaughter of innocents enmasse, the callousness of psychopaths with political influence, and the gullibility of the masses are not a new phenomena brought about by technology. They have always been a feature of human society, and before it used technology it used (and still uses to this day) spirituality and religion to achieve it's ends.

The great liberator of the masses has been knowledge, and knowledge cannot be disseminated to the public at large without the aid of technology - be it the invention of written language, the printing press, or the world wide web. It has not banished nor loosed our angels or demons, but only changed the channels in which they operate. Knowledge is power, and this has never been more true than in today's information age.

The many tribes of different descent that populated the americas before the conquest, did not believe in ''owning'' land. Rather they were stewards of the land that lived the way their ancestors did. In a spiritual and harmonious way.
The europeons instantly cried savage and assumed that their way of life was not only primitive, but also sinful and against god.

The Native Americans did not live in harmony with their environments, they conserved their environments. This means they actively changed their habitat and adapted to changes in it. This is one of the great lessons we're learning in the last half century - that you cannot "preserve" nature, but only conserve it - because the only thing constant of life on this planet is change. Native species of animals certainly do not live in harmony with one another, but only appear to be so because of the limitations of their environment. Weather, Predators, Disease, Food Supplies. The animals do not instinctual know to stay in harmony with their environment - their environment limits them. Remove these limitations and natural pressures which keep populations in check will fail. The result is in the overrun of population that is highly destructive to the local environment and ecology. Take for instance the case of invasive species.

These things that entertain us and keep us from experiencing discomfort are all very lovely things. But I would give them up if they would mean that we could get rid of the power struggle.

Further, the Native Americans - even with their spirituality, were not above the trappings of politics, warring, environmental modification, artificially cultivating new species, etc. Indeed, one of the major reasons why they could not remove the white man from their lands was because they were too caught up in inter-tribal infighting and warring to mount a defense. They made foolish alliances with traitors and traded off their land little by little for the promise of defense against their fellow Native Americans, only to have the knife turned on them when their backs were in the corner.

In the long run, their spirituality did not help them. The scene played out time and time again, across both Americas on either side of the equator.

And forgive me, but even with all it's evils, I would not give this technological world up if it would mean that I would have to forgo clean water, plentiful and safe food at all times of the year, instant communication, modern medicine, sanctuary from predatory animals, etc. Such places like you describe are still in existence today, and I'd bet you probably wouldn't last a month there.

Technology does not need Spirituality, because spirituality has nothing to offer. And please note, because from your above comment you seem to have a bit of trouble with this issue, that morality does not come from spirituality. Being spiritual does not guarantee morality, just as being moral doesn't mean you are spiritual.

I believe that the truth is that the ancestors of the native americans, and every other culture had technology far more advanced than what we have today at this time. They had it and lost it because they lost their spirituality, just like we, as a majority, have today.

There is absolutely no reputable or credible record of this in any fossil record or historical document. Find me a single peer reviewed paper on the subject which supports this claim. There is none. What we do find in the fossil record is a clear procession of technology from even before the Paleolithic age to the Mesolithic, the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, Iron Age - etc.

I personally believe that we are entering into an age in which the rate of discovery and knowledge acquisition will continue to increase exponentially as we build new technology on the back of discovery. We are on the verge implimenting several very world-altering technologies. Nanotechnology, Gene Therapy, Artificial Intelligence... each of these every bit as powerful as the Industrial Revolution in a single 50 year timespan.

[edit on 25-8-2008 by Lasheic]

reply to post by Lasheic


wow, definitely have to give you a star for the response. I will reply in length in due time, but this is why I enjoy ATS.

Perspectives.

reply to post by Lasheic


Look at how much the world has changed in the last 100 years. Compare the America of 1908 to the America of 2008. The most drastic of the changes in how we live our lives, how we work, how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves, how we interact with each other. This mostly happened in only the last 50 years! Imagine the rate of change the next fifty years will see, a time span many of us will live to see.

At this rate of change, I do not think it's possible for humanity to go extinct or to revert to a pre-paleolithic age. Barring of course, something massively catastrophic which would practically have to destroy the entire world. The only thing really left which can do that would be a meteorite impact. Even the combined detonation of all of the worlds atomic weapons couldn't achieve this. The key to a successful species is adaptability, and the only reason why humanity is still around is because of that inherent adaptability which technology brings. We are the last surviving hominid species... and the only reason why we're still around is because of our technology.

Originally posted by Lasheic
reply to post by Melyanna Tengwesta

 

You don't have to believe a word of it but it's their Truth!

