I was poking around in the DSM manual a few days ago because I have a friend who is an aspiring mental health counselor (the DSM manual is a compilation of mental disorders and their definitions, fyi) and came across the definition of "Delusion" which seems quite appropriate to the whole Iran nuclear thing.
Basically, Delusions are unfounded convictions that cannot be refuted by contrary evidence or logical argument. There are two types of delusions; bizarre and nonbizarre. Nonbizarre delusions are those that are potentially possible, for example, that the client actively being investigated by the FBI. Bizarre delusions are those that have no basis in reality whatsoever. For example, that alien creatures wearing tin-foil hats shot Kennedy.
Well, the repeated monomaniacal insistence by the US media to characterize Iran as being on the verge of build nuclear weapons sure seems to meet the definition of a delusion. After 6 years of the most intensive investigations by the IAEA in its history, not a single iota actual evidence has been found to support the notion that Iran seeks, has sought, or will seek nuclear weapons. In other wards, an unfounded conviction which cannot be refuted by logical argument. Now, is this a bizarre or non-bizzare delusion? Well, I suppose theoretically Iran could one day build a bomb...as could Japan, Mongolia, Angola, and my uncle's neighbor.
But then again there are other disorders listed in the DSM that seem relevant. Hallucsinations, for example, are sensory experiences that exists only in the patient’s mind but not in the outside world. Sound familiar?
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