I agree...and the danger grows more severe the longer he is allowed to have his "delusions" with hope that his new attention is leading him for greatness amongst the Islamic community around the world, as if in his mind were he to accomplish any type of "big hurt" of any scale onto Israel, he would be an instant hero to his peers! His preparations of the blue mosque is an example of the promise of the 12th Iman concept for his other "muslim fans" Those on "the same page" as he are rallying in total support.

I would like to comment on the schizophrenic issue, because there is no doubt that although he does display these symptoms, he might not have an actual clinical type of it though. As we have seen in the past that many people have been "persuaded" to believe strange things and to commit suicide in large groups for their cult involvement and so IMHO, I suggest it is much deeper and much more strategic of manipulation with Ahmadinejad, in that he was basically a thug prior to all of this and has been "groomed" into much of his belief via islam and the "freaks" around him with the political agenda for the power of Iran and the desire to be at the top of the power pyramid of the unification of Islam in general. I feel he is developing himself into "his character" much like an actor because not only has it been allowed but much encouraged by those around him. For example one can look at Saddam's two sons. They had been "groomed" into becoming the vile acting creatures they became. Their father had them watching sadistic videos and playing part in his "mob like regime" at a very young age. Its sad to say, but in a culture where little boys pretending to play jihad in the cause of Allah, or groomed into the political mob like world of competing for power of a dictatorship, I suppose anyone could become schizophrenic in that atmosphere, so I would venture to say that there are many under the thumb of Islam that have embedded delusions exactly like Ahmadinejad, but are not in his place of power being used by those that follow suit.

Another point I would like to add is the drug issue. When one practices a certain type of destructive ideology and glorifies murder/suicide as a free ticket to paradise via their "religous teachings" and then mixes drugs with it, then it truly is a dangerous situation. I don't know the statistics for the growing problem of addiction in Iran, but I think its gotten worse, and from what I understand that although Islam scorns alcohol, for many to stay true to their faith; drug abuse has become their alternative to getting around this taboo. Anyway, since we won't be seeing any drug test from Ahmadinejad, I guess all we can do is classify him as nutjob on a mission...but my pointto add is that crazy can also be a type of strategy!
Liquidlifhacker | Email | Homepage | 01.15.06 - 4:10 pm | #

Plan A
Get me off this planet NOW!!

Plan B
- Precision nuke Iran and Syria, and maybe a couple of other miscreants (not entirely my idea).
- Restructure the State Department, immediately dissolve the UN and start over with something that might actually function (a difficult concept I know) - maybe a set of quasi-independent regional organizations with a lean global oversight group NOT based on PC "principles."
- At an appropriate time, the President can have an internationally-televised Finger Ceremony during which he lifts the middle digit to all those ineffectual nations who made these actions necessary in the first place. This should become an annual event, one which will fill the lefties with glee and allow them to reuse all those doctored photos.
Auld Pharte | Email | Homepage | 01.15.06 - 4:30 pm | #

It's bad enough dealing with 'sane' agressor countries with nuclear weapons. The Cold War with the USSR and the strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction only worked because the USSR knew no matter how badly they'd hurt us, we'd hurt them a lot more, and we were hair-trigger READY if they tried anything.

This character doesn't apparently care much if Iran gets hurt - it'll just, in his mind, show him he's doing the right thing. And how do you stop a nuclear-armed dictator when he really DOESN'T care whether his country survives his rule?

Unfortunately, we've limited ourselves as to what responses are acceptable. There's strongly-worded resolutions from the UN (which are great if you're short on toilet paper), there's sanctions (and we saw how well that all worked with Iraq), there's assisting internal rebellion (which is considered extremely bad manners by the media any more, unless there's a 'D' after the President's name), blockades, airstrikes, and full-scale war. There's always bribery, of course - large-scale payments to the country to try to get them to change their course - but as Kipling said, "Once you pay Danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane."

Assasination looks like a viable stragety to me for this particular problem. Too bad it's illegal. Anyone know what it'd take to get a waiver or exemption in this case?

J.
JLawson | Email | Homepage | 01.15.06 - 8:02 pm | #

In the Cold War, the USSR understood that if they started anything, then we would wipe them out. So that stayed their hand.

But the radical Islamists have shown over and over that they are quite comfortable in using "martyrdom operations", AKA suicide bombers. Does anybody doubt that they are also willing to "martyr" an entire country?
rickl | Email | Homepage | 01.16.06 - 3:25 am | #

Thanks for giving a scientific explanation for what I felt about this madman:
"When he will feel strong enough, Ahmadinejad will have it announced by his accomplices that he is the long awaited Mahdi (or he will set up some puppet he can control, but I doubt he will pass such a carefully orchestrated opportunity). He is already paving the way to his "ascent" by promoting and circulating rumors about his "aura" and the ecstasy of his listeners."
http://cmarlow.blogspot.com/2006...f-as- mahdi.html
All the best,
Marlow
Captain Marlow | Email | Homepage | 01.16.06 - 4:56 am | #

> The Cold War with the USSR and the strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction only worked because the USSR knew no matter how badly they'd hurt us, we'd hurt them a lot more

> In the Cold War, the USSR understood that if they started anything, then we would wipe them out. So that stayed their hand.

