Ivor E. Tower, M.D.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Volume 11, series 3, pages 4-5
Abstract
This study conclusively demonstrates that unfounded fear of government is a recognizable mental illness, closely related to paranoid schizophrenia. Anti-Government Phobia (AGP) differs from most mental illnesses, however, in that it is highly infectious and has an acute onset. Symptoms include extreme suspiciousness, conspiracy-mongering, delusional thought patterns, staunch "us against them" mentality, withdrawal from reality, and often religious fanaticism. Having the patient committed to a qualified mental health institution is the best option for family and loved ones. For this reason, all psychiatrists and family physicians should be provided with educational materials which will help them recognize the various symptoms and warning signs accompanying onset. Since comparatively little is known about Anti-Government Phobia at the present time, a government-funded health commission should be set up to oversee, and help focus, future research.
Incidence and Etiology
Anti-Government Phobia has a worldwide distribution, but has a particularly high incidence in the United States. Infection rates are estimated by mental health officials to be about 5% of the general population, and this rate is growing at an alarming rate. Rates are highest, but not limited to, those who are disaffected in some fashion, especially those who have a strong personal grudge against the federal government for one reason or another.
Although certain variants of the illness have been around for many years, it is only in the last decade or so that the more virulent and infectious strains have appeared. This is most likely due to the rapid buildup of government, at all levels, during the 1980's. Closely paralling this trend was an explosion in the number of cases in which individuals were diagnosed as having unfounded fears concerning such.
Clinical Manifestations and Diagnosis Anti-Government Phobia is marked by extreme suspiciousness toward government. Onset is acute. Symptoms start almost immediately after a run-in with some agency or institution of the government, or when the patient is introduced to anti-government propaganda, in one form or another, by a self-styled "patriot." Common ways in which this harmful, anti-government propaganda is spread include: books, pamphlets, magazines, newspapers, audiotapes, videotapes, short-wave and conventional radio programs, computer bulletin boards, and various Internet sites.
Upon exposure to "patriotic" propaganda, the patient mysteriously begins to imagine hidden links between unrelated current events, weaving these gross distortions of reality into a complex delusional web; a labyrinth of conspiracy theories with all imagined clues leading straight to the federal government. With further exposure, the patient becomes increasingly paranoid, and slowly withdrawals from reality. However, mental deterioration is usually so gradual that the patient is often unaware of it.
This mysterious malady progresses until the patient invariably assumes a staunch "us against them" mentality. For instance, in the patient's warped mind-set, each new piece of gun-control legislation is oddly rationalized to be merely one additional step in an ultimate plot by the federal government to confiscate guns altogether. In some unusually severe cases, the patient assumes a survivalist mentality, stockpiling guns, ammunition, de-hydrated food, and other "essentials," in preparation for "D-Day" or "Armageddon."
At this stage, the patient also inexplicity experiences increased delusional thinking. For instance, he may start fallaciously believing that the Federal Reserve is not in fact part of the federal government, but is instead controlled by wealthy Zionists. Other far-flung delusions may involve the United Nations, "black helicopters," concentration camps, or the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Delusions involving "takeovers" by foreign military troops, or jack-booted government storm troopers dressed in all black, are also commonly diagnosed.
Anti-Government Phobia is often associated with religious fanaticism. An excellent example of this is the infamous Branch Davidian case, in which most cult members preferred a fiery suicide over peaceful surrender to the forces of what they considered to be "Mystery Babylon." There have been other prominant cases in which "patriots" have became involved with terrorist activity, fallaciously believing that they were somehow doing the "will of God." More commonly, "patriots" have been involved in aggressive outbursts in courtrooms, and other public places such as town-hall meetings.
Overall, the worldview eventually adopted by "patriots" interprets modern-day news events as pieces of a giant jig-saw puzzle. Oddly, they believe that it is their solemn duty to put these unrelated pieces together in order to discover the underlying "picture." The warped interpretive framework used by many "patriots" in their missionary-like endeavor of saving the lost "sheep" (derogatory term comparing non-patriots to lost sheep) is a hyper-literal interpretation of Biblical prophecies, particularly those contained in the book of Revelation.
Spread of the Illness
In the eyes of the so-called "patriots," the relentless drive to indoctrinate others with extremist political beliefs is seen as a righteous and compulsory act to save their "self-destructing" nation. Wildly fantasizing that America can somehow turn back the clock to better times, which in reality never existed, many "patriots" feel obligated to quote constantly from the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the writings of the Founding Fathers. In an ironic twist of fate, when "patriots" expose others to their divisive anti-government propaganda, through their misguided efforts to restore "individual liberty," they are actually infecting them with an extremely contagious mental illness.
