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Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by zikzak on Saturday March 09, 2024 @07:33PM (#39655787)
Contact with mysterious phenomenon that seems to communicate with the witness is not unheard of and many people seem to undergo an intelligence boost afterwards, even if short lived. This is often considered a religious experience while more secular minded people might attribute it to something like a ufo experience.
Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by AndrewKemendo on Saturday March 09, 2024 @07:38PM (#39655812)
I recognize that. However my perspective is that it was 100% in my head and I’m not unique or special or chosen or whatever nonsense fallacies that typically come with these experiences

Not some exogenous event or mystical miracle or whatever it was just pure chemistry and electricity.

Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by zikzak on Saturday March 09, 2024 @11:47PM (#39656785)
I am definitely not saying any of those interpretations of the event are correct (I'm a skeptic) but I do find it interesting that some people do seem to have a period of increased focus and productivity afterwards.
Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by sandspar on Sunday March 10, 2024 @12:36AM (#39656963)
> I know it was in my head

This awareness is technically called "insight", as in "insight into the weirdness of your beliefs". Generally, people suffering from psychosis don't have insight. They genuinely believe they're experiencing real things. So in this way at least it seems like you're healthy.

That being said, there's a wide range of psychotic episodes, and feelings of uniqueness, specialness, or being chosen aren't always present.

Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by slibhb on Saturday March 09, 2024 @08:27PM (#39656023)
Sounds like a manic episode. Symptoms include extreme grandiosity and hallucinations. Often a manic person will believe he is God, is in contact with God, or has a special part to play in history.
Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by nick7376182 on Saturday March 09, 2024 @11:43PM (#39656770)
Having been through manic episodes, I concur.
Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by shrimp_emoji on Saturday March 09, 2024 @08:56PM (#39656153)
God, Government, and Aliens: the schizo trinity

And talking donkeys if you're Muhammad! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya%CA%BDf%C5%ABr

Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by iraqmtpizza on Saturday March 09, 2024 @11:42PM (#39656765)
These days it's definitely atheists which are the most schizo w.r.t. searching for, or at least ruminating about, aliens, despite all evidence against it. Another very schizo atheist topic is AI (basilisks etc).

Could be their affinity for strong weed.

Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by grugagag on Saturday March 09, 2024 @08:50PM (#39656127)
Although it sounds somewhat similar to manic episodes keep in mind that they come with a depressive crash afterwards.

The brain is more complex than a mere mental condition which we still don’t fully understand.

Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by nick7376182 on Saturday March 09, 2024 @11:42PM (#39656764)
Not always. Unipolar mania used to be in previous revisions of the DSM and bipolar type 1 can exhibit as mania without intervening depression.
Re:The Mystery of Sudden Genius by sandspar on Sunday March 10, 2024 @12:31AM (#39656948)
There are "nervous breakdowns" which only happen once. Many historical figures have had them.

But on your larger point about fuzzy diagnoses I agree with you. In my experience, diseases like schizophrenia are better understood as a large number of unique diseases under a single heading. Saying "I have schizophrenia" is like saying "I own a dog". While an accurate statement, there are many different kinds of dogs, and their behavior varies widely. Schizophrenia is the same.

If you've spent time with groups of people with schizophrenia, you'll see that there's an extremely wide range of outcomes. I think the wide range of outcomes may be explained by there being a number of different diseases.