Lunacy- does a lunatic know that he/she is lunatic?

Answer 1

Interesting that you should use this archaic word.... derived, of course, from luna (moon). You are asking if someone with a mental or emotional disturbance knows about the disturbance? In general terms, yes. However, if they are in such an advanced state of toxicity (such as is experienced by those who have been on drugs-- prescription and the harder street variety and alcohol--) the brain is frequently so congested that they won't recognize their irrationality and the way they are perceived by others. I know that this is a slightly different paradigm than perhaps you were expecting.

Answer 2

The first word I see when I look for a definition of lunacy is 'insanity'.
So the answer to your question is probably that awareness is determined by degree of infirmity.
If you say that lunacy starts at a point equivalent to obvious/ apparent eccentricity then there may be some recognition in the person that their behavior is abnormal.If however you are saying that a lunatic is insane then I can't see how their mental capacity would allow them to realize that .
Most of the utter nutters I've seen seem to be completely oblivious to the time of day and as far as I'm concerned are best avoided.
I wouldn't choose to stop to ask them what they knew or didn't know about themselves.

Answer 3

It actually depends on what you mean by a lunatic. I could be described as a lunatic because I have a mental illness, and yes, I know when I'm acting like a lunatic! But when you are "high"from street drugs and drunk, you may not always remember some of the "lunatic" things you done to others or yourself! But, because I work in this field, some clients that are severely mentally challenged, or severly mentally ill, and need to be hospitalized, no they do not know that they are in a different condition than the people that take care of them, and could really care LESS! So what is the point of your question?

Answer 4

There are many self-aware lunatics, as there are unaware lunatics.

I personally am a lunatic by choice. There is no other alternative for me in the world we live in but to be looney.

Answer 5

solid, very perceptive and robust question, pondering the mess the human race is often getting itself into. i think religious individuals would say purely God is the guy who can see and come across our lunatic behaviour - for if he sits on intense, he can view our planet and us as teeming little ants, having wars, blowing ourselves up, killing one yet another, unhappy as he watches us carelessly injury his alluring planet and kill his animals to extinction. and canopy his earth with concrete and automobiles, and poison its atmosphere with poisonous fumes. besides the undeniable fact that it is so obvious that even clever human beings can start to get a glimpse of basically how lunatic the human race is. Which beggars the question, if we are all lunatics interior the lunatic asylum, isn`t it the only worldwide all of us comprehend? basically like fish in a fishtank.

Answer 6

Sane people have the capacity to see themselves as crazy. Crazy people have an incompacity to see themselves as crazy. People who experience mental health problems, (and that's all of us right ! It's as much part of our social being as physical health problems. ), are dignosed to be either delusional or non-delusional. The first category is considered by mental health practioners to be the most serious, involving more complex forms of treatment. They are usually, not always, the ones who are in most danger of hurting themselves or someone else. The second catergory, non-delusional usually respond to more simple forms of treatment, most commonly, counselling. They are not usually considered by practioners to be, at least, not in the immediate future, a threat to themselves or others.

Answer 7

hahaa