If every nation suffered from mental illness...

[Caelius]

...what would they be? The credit for this goes to my girlfriend on this. She's a major in Psychology so it tends to creep into her political viewpoints as well, though I have to say her outlook on things is pretty damn accurate.

Here's what she's put together got so far in terms of diagnosis, i've provided links to some of the more obscure ones:

USA: Hero/Villain Complex, Codependence (To Americans), Inflation (To most non-Americans)

Explanations:

The Hero Complex is an inherent desire to help others. It is a compulsion to help make their world right. Not officially a disorder or disease, there are an increasing number of people who 'suffer' from it.

Comic book heroes also suffer from this disorder, having the need to help others. May also be associated with Zoological Altruism- Instinctive cooperative behavior that is detrimental to the individual but contributes to the survival of the species.

Those who suffer from it tend to feel like they do not understand what is wrong with them, or feel that the current life they live is insufficient. For most, the need will ebb and flow. There will be days where the sufferer will question why they have had the role thrust upon them, or will withdraw and think themselves into a quiet oblivion.

Many believe that they could do more, if they could find a superpower, or utilize magic, or be rich. They wait quietly, and without detection, believing that they will receive these 'powers'. They also often ask the question 'Is this really enough?' or something similar. Those with this condition make excellent leaders, and often give good advice. They are very loyal and dependable, and when given a challenge will almost always find a way to complete it; if they see it as a fun challenge. (Will often become hostile about 'drudgery work' -- i.e. cleaning toilets unless it is presented as something challenging.)

In fulfilling these desires, they will take on a more benevolent behavior, and 'unlock' the true meanings of themselves. This is the true need of the sufferer of the Hero Complex. Excellent examples of this are David Dunn of Unbreakable and Goku from Dragon Ball Z.

Villain Complex
A few of those who suffer from the Hero Complex may begin to turn 'toward the evil side'. The need to help becomes the want to hurt. Those that are closest will be pushed away, and a secret longing to create a quiet oblivion begins to form. Instead of using powers for good, they begin to think about how to use their powers for evil purposes.

If left in this thinking too long, they may become unrecoverable. (i.e. Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, Dr. Doom of Fantastic Four, or Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars)

Inflation. A state of mind characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, often compensated by feelings of inferiority. (See also mana-personality and negative inflation.)

Inflation, whether positive or negative, is a symptom of psychological possession, indicating the need to assimilate unconscious complexes or disidentify from the self.

An inflated consciousness is always egocentric and conscious of nothing but its own existence. It is incapable of learning from the past, incapable of understanding contemporary events, and incapable of drawing right conclusions about the future. It is hypnotized by itself and therefore cannot be argued with. It inevitably dooms itself to calamities that must strike it dead. Paradoxically enough, inflation is a regression of consciousness into unconsciousness. This always happens when consciousness takes too many unconscious contents upon itself and loses the faculty of discrimination, the sine qua non of all consciousness.

[Inflation] should not be interpreted as . . . conscious self-aggrandizement. Such is far from being the rule. In general we are not directly conscious of this condition at all, but can at best infer its existence indirectly from the symptoms. These include the reactions of our immediate environment. Inflation magnifies the blind spot in the eye.

"Old" Europe: Burnout, Psychosis

"New" Europe: Hyperactivity

Great Britain: Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (not to be confused with OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), or anankastic personality disorder, is a personality disorder that is characterized by a general psychological inflexibility, rigid conformity to rules and procedures, perfectionism, and excessive orderliness.

France: Persistent Vegetative State, Narcissism, Napoleon Complex (ironically)

Germany: Intermittant Explosive Disorder, Narcissism

Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) or Militant episode disorder (MED) is an uncommon disorder of the brain characterized by explosive outbursts of behaviour (throwing, breaking things, inflicting physical harm on others) that is disproportional to the provocation...

Russia: Clinical Depression, Chronic Alcoholism

China: Bipolar Disorder

Japan: Xenophobia

Canada: Avoidant Personality Disorder

Avoidant personality disorder (sometimes abbreviated APD or AvPD), or anxious personality disorder, is a personality disorder characterised by a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation. People with avoidant personality disorder often consider themselves to be socially inept or personally unappealing, and avoid social interaction for fear of being ridiculed, humiliated or disliked. They typically present themselves as loners and report feeling a sense of alienation from society.

Spain: Bulimia

Iran: Messianic Complex, Tourette's Syndrome ("Israel will be destroyed!")

N. Korea: A severe case of Oedipus Complex (weird yet true reasoning for this)

Venezuela: Megalomania

Scandanavian Countries: Seasonal Affective Disorder

Israel & the Palestinians: Kleptomania, Paranoia, Amnesia (by both sides)

Iraq: Septic Shock (as a form of Immunodeficiency)

Turkey: Schizophrenia

Ireland: "This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever" - Sigmund Freud


Anyone have anything they'd term other countries, or some of the ones i've already listed, as being?

[Tecumseh]

Very funny and sad at the same time.



North Korea has Oedipus Complex? Funny, but I don't really understand how.