No. There is only one truth, and one version of it. It's practically impossible for anyone to actually know the real and complete "truth" about anything. All we can do is offer our best interpretations of it. This is called the "Rashomon Effect". (If you haven't read the story/play, "By the Gates of Rashomon", I highly suggest you do)

I have to disagree. What you state gives no justice to experiences and believes of various individuals.

Science = logic = brain (mind) + hard-evidence
Spirituality = a sensation that doesn’t come from any of our 5 senses = heart + hard to be proved yet

That Scientists cannot prove certain things about Spirituality is simply bc they don’t have that ability NOW.

There are researches being done on that subject tho. Read “ Eindeloos Bewustzijn” (Dr. Pim van Lommel – brain surgeon, 2007) chapter 11 Quantumfysics and Consiouness.

Last week Publishing-firm VS HarperCollins has bought the English rights for translation from Publishing –firm Ten Haave, it is to be expected that the Englsih edition will appear by HarperOne winter 2010-2011.

www.alpha-online.nl...

Lots of so called NEW scientific evidence is also been written about in the Zohar (Kabbalah), Quantum theory and all (The written Zohar is 2000 yrs old)

Thx for ur book tip! As soon as I finish my study on the Necronomicum, I’ll try to get a copy : )


@iiinvision: ' The hallmark of a truly spiritual person, is the abandonment or significant erosion of the ego.'

Very well said! There is still a lot of work to do on tackling ego, including me

[edit on 8/26/2008 by Melyanna Tengwesta]

reply to post by Melyanna Tengwesta

Science = logic = brain (mind) + hard-evidence

That's... not... what science is.

Spirituality = a sensation that doesn’t come from any of our 5 senses = heart + hard to be proved yet

The heart is not a sensory organ. There is absolutely no data to show that it is. Further, would you be suggesting that someone who has their heart replaced with a prosthetic (either in it's entirety or partially) would lose their "spirituality"? If you remove someone's eardrums, they can no longer hear. Remove their eyes, and they can no longer see. Remove their nasal cavity and their tounge and they can no longer taste or smell (smell and taste are closely linked). Remove their heart... and, well assuming you can keep them alive, nothing will change.

That Scientists cannot prove certain things about Spirituality is simply bc they don’t have that ability NOW.

Actually, Science can prove certain things about Spirituality by observing the brain functions of someone who is experiencing states of heightened spirituality. What they've found is that is it invokes different regions of the brain to heightened activity. It's also partially linked to temporal lobe epilepsy.

God spot, or God Net?

God-Center stimulator helmet is hit and miss, because belief in the spiritual is both cultural and genetic in nature as well as neurologic.

Unfortunately, the evidence and the research isn't pointing the kind of conclusions you'd like. It certainly doesn't point to any real benefits which can be gained by Spirituality, and seems to confirm that it's all entirely subjective experiences that have no immediate bearing on reality.

Last week Publishing-firm VS HarperCollins has bought the English rights for translation from Publishing –firm Ten Haave, it is to be expected that the Englsih edition will appear by HarperOne winter 2010-2011.

I'd rather see something in the peer review literature, but the biggest hurdle here is that I don't speak dutch. Google Mis-Translations isn't much help either. Providing a source which most users won't be able to read for another 2 to 3 years isn't helpful.

Lots of so called NEW scientific evidence is also been written about in the Zohar (Kabbalah), Quantum theory and all (The written Zohar is 2000 yrs old)

Any reputable links? I've never heard of any quantum physicist who uses the Zohar/Kabbalah as a reference in their research papers. I've never heard of a discovery in Quantum Mechanics being derived from a reading of these books.

Thx for ur book tip! As soon as I finish my study on the Necronomicum, I’ll try to get a copy

It's a short story, and can be read in as little as 20 mins. Nothing to really "study". There's also a great film adaptation by Akira Kurosawa which you can view on YouTube complete with Subtitles to watch at your leisure.
Rashomon 1/9

The story/movie ends with the murder never being truly resolved. All we have are the differing stories of the witnesses. But beyond the scope of the story, how might the murder be solved? How could an independent source confirm or deny any part or entirety of anyone's version of events? By studying the evidence left behind. It would have been easy enough for a modern crime scene analysis to figure out which parts of who's story jived with the actual evidence. The evidence is the truth behind all of the stories, because it is a record of what actually happened.

This is what I'm getting at when I say that there are not multiple versions of the truth, but rather only one truth - but multiple views and interpretations of it.

[edit on 26-8-2008 by Lasheic]

Like another poster, I have a mental illness--I was hospitalized with paranoid schizophrenia at age 27, shortly after completing my masters degree. The illness is normally controlled by medication but sometimes the medication doesn't work (for unknown reasons). Despite this, I have held a professional job for 21 years at a university.

