Why was the "psychotic thoughts" thread closed?

[Rack-a-Bones]

Thread in question. (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=555606)

Czarcasm: it was pretty earlier on established we all tend to have these zany thoughts and it turned into a fun thread of the crazy things we think about from time to time.

Does that thread violate the asking for medical advice rule? I'm perplexed.

[cjepson]

On what grounds was the IMHO "ever had irrational psychotic thoughts" thread closed? The OP wasn't really asking for medical advice, but simply whether other people have had similar experiences, and from the responses, it seemed that it was becoming increasingly clear that the thoughts the OP was describing were pretty normal. The moderator then advised the OP to seek professional help and closed the thread.

[TubaDiva]

While we can discuss nearly anything here at the Dope -- that's the hope, anyway -- there are some things that are too difficult to handle.

Anyone who admits to "psychotic thoughts," for example, is asked to stop soliciting comment on a mere message board and go get some help. Because what can we do for them? Nothing. And this is a situation that requires outside assistance. This is not a therapy outlet -- at least not a professional one -- and we can in no way adjudicate this sort of deal towards a good outcome.

We've had other kinds of situations that we cannot help and shouldn't be involved in -- suicide notes, for example -- they may be a cry for help and we're sympathetic to anyone who is in that much pain -- but we are totally unequipped to handle this kind of thing. We shouldn't be expected to be able to handle it, either. This is not the suicide prevention line.

Can we judge that the thoughts were "normal?" Not really. Should we be put in a position to have to judge such things? No.

If someone cut their hand and was bleeding all over the place and came here to report on it we'd tell em to go get a bandage, to go to the hospital, to get direct help, to stop writing posts about their bleeding hand and go get it fixed. This is the same thing.

[TubaDiva]

Merged two threads on the same situation together.

[Sapo]

If someone cut their hand and was bleeding all over the place and came here to report on it we'd tell em to go get a bandage, to go to the hospital, to get direct help, to stop writing posts about their bleeding hand and go get it fixed. This is the same thing.

What f cut my hand and am bleedng all over the place but only need help fxng my keyboard?

[Czarcasm]

What f cut my hand and am bleedng all over the place but only need help fxng my keyboard?Once again, we are not equipped to provide psychiatric help.
:D

[Ace Weederman]

Lest any of the commenters in the closed thread worry too much about having disastrous thoughts, here's a NYTimes article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/health/07mind.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=imp%20poe&st=cse) from last year that may be of some comfort.

"But a vast majority of people rarely, if ever, act on such urges, and their susceptibility to rude fantasies in fact reflects the workings of a normally sensitive, social brain, argues a paper published last week in the journal Science. "

Here's a link (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sci;325/5936/48?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=wegner&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&issue=5936&resourcetype=HWCIT) about that paper.

Interesting stuff!

[cjepson]

While we can discuss nearly anything here at the Dope -- that's the hope, anyway -- there are some things that are too difficult to handle.

Anyone who admits to "psychotic thoughts," for example, is asked to stop soliciting comment on a mere message board and go get some help. Because what can we do for them? Nothing. And this is a situation that requires outside assistance. This is not a therapy outlet -- at least not a professional one -- and we can in no way adjudicate this sort of deal towards a good outcome.

We've had other kinds of situations that we cannot help and shouldn't be involved in -- suicide notes, for example -- they may be a cry for help and we're sympathetic to anyone who is in that much pain -- but we are totally unequipped to handle this kind of thing. We shouldn't be expected to be able to handle it, either. This is not the suicide prevention line.

Can we judge that the thoughts were "normal?" Not really. Should we be put in a position to have to judge such things? No.

If someone cut their hand and was bleeding all over the place and came here to report on it we'd tell em to go get a bandage, to go to the hospital, to get direct help, to stop writing posts about their bleeding hand and go get it fixed. This is the same thing.


So it seems to me that the thing that got the thread closed was the OP's use of the single word "psychotic". If the OP had simply referred to "irrational thoughts" and otherwise been the same word-for-word, would it have been allowed to remain open? Because, IIRC, we had another thread not too long ago on exactly this same topic, and there was no problem.

