Is It Pathological to Believe in Conspiracy Theories?
Published By admin
About 20%-30% of the population express belief in at least one conspiracy theory, according to Thomas Fuchs, MD, PhD, psychiatrist and philosopher, Karl Jaspers Professor of Philosophy and Psychiatry at the Department of General Psychiatry, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
He explained when beliefs in a conspiracy theory fulfilled the criteria for psychopathology and which criteria were applied at the Congress of the German Association for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology, Berlin, Germany.
“If belief in conspiracy theories were a pathological delusion, then we would need to offer psychiatric treatment rather than engage in argumentative debate with those affected,” Fuchs said.
Conspiracy theories are a long-standing and widespread phenomenon. According to a 2017 survey by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, approximately 46% of individuals in Germany believed that secret organizations had a major influence on political decisions. Since the COVID pandemic, this proportion has risen further, reaching 60% in a 2024 survey conducted by Forsa, a prominent German market research and opinion polling firm.
Against this backdrop, Fuchs posed a central question: “Is belief in conspiracy theories a pathological delusion?” If so, he said that psychiatric care would take precedence over rational discussion.
In reality, only approximately 1% of the population has schizophrenia, a condition in which delusions are typical features. However, distinguishing conspiracy beliefs from schizophrenia is not always possible. Although paranoid, schizotypal, and narcissistic personality traits are more common among individuals who believe in conspiracy theories, clinically defined mental disorders are not significantly prevalent in this group.
Forms of False Belief
Fuchs outlined the different forms of false beliefs recognized in psychiatry, which are distinguished by increasing degrees of subjective certainty.
Read more https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/it-pathological-believe-conspiracy-theories-2026a10001f9
Content retrieved from: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/it-pathological-believe-conspiracy-theories-2026a10001f9.