My point is that when I'm "loony", my judgment filter on reality breaks down and almost any thought that occurs to me seems reasonable, and I act unpredictably in a fantasy world. In such a state I could post any number of bizarre thoughts that were real to me at the time. Right now I'm as sane as I get, and the only paranormal experience I am sure I have had is a memory of an apparently precognitive experience where I received information (probably while my meds weren't working) of the detailed appearance of my workplace several years in the future--which came true.

I have quite an imagination and have spent the last ten years reading science, New Age and ATS-type literature, searching for the answers to the secrets of the universe. My psychotherapist recently said I should think about changing my belief system because I wasn't sure going back to school for another degree would be worthwhile if the world might end in 2012.

So a loony poster with an anomalous posting could be telling a significant truth, and a sane poster could have just visited too many New Age websites. It's hard to tell!

I don't think it is just on this site.I personally believe it is prevalent in our society to a much farther extent than known. I worked for a company where a number of individuals who were in charge were sociopaths.They fit the medical definition to a tee. I even mentioned it to a couple of my co-workers once when we were sitting around and they all thought they were the only ones who had noticed their behavior.
I recently worked for a security company where for 2 hours at the end of my shift I would drive around with my supervisor in the car with me(it sucked).He would look up in to the early morning sky and seeing Venus or some other bright star that always appeared in the sky that time of day, would comment on how bright the space station was that day!
I thought he was joking at first but he was sure he was watching the space station setting stationary in the night sky. Every frigging day he would remark on "how bright the space station was today," This idiot was in charge of us.
He would say other things that made me realize he may have had a screw loose,or two.

reply to post by riggs2099

People who have never seen a UFO may point an accussing finger at those who have and claim that they have mental health problems. . !

maybe people's minds are sliping into a new dimension where the biggest encyclopedia of all time exists, wich is accessible for a split second only allowing the brain to catch a breif glimpse at the bottom of the page

"

in 2035 there will be no human left... o n ho th ...blurry text"







.wiki

[edit on 27-8-2008 by monkeybus]

reply to post by Mintwithahole.


Exactly. I have never seen one and I do not claim mental health issues here. Again, I will say it that its absurd.

we just need to find solutions so we can move on for some action to really change our world.

It takes all sorts

In a long thread like this, any meaningful response gets lost in the noise, but what the heck...

Yes, 'mental-health issues' do abound on ATS.

For a start, there are numerous schizophrenics posting here. Some, like the Anonymous ATS poster above me and certain others, have freely admitted their illness on the board. Others haven't - but whenever you read someone posting in all seriousness about how their minds are being controlled by the NWO or some shadowy government agency, or how they converse with or are abducted on a regular basis with aliens, or are followed around by men in black, or keep seeing strange vehicles in the street, or have been vouchsafed a personal revelation by the Holy Spirit or the Galactic Federation of Light, you know the person telling you this is either

1. a hoaxer (that's the summer crowd, mostly)
   
2. someone with an agenda preying on the mentally ill, or
   
3. a schizophrenic
   

It's easy to tell the hoaxers and the hucksters from the genuine schizophrenics, whose posts have a sweaty, hag-ridden quality that is almost impossible to fake.

There are also numerous schizoid and borderline psychopathic personalities here, easily identified by their violent avatars and wildly intolerant, frequently murderous views.

Then come the 'delusional obsessives'. I don't know the proper psychiatric term for them, but they are the one-issue posters: religious fanatics and dedicated adherents of crackpot theories - NWO conspiracists, perpetual-motion enthusiasts, chemtrail believers and so on. Not everyone who is willing to believe these things necessarily has a mental condition, but the firmest and most fixated adherents certainly do.

I would say these four groups together add up to a small but not inconsiderable minority of ATS members. I wouldn't like to guess at the percentage, though.

* * *

What makes a person mentally ill? The old clinical definition used to be 'someone who finds it impossible to work, or else to love, or both'. I like this definition, which I think cuts to the chase in a very practical way, and it is in the terms of definition that I find myself in agreement with the OP. I suspect there are a lot of people who fit that definition on ATS.

As for myself, well, one must leave it to others to judge one's sanity.

The "Public" quality of ATS is what I admire about it. Any reasonable cross section of the population will contain every type of person.

This is the nature of what a truly public place is.
It reminds me of the street in Manhattan. The difference being you can safely converse with anyone without getting mugged.


It is also a great place to learn social skills and hone your manners.
We could all do with more of that in our lives.