Semi-wrong in both cases. As I have noted previously, in 1990, on Nightline, on the 45th anniversary of Hiroshima, Harlan Ellison observed that, instead of being an immoral weapon as is often complained, The Bomb is, in fact, the most moral weapon developed since kings stopped riding into battle at the head of their armies.

His reasoning is that, unlike all recently developed weapons, The Bomb strikes indiscriminately at Those Whose Decision It Is To Go To War as well as the grunts in the "front lines" -- indeed, they will suffer even more than the grunt, having not just their lives to lose but also all their properties and wealth.

He suggested, and I utterly agree, that this, and nothing else, was the reason why The Bomb is totally unique in the history of human weapons: after the initial use, it had not been used again for 45 (now *60*) years.

In a sense, even, the usage on Japan, by producing exceedingly graphic images of just what the bomb was capable of, may have saved us from a much later and more catastrophic war with much nastier versions of the same weapons.

The danger of Iran is that, as a total nutjob, Ahmadinejad is not bound by such concerns -- he either believes it is his destiny to bring Armageddon about, or that he and his will not suffer as a result of the protections of Allah.

OTOH, I do not believe that our own Powers That Be are going to stand around and allow him to do this -- they have too much to lose. One way or another, they are going to have to take him out.

OTTH, they sort of thought they had a handle on Hitler when they set him up to take out Russia. He surprised them by not going where he was aimed. Let's only hope they're bright enough to realize this is not a toy to be played with.
Oh Blutige Hölle | Email | Homepage | 01.16.06 - 10:42 am | #

"Once you pay Danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane."

Not only that, you find out just how may relatives and friends he has in Denmark, all demanding their piece of the action.
Ken | Email | Homepage | 01.16.06 - 12:11 pm | #

Or in this case, Iran and the ME. All wanting their bit...

OBH - we can only hope. This is a spectator sport where the stakes are really, really high, and nobody dares drop the ball.

J.
JLawson | Email | Homepage | 01.16.06 - 2:59 pm | #

As a psychiatrist commenting on the insanity of the world and its preoccupation with apocalyptic visions you may enjoy the following articles:

The Inner Apocalypse

The Madness of George W. Bush
spiritual_emergency | Email | Homepage | 01.17.06 - 1:05 am | #

I think Bush rents too much space in Paul Levy's head. LOL
Liquidlifhacker | Email | Homepage | 01.17.06 - 2:31 am | #

I think the relevancy of that particular article is that the name "Bush" could easily be stricken from it and the leader of any other nation inserted, if that leader is caught in the grip of a good/evil dichotomy or apocalyptic warfare.

Just as important is the role that individuals within a group/nation/idealogy play when they project their shadow onto another group/nation/idealogy, hold them accountable for that which they cannot bear to accept in themselves, and then empower their leaders to act on those projections. The end result tends to look rather insane.
spiritual_emergency | Email | Homepage | 01.17.06 - 9:38 pm | #

The problem with a secular diagnosis is that "delusions" from true, radical Christian fundamentalists should and do produce peace, love, compassion, etc. Those who radically follow the teachings of Jesus are not trying to destroy other nations, other peoples. They feed the hungry, love their enemies, and care about the defenseless. I should fail to mention any behavior less than the teachings of the key Leader of any movement or organization. The core value or beliefs. Does their ultimate founder, Jesus, teach Christians to subdue people by force if they do not believe Him? To kill the infidel? To destroy their enemies? The dark ages are the religious belief that humans are ultimately all good, that the strongest will survive, and that all religions are the same medieval chemical imbalance. If you cannot truly, after researching with every ounce of energy, come to a conclusion that the claims of the Bible are infinite and supernatural, and soul-feeding, changing the core of the human spirit, hopeful, life-changing, incomparably to any human-derived system of religion, than you have not looked with your whole heart. Humans, or mankind, are great, by design. Nobility. We all believe there is something noble of ourselves than a bacterium, which is far from simple.
In his book "He Is There and He Is Not Silent" Francis Schaeffer references Jean Paul Sartre: "That no finite point has any meaning unless it has an infinite reference point." "Man is not a sufficient integration point for himself. Man is personal in contrast to that which is impersonal," Schaeffer says. "Behaviorism, and all forms of determinism, say that man is not personal-that he is not intrinsically different from the impersonal. "Schaeffer said "this denies the observation man has made of himself since the beginning of history and second, there is no determinist or behaviorist who can really live consistently (as though he is the same as non-man) on the basis of his determinism or his behaviorist psychology-saying that man is only a machine."
Now, however, relating this to crazy cult leaders, we see three areas of philosophic thought: metaphysics or "being", morals, and epistemology or "knowing". Religion and philosophy do deal with the same basic questions.
Allow me to end with this, if you go to an orange tree and expect an apple, is the orange tree inept. Absurd, trees do not have choices. The DNA structure, untampered with, only allows it to produce oranges. By design, Dr. Behe says. And he wants to prove it. And he does! The bacterial flagellum. Check it out. The concept of irreducible complexity. Have I strayed off subject or can you truly open your mind's eye and see the correlation? Apes can only mate with apes, cats with cats, dogs with dogs, trees make orange trees, oh, certainly different varieties, each kind with their kind. Apply this to philosophy and questions of God and origins, religion, existence. The truly tolerant mind will investigate and apply engineering principles of foundations. The Bible, written by over 40 authors, 66 books, over a historical period of over 3, 500 years and remains completely synergistic and cohesive, differs far and wide from any other claim at divinity. If someone says they are a Christian but hates his fellow human, he is not a true follower of what Jesus died for. LOVE. Who Jesus died for, you! We could go into Ockham and miracles. LOVE. We all want it, we can all get it. For more smart study check out Former Chicago Times legal editor Lee Strobel's research or Francis Schaeffer's volumes of philosophical research.

