"Uncle Clover" <UncleClover@SpamMeNot.com> wrote in message
news:himim2df1tds4rbdanipfdd4tdf3sv6rki@4ax.com...

I have come to the conclusion that a new form of mental illness exists
among us now, one to which I assign the following name: "matrixitis". I
attempt
to define that here.

<begin>

The condition starts with the core belief that the world we see around
us is a technologically-generated simulation. That in and of itself would
not
qualify as matrixitis. Where the "-itis" comes in is when an individual
begins
to significantly alter their behavior based upon that belief.

There are numerous ways this pathology could manifest itself in the
behavior of a matrixitis victim. For some sufferers, they might feel
compelled
to go on a crime spree - killing, raping, maiming & otherwise assaulting
based
upon the belief that their actions are not "real" and therefore the
consequences
will also be not-real. Some may begin to entertain suicidal thoughts
based upon
the belief that they're not real and as such, their life does not matter.

Technically, anyone who seriously believes that the world around them is
a technological simulation could be said to have matrixitis, but they
can't be
identified unless they are moved into action by their condition.

There are of course any number of mental illnesses in which people
believe the world around them is not real. I believe that a differential
diagnosis could be made on the basis of the following criteria:

- while the individual believes the reality they are seeing around them is
not
real, they believe that there -is- a "real" reality and that they are
contained
within it. This would exclude any disorder in which the individual
believes
that there is _no_ real world.

- the individual very specifically believes that a machine or computer of
some
sort is what's producing the simulation. This would exclude mental
illnesses in
which reality is believed to be a dream, unless of course the individual
believes that the reality around them is the dream of a _machine_ of some
sort.
In that case, further clarification may be necessary.

<end>

So waddaya' think? :-?

Mental illness is not a belief system. It is a stress-related brain
disorder.

Uncle Clover wrote:

I have come to the conclusion that a new form of mental illness exists
among us now, one to which I assign the following name: "matrixitis". I attempt
to define that here.

(snip)

The suffix "itis" means inflammation of.

A better suffix might be "osis", that means an abnormality.