[olivesmarch4th]

I'm really baffled about this thread closing too. There was nothing that indicated psychosis or mental illness in the OP's post, just the workings of a normal human brain.

Assuming for a second she was off her rocker... just because she used the wrong words to describe her affliction this thread was closed? Yet the threads in IMHO where people discuss applying therapeutic techniques to cope with depression or the Pit Threads where everyone psychologically tortures the mentally ill... those are okay? Seriously, we have ''I'm batshit insane'' threads on the Dope on a daily basis. This makes no sense, I don't even see a precedent for it, and I think you killed an interesting/promising thread for no good reason at all.

[Rushgeekgirl]

I really just do not understand the interpretation of some rules on this board.

Perhaps if "psychotic" were replaced with "goofy"? Would that have made it okay?

[Rack-a-Bones]

Thanks for the explanation. It all seemed pretty tongue-in-cheek to me but I can see your point.

[Stealth Potato]

Yeah, that one made me scratch my head too. Maybe Czarcasm just looked at the thread title and the OP's "So, should I admit myself?" comment? My impression was that that last line was tongue-in-cheek and not actually a request for medical advice, but if you were looking at those alone and didn't catch the sarcasm (sorry, couldn't resist :D), it might indeed look like something more serious than it actually was.

It seems obvious to me that there's nothing inherent in the subject matter of the thread that warrants or even suggests "getting help," professional or otherwise.

[Guinastasia]

While we can discuss nearly anything here at the Dope -- that's the hope, anyway -- there are some things that are too difficult to handle.

Anyone who admits to "psychotic thoughts," for example, is asked to stop soliciting comment on a mere message board and go get some help. Because what can we do for them? Nothing. And this is a situation that requires outside assistance. This is not a therapy outlet -- at least not a professional one -- and we can in no way adjudicate this sort of deal towards a good outcome.

We've had other kinds of situations that we cannot help and shouldn't be involved in -- suicide notes, for example -- they may be a cry for help and we're sympathetic to anyone who is in that much pain -- but we are totally unequipped to handle this kind of thing. We shouldn't be expected to be able to handle it, either. This is not the suicide prevention line.

Can we judge that the thoughts were "normal?" Not really. Should we be put in a position to have to judge such things? No.

If someone cut their hand and was bleeding all over the place and came here to report on it we'd tell em to go get a bandage, to go to the hospital, to get direct help, to stop writing posts about their bleeding hand and go get it fixed. This is the same thing.


And yet, it was established that it WASN'T a case of psychotic thoughts -- it was something very common and everyone has these kinds of thoughts. They're freaky, yeah, but they're not psychotic, and after the initial OP, it was a thread about medical advice. I think you're reaching here.

[Vinyl Turnip]

I rarely chime in on such matters, but that closing seems clearly unwarranted, and suggests either a way-too-cursory skimming of the OP or a rather silly overreaction on the part of the staff.

[picunurse]

My take is that when the OP asked if s/he should be admitted, it became an asking for medical advice.

[KarlGauss]

My take is that when the OP asked if s/he should be admitted, it became an asking for medical advice.
The OP was being rhetorically facetious.

My Gawd. The level of paranoia among some of the mods about allowing a thread that might even be remotely construed as medical (or legal) advice is unbelievable. For crissakes, "Yahoo Answers" (and virtually every on-line version of print newspapers for that matter) routinely fields medical questions and surely has a greater readership than the Board, yet I don't recall any rush of suits against them.

It is beyond credulity, then, to think that someone is going to take the SDMB of all sites to court because there was a discussion held there on a normal facet of human psychology. I embarrassed for Czarcasm.

Tell me, if I open a thread asking for people to list their "phobias" would it be closed because phobic disorders are best discussed with a medical professional? If yes, how about if, instead, the thread asked people to discuss their irrational fears? OK, how about things that freak you out for no rationale reason? For no good reason? I'm serious and hope you'll answer.

[Eats_Crayons]

So it seems to me that the thing that got the thread closed was the OP's use of the single word "psychotic". If the OP had simply referred to "irrational thoughts" and otherwise been the same word-for-word, would it have been allowed to remain open? Because, IIRC, we had another thread not too long ago on exactly this same topic, and there was no problem.
Wasn't that the one where someone mused about the urge to jump when they were enjoying the view? I'm fairly certain I've read the "Imp of the Perverse" comment before. It was ridiculous to close this recent thread as the OP was clearly not referring to honest to Og psychosis, but meant the kooky weird stuff that flits through people's minds.


