A reader today mentioned something in an email about about how their research into various arcane areas such as conspiracy theory had caused PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). I’m not sure if that was more of an off-hand joke, or if it was a serious assertion. Either way, I feel like there’s a potential validity there which nobody has really explored (to my knowledge, anyway).

Well, maybe PTSD isn’t the perfect fit, but the point I’m trying to make is that I feel like there is a real physiological effect which people can potentially encounter when they start delving into conspiracy theory. While I’m not a fan of the DSM or of the use of mental disorders as a crutch, the DSM criteria for PTSD might offer some useful analogies for us. The first part of their diagnostic criteria involves:

“the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others”

The second part says “the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.” Obviously PTSD is a little more complex than what I’ve made it out to be with these two quotes, but I think this gives us a useful starting point.

Perhaps we could somehow also apply the theory of cognitive dissonance to this which basically says that when someone is confronted with information which challenges their prevailing view, then they fall into a dissonant state. They endure stress until they are able to return to a state of consonance. Usually, two techniques are used to attain or maintain consonance: selective exposure and selective retention. Selective exposure means they will inherently avoid information sources which challenge their views. Selective retention means they will blissfully ignore the parts of something they encounter that don’t support their view. (For some hardcore examples of this at work, simply read through the 50-odd comments on my Nazi Pope debate article)

From an older article I wrote on cognitive dissonance:

Leon Festinger first pioneered research into this area in the late 1950’s. He considered cognitive dissonance to be a “negative drive state,” along similar lines to hunger, thirst or tiredness. In a negative drive state, you seek to ameliorate the condition. If you’re hungry, you eat; thirsty, drink; tired, sleep. If you have cognitive dissonance you seek renewed balance or consonance.

We’ve all heard of ascetic monks such as the Sadhus of Hinduism who through meditation and intense discipline attempt to overcome their bodies’ negative drive state tendencies toward hunger, thirst and tiredness. Perhaps conspiracy theorists somehow fit into this tradition, but rather than radical physical acseticism, they intentionally engage their cognitive dissonance functions.

My guess is the further you move up on the “Conspiracy Spectrum” the more you tend to engage that function, and systematically overcome it. More than likely, each person has their own threshold or breaking point when it comes to cognitive dissonance. If they are unable to adequately adapt to their quickly changing views of how the world works, they may give into the “fear, helplessness, or horror” as described in PTSD. PTSD is said also to frequently trigger other latent psychological problems in the sufferer - which may be something of an explanation as to why conspiracy theorists are so frequently described as “paranoid” (although paranoia actually has its own separate DSM designation).

If there is some similarity between the bad experiences some people have “on” Conspiracy Theory and PTSD, the question of treatment ultimately arises. I’m pretty much 100% against medication-based treatments to mental illness, although I recognize it’s not the most clear-cut area of debate. I’m just against the idea that pumping somebody full of poisonous chemicals will ever help them overcome anything. PTSD seems to be frequently treated with a cocktail of anti-psychotics and anti-depressants, but also with some varieties of psychotherapy, such as one called TIR:

In TIR the client retells the trauma and releases the emotions held in check. In addition the client remembers the event and allows the conscious mind to process any decisions, intentions and cognitive distortions that might have occurred during or after the trauma.

Seems like that sort of thing might be more helpful in people suffering from Conspiracy Theory related “trauma.” Plus, I think the whole idea of looking at the internal correlations to the externally threatening aspects of Conspiracy Theory would be a tremendous help. I’m kind of curious now if there are any psychologists which specialize in “treatment” of CT. More than likely it’s just classified as a side-effect of some other more technical designation though.

Some additional resources on PTSD are available online via the government’s Department of Veteran’s affairs website. I do, of course, realize the poetic irony of suggesting that Conspiracy Theorists consult a government source for managing their anxiety. There’s definitely some weird and intriguing stuff on this site though.

1. PTSD FAQ
2. What is PTSD?
3. What Are the Traumatic Stress Effects of Terrorism?
4. Terrorist Attacks and Children - describes reactions of children of various ages… creepy

Anyway, there’s tons more info on there. I’ll post more in this direction if I find anything interesting.