Are people who 'sense' dead relatives around them suffering from schizophrenia?

Question

Or is it paranoia?

Mass hypnosis?

Are they just mentally defective?

Are they superstitious dopes who will buy into any ridiculous notion because they are selfish and can't accept that their relative is dead and there is nothing they can do about it?

All of the above?

Answer 1

Schizophrenia is not just characterized by "delusions" but also by a serious disruption of the quality of life. If a person becomes a danger to themselves or others then it is a mental illness.

Paranoia is a subset of Schizophrenia so it would be the same as above.

Mass hypnosis is a myth. There are some tendencies in groups to behave in similar ways but that does not extend into actual "hypnosis".

Superstition is generally considered a belief in something that is not rationally based. If the belief comes from careful thought it is not a superstition.

If a person can sense dead relatives around them but does not have any of the above symptoms, then that person is completely sane.

Answer 2

None of the above, actually. And why do I say that? Two reasons.

1) Newton proved that energy cannot be created or destroyed. That being the case, what happens to the energy that animates your body post mortem?

2) When my maternal grandmother died, she visited each and every member of the family post mortem. The fact is, we all knew she was gone before we were given official notice. The morning after this event took place, the phones were ringing off the hook. All relatives and close friends asking, "Did something strange happen to you last night?" All of us had the same answer. We were all visited by my grandmother.

Given that we were sleeping when this event took place and were awakened by her, and given that we were in various locations both in and out of the country, what possible explanation can you give for each and every one of us having the same experience? No two people can have the same hallucination. Mass hypnosis doesn't work either because of the separateness of the incident and no "illusionist" to perform the deed. None of us are mentally defective to the best of my knowledge and given the pragmatic nature of the majority of the family members, being superstitious is a non starter.

There is only one explanation. She came to each and every one of us to say, "good-bye."

Answer 3

None of the above. We are normal people that know our loved one has died, I have never been hypnotized, nor am I a schizophrenic. As for mentally defective, well my family says the jury is still out. LOL. Just because this has never happened to you doesn't make us nuts, it makes you unlucky, sorry.

Answer 4

first off why does there have to be an explanation?remember that 'faith' word everyone throws around so easily. and secondly why does the explanation have to be derogatory? and who would be hypnotizing us into sensing dead relatives? i had two dead relatives helping me out for years and i accepted their deaths and didn't even ask them to come around. and selfish certainly didn't have anything to do with it..are you visited by dead relatives and don't know what to make of it?

Answer 5

Or are "schizophrenics" actually seeing something there that REALLY EXISTS?

Perhaps the "mental cases" are "crazy" because they perceive things the rest of us can't.

Answer 6

I depends on your presuppositions. If you have already decided that such things are not real, you must chose one of the above. If you are open minded, and don't already know everything, it may still be one of the above, or possibly the presence of those that have passed on.

Answer 7

its what they are hoping for. their mind is trying to convince them its real.

Answer 8

I believe they are schizophrenic, and so do I.