In the Scriptures he says, "If you seek me with all of your heart, you will find me." "

"Darkness is not the equal opposite of light, it is the absence thereof, just as cold not the opposite of heat, but the absence, and evil the absence of good. So the human heart without the divine sacrifice and power of Christ is empty, hurting, dead. So what will this produce infinitley for the soul?"-trevor scines The Bible says that we must be born again. Made Alive in Christ. WHAT. Fairytale? Who does not want to erase a certain mistake, start over, clean slate? Is not this supposed to be the scholarly work of the psychologist? To help people start over? The bible says God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. For His invisible attributes are clearly seen. WHAT? Yes! HMMM!

Thank You

trev
trevor sines | Email | Homepage | 10.12.07 - 11:47 pm | #

Goodness, this seems to have become a battle between two separate parties - those who have religious beliefs and those who do not have religious beliefs. Religion in the article is being aligned with mental illness and faith is a form of psychosis. How simplistic is the interpretation here!

Actually what we psychiatrists need to do is seek to UNDERSTAND individual perspective. Where do these possibly extreme and supposedly psychotic thoughts come from - are they sourced from the patients upbringing? What is the content of their "delusion" and what positives can be drawn from it.

There is little point labelling a patient schizophrenic for the sake of it. We should seek to USE the patient's experiences in a positive, life enhancing way. Treat them as a set of thoughts that can be managed in a way that safeguards the patient and society.

Yes, medication is important, But psychotherepy which examines the content of delusions is essential,. Collaboration and relationship buildling between practitioner and patient are crucial. Collaboration which seeks to listen and address the delusions and how they impact negatively and postiively on a person's life. Perhaps WE think that person is irrational, ill, psychotic, Mad. But I am mad when I spend £40 on a coat I don't need, when actually that money could save a childs life somewhere else in the world by paying for a vaccination.

We may all be perceived as psychotic when our lifestyles and belief systems (I NEED that coat, or that 5th pair of shoes) are placed in another context - against another perspective - I NEED to feed my family and there is a famine which is killing my community.

So who are we as psychiatrists to merely label a person shizophrenic when others would view us as psychotic.
Interal logic MUST be understood and empathy employed BEFORE judgement can take place.
Thank you

D P Cramer
Dr D Cramer | Email | Homepage | 11.12.08 - 12:52 am | #

Well I am no expert, but you have probably heard of the light he claims to see around his head when giving a speech in US. I know that Ahmadinejad thinks he is related to Imam Zaman! Rumor has it he prepares an extra dish for him when he is having lunch! I do not know if you have any idea about Hojatie in our country, they believe that everything should go wrong so that Imam Zaman comes to the world. Recently, a book has turned out claiming that he is a holy man related to Imam zaman,he keeps saying that he is so important that people from western countries want to kill him. He says that he can solve the economical crisis of the world while we are suffering a 30 percent inflation!
Apart from all of these, I have to say that I'm really worried. If you are not an Iranian you underestimate the danger of Ahmadinejad, but the problem is not ahmadinejad, the problem is dangerous people behind him(such as Mesbah Yazdi) who believes Israel must be destroyed, they do believe in terror , they are Tale bans who are equipped by nuclear weapons and a more sever ideology. They have killed a lot of writers,artists, thinkers and so on because they believe that new ideas and generally 'thinking' are the worst things in the world (except their own ideology). However,a green revolution is happening by us, but we do need help.
I was thinking that as a psychologist you would astonish that how many mentally sick torturers are in Iran,(the documents have been revealed that he directly ordered to torture a famous thinker by his brother Davood Ahmadinejad) I am sure that what happens in Iran's prisons is worse than those in Estalin's .The question is what happened to my country during these 31 years that these sadistic people grown up.
Neda | Email | Homepage | 08.12.09 - 9:13 am | #