Is my ex-girlfriend suffering from a mental disorder?

kavanap2

I am interested to hear people’s opinions on this. My ex-girlfriend and I have recently broken up after 2 years together. We got on pretty well most of the time but as I got to know her better I noticed some peculiarities about her personality. In particular, she had a deep seated mistrust of the world and was borderline obsessed with conspiracy theories and supernatural notions. I did some research and found out that people like this are known as ‘Cranks’. They believe fervently in all sorts of unrelated conspiracies and ‘bad science’ to the point that they live their lives according to these bizarre theories. (Jim Corr, Aleister Crowley and David Ike are extreme examples).

At first I thought it was just a bit of fun (conspiracy theories, New World Order etc...) not to be taken too seriously, but as I got to know her more I realised that it had a much more darker side. She spent many hours a day browsing the internet reading all of this type of stuff and believed everything she read. For example, she believed that the government put fluoride in tap water to dumb down the nation and that microwaves were dangerous (she would stand behind a wall if someone turned it on). I know this sounds funny, but believe me, it’s very hard to live with this someone like this! Also, she didn’t trust conventional medicine and believed that every major disease was created by the pharmaceutical industry just to make money. As a result she bought an ‘alternative’ medicine called ‘miracle mineral solution’ (or MMS for short) over the internet which claims to cure everything from AIDS to cancer! I googled the product and found very disturbing articles including a FDA warning not to use it because it produces a potent bleach when ingested.

When I explained to her what I had found she totally rejected my concern and said that the FDA is also in on the conspiracy! It shocked me to see how gullible she was and that she couldn’t see how damage she could be doing to herself. When she started to take this MMS she began to feel ill but she told me that this was ok because it was ‘removing all the toxins and bad bacteria from my system’ and this was proof that it was working! I pleaded with her to see sense but to no avail. She also believed in the most bizarre conspiracy theories – for instance, that the British Royal family were secretly ‘Reptilians’ from another planet. I also found some cheques written out to some “Shaman healer” from County Cork to do a ‘distance healing’! WTF?? I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. This type of behaviour and belief system put an incredible amount of pressure on our relationship with the result that I eventually decided that I couldn’t be with someone like this. And there was no reasoning with her, it was like she was brainwashed. She would also constantly check my phone and web history. And she knew my computer password! I have no idea how! I probably don’t even know the half of it, she was very secretive, who knows what else she was thinking or money she wasted.

On the other hand, she could be quite rational about other things in her life, like when it came to work for instance. This, I found very confusing. How can someone be so rational about some things and totally irrational about other things?

I wonder if she is suffering from some type of mental illness that, so far, has not been formally recognised?

I'd appreciate people's thoughts on this or if anybody has had a similar experience...

jellygems

my mother was like this, shes a pot head aswell

she belongs in a mental insitution in my opinion (mother)

your ex sounds quite like her actually she used to come out wit all kinds of crazy things, follows a cult in india, into the healing thing crystals have power etc

everything she said is right, its not healthy having ppl like that in ur life i dont think. shes not in mine anymore wish her well and move on

IrishEyes19

Id be very careful before self diagnosing. However her behaviour is alarming and I can understand how it was hard to tolerate. Simple as, some people have personality disorders and other mental diseases. Crazy isn't a word I'd throw out there either. Mental disease is a terrible thing to have and to have to live with for family members/friends. However, some people are also extremely strange or odd. Only a professional could diagnose such a thing to be honest.

OP, you were right however to end the relationship at this stage. It doesn't sound happy or healthy.

Taltos

OP - this forum cannot give medical diagnoses.

Only a medical professional can do so.
If you have a specific relationship issue you need advice on then this is the right place but we do not allow posters to provide medical advice.

Thanks
Taltos