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[theweaselking]

A report in the medical journal Psychopathology notes that psychotic delusions increasingly concern the internet, suggesting high-technology can fulfil the role of malign 'magical' forces often experienced in psychosis.

Traditionally, psychiatry has considered the content of delusions as irrelevant and only sees the 'form' of a belief as important in diagnosis and treatment. For example, how true it is, how strongly it is held, how it was formed and so on.

This paper analyzes four case-reports and notes that, contrary to the traditional view, the cases are examples where an internet-theme has particular clinical implications.

Comments

[rimrunner.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I've definitely seen examples of technology-specific delusions in libraries—people thinking that the orbital mind control lasers are monitoring their computer activities, for example. Although sometimes, they're using the Internet to research the object of their delusion, like the guy who wanted to do a patent search on a mind-control device that records your every thought and experience.

I wonder if there is a cognitive element. For instance, I think of magic as a psychological phenomenon, but I know people who think of it as something that "works" objectively or mechanically, if you see what I mean.