A strong analogy can be drawn between "patriotic" indoctrination and patterns of religious conversion. In both cases, ultra-idealistic individuals believe that it is their solemn duty to gain proselytes for their particular faith. This is usually done on a person-to-person basis with a friend or acquaintance. To keep new converts from going astray or "backsliding," they are eagerly provided with a steady stream of propaganda. In each case, the devotee imagines that there is an evil, sinister force which must be opposed at all costs. In the case of various religions, the faithful are supposedly rewarded in the afterlife for sparring with the "devil." In the case of the "patriot," the so-called "New World Order" is viewed as the demonic bogeyman, with the reward for opposing it supposedly being an increased amount of "personal freedom." In both "patriotic" and religious circles, there is an entire counter-culture, centering around various anthems and holy books, constantly being promoted by prophets, preachers, and paranoid propagandists of all creeds, colors, and strains.
Prevention
Needless to say, prevention is the first line of defense against any type of illness or disease. Unfortunately, many mental illnesses are genetic in nature and thus can not be prevented. Fortunately, Anti-Government Phobia is non-genetic and thus wholly preventable. From an individual standpoint, the most effective prevention policy is obviously not to allow oneself to become indoctrinated by a self-styled "patriot," preferably by staying as far as possible away from any potentially divisive propaganda. As an added precaution, one should rely exclusively on well-known and reputable sources for news and other information.
Family members and loved ones can help out in this effort. However, it should be noted that prevention programs work best only when the entire community is involved. We all need to practice constant vigilance in order to spot diviseness and hate in our communities. In this regard, networking is the ultimate key to success. A successful community-based empowerment program would include the following elements: citizen-citizen networks, police-citizen networks, parent-teacher networks, pastor-parisoner networks, doctor-patient networks, state-local law enforcement authority networks, and federal-state law enforcement authority networks.
Treatment and Prognosis
Although the prognosis is generally good if the illness is treated soon after symptoms first appear, studies have shown that a disturbingly low percentage of patients allow themselves to be treated. Thus, having the patient committed to a qualified mental health institution is the best option for family and loved ones. For this reason, all psychiatrists and family physicians should be provided with educational materials which will help them recognize the various symptoms and warning signs accompanying onset. Once the illness is properly diagnosed, they should next notify the patient's immediate family members and discuss the various treatment options with them. This effort should be reinforced with extensive public ad campaigns promoting a 1-800 help line. Since comparatively little is known about Anti-Government Phobia at the present time, a government-funded health commission should be set up to oversee, and help focus, future research.
It can not be over-emphasized that prevention is the key to stopping the spread of Anti-Government Phobia. Once a person is infected, the illness is generally incurable. The only proven treatment is an extended, and often risky, "de-programming" session conducted by qualified professionals, such as the Cult Awareness Network (CAN). Left untreated, chronic symptoms invariably persist throughout the entire lifetime of the patient. Sadly, even the patients themselves realize this horrifying fact and surprisingly, seem apathetic to it. Oddly, they often confuse their symptoms with being "awake." For instance, they have been known to garble gibberish such as "once your awake, you can't go back to sleep." Further research is presently being conducted on the reasons why they rationalize their mental illness in this highly unusual manner.
Acknowledgements
The writer wishes to thank the following individuals and organizations for contributing their expertise to this report: Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Rick Ross of the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), the United States Justice Department (USJD), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF). This study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
http://www.tetrahedron.org/articles/info_schedule_battle/Anti_Gover...
Comments
well just look to germany in the early 40's that's your future. good luck!
the social chaos won't break out due to fear and the jack boots and brownnshirts already in place.
that my friend is reality. that my friend is the outcome of waiting to act.
you can analize and project all you want, but history is about to repeat itself, only this war will be nukes.
good night and sweet dreams
One little thing needs to be pointed out here. First, when social chaos breaks out, when food and water are rationed, when we are blasted by propaganda, told vicious lies about what s going on on the other hand when truth is withheld from us, when mobs take to the streets, but more important than all these, when fear, sheer fear and self protectiveness dominates the society let alone much of the planet, then all notions of morality will break down, save for those who are so integrated, spiritually and emotionally, they are able to think objectively. this is the problem . One example. place a group of well meaning people, basically decent individuals in a situation where they have t live as a community. now, frighten them by some perceived outside threat. next, make the task of collecting food and water difficult, such that it is almost at rationing point. next, make these people, live together. now take away authority, law and order, and we will soon have a breakdown of order, it will collapse so the alpha males and females will rise t the surface, lazy people will go one way, become a burden, those who want more will hoard things. now this the situation if the group is large enough. I believe there s an optimum size whereby a group living together become too large, and order breaks down. it may be fifty, a hundred, maybe two hundred. there have to be natural laws governing this size of self governing communities. Before they break down into either anarchy or dictatorship.
i pray your right! byt once the ndaa goes into effect those who speak out or take to the street are of to the camps.
that's the new law illegal as it is.