My take is that when the OP asked if s/he should be admitted, it became an asking for medical advice.
It was a joke.

[Trepa Mayfield]

It was a joke.

Can we get this thread re-opened, please?

[Krokodil]

Thanks for the explanation. It all seemed pretty tongue-in-cheek to me but I can see your point.

I'm not so sure. Pouring tapioca pudding on the dog is tongue-in-cheek; pouring boiling water on it, not so much.

[Czarcasm]

It wasn't the word "Psychotic" in the title that caused me to close the thread.
First paragraph: "You'd never act on them, of course (I hope!), but I'm really hoping I'm not alone in this and that I am still sane. I mentioned this to my husband last night and asked if he had similar thoughts, and he acted like I was crazy and denied he ever has such thoughts."
I'm not seeing much kidding around there, personally. The next three paragraphs describe fantasies about pouring boiling water over a dog, stabbing her husband in the leg and driving over a cliff. The OP concludes with "These thoughts happen about once every few days. Sometimes they are horrible enough that I have to immediately distract myself because I'm horrified at the thought I just had and if I allow a mental image to form, I might get very upset." I'm not getting the giggles reading this.
At this point, the "So, should I commit myself" sign off is just the icing on the cake. Claims that particular line was just a big josh doesn't, in my mind, negate the rest of the post.

[Koxinga]

Whenever people in positions of low-level authority start talking like this, and especially as their explanations become more and more long-winded, increasingly I hear it coming out as a single, simple sentence: "our bosses told us to halt anything that looks like it will result in them getting sued."

[Guinastasia]

I would say it was more of an opinion such as "am I alone here?" IF, and IF it was established that the OP was experiencing something unusual, then I would say it warranted closing.

Jesus, this place is becoming ridiculous.

[Little Nemo]

What f cut my hand and am bleedng all over the place but only need help fxng my keyboard?F thne offend thee pluck t out.

[BigT]

Wow. I thought we were devoted to fighting ignorance, not perpetuating it.

I'm going to love all the shutdown of threads where people have the thought of breaking the rules. I mean, obviously, if you have a bad thought, you must be crazy and might really act on it.

[mhendo]

Another retarded closing, with lame post-hoc rationalization. It's pretty depressing.

Not manic-depressing, mind you (that might get the thread closed), but just regular, "look at the over-reaction"-type depressing.

[ivn1188]

Agreed. I'm not sure if it's some sort of attempt by the mods, or even worse, the management to "avoid liability" (laughable at best -- if it's seriously a legal issue, fire your lawyer, because the advice you are getting is the crappiest sort of zero-risk-tolerance idiocy practiced by the worst-qualified fourth tier lawyers, and I'm not saying this to be funny) or, even worse, to try and make the board more "responsible" to the mainstream or some similar goal.

To me, it seems to be a gross overestimation of the importance of the board. Seriously, no one is killing themselves over what they said, nor is anyone going to use the board as a lawyer or doctor or therapist. If they do, they have other problems that aren't going to be solved by closing a thread.

It is still the site's motto that it's been fighting ignorance since whenever. There is nothing more ignorant than undeserved and arrogant paternalism. And every time you close one of these threads, it does nothing but push the board a little closer to the kind of community you find on white power boards or similar sites, where everyone is gently reminded to be on the same page, and discussion is shut down when it goes too far from the approved topics. Yes, that might be a little strong, but seriously, the sort of micromanaging going on is simply inane.

Given the rest of the internet (Gawker, Yahoo, 4chan, Slashdot, etc), which have all avoided being sued for billions of dollars and whom are all much much much bigger, this sort of touchy-feely mommy dearest maintenance of topics is embarrassing. The days where the SDMB was one of the top internet sites have been gone for over a decade, which is about 300 years in real time.

If it's posters who keep complaining about this shit, ignore them or ban them.

If the mods are getting overzealous, reel them back in.

If management is sitting there quaking in their boots for fear of a lawsuit like a senior citizen driving through a middle class black neighborhood, well, wow. Get over it.