[hsimoorb]

Spain: Bulimia

Huh? Is this a reference to the takeover of the americas, and then subsequent withdrawl?

[Caelius]

North Korea has Oedipus Complex? Funny, but I don't really understand how.

She told me that it's a double-edge thing. For N. Korea as a whole it could be seen as a result of it's partition between the US (the father) and the USSR (the mother). On the flip side it also could be drawn to Kim Jung Il's relationship with his own father and some of the apparent mental illnesses that have been observed in him.

Spain: Bulimia

Huh? Is this a reference to the takeover of the americas, and then subsequent withdrawl?

Dead on. It also applies to Spain's civil war and brief run in with Fascism under Franco.

[Garbarsardar]

Israel and (Arabs, Iaranians, Palestinians)

Untreated PTSD leadind to PPD.

Post traumatic stress disorder:A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present:

(1) the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others.

(2) the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.


B. The traumatic even is persistently re-experienced in one (or more) of the following ways:

(1) recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, and/or perceptions.
Note: In young children, repetitive play may occur in which these or other aspects of the trauma are expressed.

(2) recurrent distressing dreams of the event.
Note: In young children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.

(3) acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and/or dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated).

(4) intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

(5) physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

and:

The essential feature of the paranoid personality disorder (PPD) is a pattern of pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others; the motives of others are interpreted as malevolent. The suspiciousness may be expressed by overt argumentativeness, recurrent complaining, or hostile aloofness. While individuals with a paranoid personality disorder may appear &quote;cold,&quote; objective, and rational, they more frequently display hostile, stubborn, and sarcastic affect. They may form negative stereotypes of others and join cults or groups with others who share their paranoid beliefs (DSM IV™, 1994, pp. 634-635).

[Trey]

That cracked me up, especially the part about the Irish.

[Caelius]

The sad part is that it never was meant to be.

[RusskiSoldat]

I think that a good amount of nations (i.e. the more powerful ones) should all have megalomania as one of their disorders.

[Miraj]

America has an inherent desire to make the world right? (hero/villain complex) Wow, I think this very post itself reveals that Americans suffers more from a type of mental disease that results in a sort of selective amnesia about history.

I think America suffers from that disease that a person gets after commiting murder (genocide of native americans, slavery of africans) and spends the rest of his days in guilt-ridden paranoia trying to prove to himself he's not an evil bastard only to end up killing more people.

[boofhead]

Good thread Caelius!

What would your girlfriend say about Australia I wonder?

I would say "Chronic Alcoholism" and maybe some kind of inferiority complex but buggered if I know. Maybe "Abandonment Issues" concerning Her Motherland?

[Caelius]

I think that a good amount of nations (i.e. the more powerful ones) should all have megalomania as one of their disorders.

That wouldn't go with the description of Megalomania though, which is an illness for those without power who want it, hence why it's more fitting for countries like Venezuela and so on who don't really have it.

America has an inherent desire to make the world right? (hero/villain complex) Wow, I think this very post itself reveals that Americans suffers more from a type of mental disease that results in a sort of selective amnesia about history.

Well that is one of the symtoms of the illness...

I think America suffers from that disease that a person gets after commiting murder (genocide of native americans, slavery of africans) and spends the rest of his days in guilt-ridden paranoia trying to prove to himself he's not an evil bastard only to end up killing more people.

And only America can be singled out as the only nation to be guilty of this? Please. Most of human history up until the last 50 years (and even that's debateable) has been one of the strong taking and exploiting from the weak, with some who couldn't sustain their power becoming weak and falling from grace themselves. Blaming America on the crimes you mentioned above is comparable to punishing a child for alcoholism that it inherited from it's parent's own flaws, and didn't know any better about as it moved into adolesence.

Good thread Caelius!

What would your girlfriend say about Australia I wonder?

I would say "Chronic Alcoholism" and maybe some kind of inferiority complex but buggered if I know. Maybe "Abandonment Issues" concerning Her Motherland?

I have absolutely no idea, her list isn't complete because she's doesn't know enough about some countries to comment about them. So if people want to post their own perceptions of countries I haven't mentioned (or those I have) that's fine. I'd be interested to know what Australia, Italy, Portugal, and some of the African, S. American, and other Asian nations suffer from.

[Tiwaz]

I would add psychosis to USA. Somehow

Persons experiencing a psychotic episode may experience hallucinations, hold delusional beliefs (e.g., grandiose or paranoid delusions), demonstrate personality changes and exhibit disorganized thinking (see thought disorder). This is often accompanied by lack of insight into the unusual or bizarre nature of such behaviour, difficulties with social interaction and impairments in carrying out the activities of daily living. A psychotic episode is often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality".

appears to fit in US policies lately. At least in international field.

[Caelius]

Actually, I would think the illnesses listed already for the US are more fitting, especially Inflation when most non-Americans voice their perspectives and opinions. Psychosis seems to fit in Europe's corner more so than the US, domestically and internationally.

[sephodwyrm]

I think China is now entering the Hero/Villain cycle...I mean, there's an emerging trend of Sinicism and Sinocentrism.