Bits and pieces
Apparently, this is the first case study of delusions involving computer games. Considering how long computer games have been around, I'm surprised it took this long. If your mind plays tricks on you, it's going to use things that are familiar to you, so your delusions are going to be about things that are familiar to you. I'd've thought that computer games were ubiquitous enough to be the center of delusions for a while already.
I do agree with this observation: "A worrying aspect is that, in many of these games, points are scored for acting violently or even killing. If the game is transposed into the real word by a delusional state, the risk of subsequent violence is high—particularly if violence is not perceived to be illegal or morally wrong." It's a seriously bad thing when we go from people thinking they're secret agents and trying to break codes, or thinking God talks to them and trying to heal the world with the power of their minds, to people trying to score as many game points as possible by running people over.
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Your author finally gathered up her courage and registered as a blood donor. This involved a lot of gathering courage - I've been postponing this for years and years because I hate needles. One of the last times I got poked by a needle involved me almost fainting. However, I figure that me being uncomfortable for 10 to 15 minutes to give blood does not outweigh someone else dying from lack of blood.
This did, however, lead to me discussing blood and needle phobias. Blood and needle phobias are actually kind of special. With most phobias, it is actually impossible to faint. Fear makes you tense up, prepare to either fight for all you're worth or run like hell. This means your blood pressure actually goes up, while fainting involves your blood pressure dropping.
Aside from being an interesting tidbit, that actually means you need to treat them differently. For most phobias, part of treatment involves confronting people with their fears, and showing them that nothing bad will happen. It might feel like you're going to faint, but really, you won't. It's not that bad. Try that with a blood and needle phobia, and you just confirmed the person's fears. So treatment for blood and needle phobias, aside from the usual, actually involves training in how to raise your blood pressure.
I do agree with this observation: "A worrying aspect is that, in many of these games, points are scored for acting violently or even killing. If the game is transposed into the real word by a delusional state, the risk of subsequent violence is high—particularly if violence is not perceived to be illegal or morally wrong." It's a seriously bad thing when we go from people thinking they're secret agents and trying to break codes, or thinking God talks to them and trying to heal the world with the power of their minds, to people trying to score as many game points as possible by running people over.
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Your author finally gathered up her courage and registered as a blood donor. This involved a lot of gathering courage - I've been postponing this for years and years because I hate needles. One of the last times I got poked by a needle involved me almost fainting. However, I figure that me being uncomfortable for 10 to 15 minutes to give blood does not outweigh someone else dying from lack of blood.
This did, however, lead to me discussing blood and needle phobias. Blood and needle phobias are actually kind of special. With most phobias, it is actually impossible to faint. Fear makes you tense up, prepare to either fight for all you're worth or run like hell. This means your blood pressure actually goes up, while fainting involves your blood pressure dropping.
Aside from being an interesting tidbit, that actually means you need to treat them differently. For most phobias, part of treatment involves confronting people with their fears, and showing them that nothing bad will happen. It might feel like you're going to faint, but really, you won't. It's not that bad. Try that with a blood and needle phobia, and you just confirmed the person's fears. So treatment for blood and needle phobias, aside from the usual, actually involves training in how to raise your blood pressure.
posted by Geerte at 12:15 AM
2 comments
