How do they originate and why do they stick? Is it boredom? Is it fear? Is it vengeance? Is it retribution? Is it the need for a scapegoat? Is it protection from those we think we need protection from? For most of my adult life, I worked as a mental health counselor with people with severe mental disorders–people who often had paranoid hallucinations and delusions. They would sometimes think they were being followed by the CIA or FBI or local police, or they thought they were Jesus returned or that they had bugs crawling all over them. I felt bad for these people. They were afflicted with these thoughts, without themselves being bad or evil. But people who believe in conspiracy theories are not necessarily mentally ill. They are fully conscious and aware of their delusions, and the harm and fear they cause. And let me add here that some conspiracy theories, like those around President Kennedy’s assassination, are valid and warrant continued investigation.
The latest delusional one is this QAnon conspiracy theory which has gained much traction since 2017, particularly among supporters of Donald Trump. Even Trump himself [Read more…] about Why the Crazy Conspiracy Theories?