10 to 15 days left of the constitution? If that happens, you will see one hell of an uprising in the U.S. if that happens. Do you know that just recently the Catholic faith rose up such a stink about Obama's health care crap that they are re-doing certain things with it? Not sure exactly what they are changing (don't know if it's good) but I was very surprised that something happened this quickly. Do not under estimate the american people. The government we have has gone awry and there will be divine intervention to help us out.
nicolas could you send me your email via the friends mail here? i have a pdf file i would like to send you.
Funny we out number them a million to one.lol
but your right to a point.. by that i mean the people have the power to put a stop to it. just no one going to work will shut down the country. every one in the streets will shortly bring about change. but that will never happen, americans for the most part cant see their nose let alone beyond it.
the collapse is coming, the misery that comes with it will make make wish they had been in the streetsvwhile they had a chance.
this whole war machine and an attack on iran is to stave off the collapse,munfortuteatly it will usher in a thermo nuclear war, so i guess everything is a mute point if action isn't taken now.
sorry about the spelling but it's late and many things things to do.
the answer is simple and inevitable and I hope others read what I have it say here. It is fine getting riled and worked up about what is going on, but we live within a pyramidal type structure, look at the pyramid of the illuminati, with the one eye at the top, this sums up precisely the world we live in. when compartmentalization becomes overwhelming in all aspects of society it is lie this. How many men will it take to imprison a person? can you answer that question first? one dozen two four maybe six dozen, . maybe a hundred people. that is how many men and women it will take to imprison one person. it takes a whole gang of men to build the prison. it takes a load of tax collectors to get the money to pay the firm, it takes another firm to make the doors and shackles and keys and locks to keep the prisoner inside. it takes a neighborhood in which to place the prison, and this neighborhood will willingly give food and water to medical help to the prisoners, even though they will live many miles away. it takes a whole host of men and women who go home at night to families after looking after the prisoner. some may be abusive and yet still be loving family men. it takes a judge to send the prisoner to jail and often whilst the charges are light the prison sentences in your country is very often way beyond what the so called crime warrants. welcome to gulag America. Just like it was in soviet times.
the moral is, the whole system whilst evil to its very core , so there is often no one whom full blame can be brought against for the crimes if the system.It is a collective crime more out of laziness and ignorance, greed and stupidity. But there are often a small group who manipulate this system and this is the one we should go after.
thus the only way is twofold , for the system to become so top heavy it collapses under its own ludicrous nature. it decays from within. this will take time and a lot, an awful lot of suffering. next some natural disaster may, or even will occur such that the fabric of society crumbles under the weight of natural destruction. both may happen and this I fear is the only way things will change. once the central structure of society has crumbled we will the form smaller communities tied by bonds of love and compassion and true caring fr each other and the wonderful planet w live on. only when the structure of the corrupt canker within our society is destroyed Will things change. we need far less centralization and far and more localization. and a proper Constitution upheld by a fully independent constitutional court.
Before there is a full awakening there has to be a full scale collapse, that is how I see it. I do not wish it for there is immense goodness in society, some smashing people, but the opposite is for things to stay the same.
you i don't know what you can or are willing to do. Me, i have taken my past experinces and put them to good use. but i'm an army of one, forgive the pun.
If you can figure out a plan of action, which really is not that hard, no offense meant. then just look at history, the recent past and tailor it to fit your goals.
i spent 6 months in Egypt during the most hetic time, i was not part of nor condoned the ac5tions of the ngo's, however i did walk side by side with my Egyptian brothers.
here's a little guide to get you thinking...... you have many more tools than we had there.... does flash mob come to mind?
anyway staRT HERE.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/01/egyptian-a...
what the can you do, no, not a mass of us, you or me personally? what can we do, call at the Bush's, and place them under arrest? break into the FBI headquarters, and demand records of 9/11? This the problem we know the problem and know the solutions but until there is peaceful mass of us awake and willing t act i concert with each other, from communities that are governed by proper compassionate and constitutional laws, things will stay the same. I can suggest the way to go, but how do you get a mass of people acting on this?
yes, you could go,on and on............... but what i keep stressing, hinting and to the point bluntly stating...... get oiff your butts and do it! do it while you still can!!! the time for talking is long past, and the time for action is soon running out!!!
if you don't act now, there will be no one to help you later....... can you comprehend that? can you America? you have destroyed the rest of the world there is no one to come to your aid!
running into the woods, hiding in your caves........ won't work.. your congress just approved funding for 30,000 drones to be used in the u.s. get the picture?
either do something today or you'll be forced to forever hold your tongue.
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