Either way, there seem to be a lot of mostly reasonable adults here who don't need the board to protect them from bad thoughts or to counsel them in regards to their medical, mental, or legal issues. We don't need a another mommy, and if some posters are looking for mommy, they should do it somewhere else, instead of dragging the place down to the lowest denominator.

(And again, I say this with complete seriousness, if there are "legal reasons" or a lawyer making some guidelines about what sort of content is appropriate, they are literally incompetent. If there are no lawyers making guidelines, I suggest management reads the many many threads on what kind of idiots pro se/non-lawyers are, and act appropriately by hiring someone who can give an actual estimate of your legal liability -- which in my opinion and in a realistic reading of the law is more or less zero -- rather than a guideline which is equivalent to wearing a helmet and pads at all times in your anti-microbial bubble.)

ETA: and just because I am still annoyed, who gives a fuck if the OP of that thread actually needs mental help? There is absolutely nothing anyone on this board will be able to do for an anonymous poster, nor should the board or posters feel the need to do anything. It's just goddamned silly in every way.

[ivan astikov]

I'd have thought a "Get your psychotic musings off your chest" thread would have been akin to a public service?

Better out than in, and that.

Come on, what's the worst that could happen?

[adhay]

... I'm not seeing much kidding around there, personally. ...

I'm not getting the giggles reading this. ...

At this point, the "So, should I commit myself" sign off is just the icing on the cake. Claims that particular line was just a big josh doesn't, in my mind, negate the rest of the post.Will someone give me the word to describe the state of mind which produced these utterances?

[HMS Irruncible]

I'm not seeing much kidding around there, personally. The next three paragraphs describe fantasies about pouring boiling water over a dog, stabbing her husband in the leg and driving over a cliff.
Do you understand the difference between a fantasy, a compulsion, and an unbidden thought? I don't think you do. People get weird and sometimes disturbing random thoughts without being even remotely compelled or desirous of completing the action, and being in perfectly normal mental health. Nobody WANTS to pour boiling water on a dog or feels like hidden voices are telling them to.

I get that the mod culture is so paranoid of litigation that actions are sometimes knee-jerk, but really, if you took off your mod hat and read this as a normal poster, it would seem like any other random didjaever idiosyncrasy thread. You just let Cesario run around justifying child sex for months, but people can't talk about weird thoughts of things that they'd never want to do?

[Koxinga]

It'd be one thing if the mods were genuinely solicitous of that OP's well being: expressing concern but apologizing that this forum isn't the right place; offering some links to mental health resources in that thread or even as a sticky; and perhaps even PM'ing her to that effect.

Instead we have a bureaucratic slamming down of the little window trellis, with a mumbled "you've got problems, lady, we can't help ya here, why doncha go bother someone else."

Comes across as a really ignorant approach toward mental health, if nothing else: we can discuss (with myriad disclaimers) oozing carbuncles, vaginal discharges and distended rectums. But a possible worry over one's mental health? Now that's just icky: go 'way!

[HMS Irruncible]

It's not even mental health; it's completely normal for people to have occasional bizarre thoughts that they know they'd never act upon & never feel compelled to. It would only be abnormal if they occurred so often that they started doubting whether they were right or wrong. This was not not one of those situations or threads. 30 seconds of reading would have demonstrated that.

[BigT]

<nevermind>

[Rack-a-Bones]

I just don't know how you can read the OP in that thread and take it seriously. What about the thread where we are burning people at the stake? Or buggering them with a burnt stick?

Perhaps EmAnJ can enlighten us as to her intention. That is if she isn't in jail for animal cruelty or spousal abuse.

While I do see where the SDMB is coming from, I think they are over reading and overreacting. How many times has 4chan been sued?

[Cat Whisperer]

As I said in a PM to Czarcasm, not only are the kinds of thoughts that were being discussed in that thread normal, but closing the thread and telling the OP to get psychiatric help perpetuates the stigmatization of people struggling with anxiety disorders. Thanks, Czarcasm. People dealing with anxiety disorders need *more* help feeling weird and awful.

[John DiFool]

Once again, we are not equipped to provide psychiatric help.
:D

"I am not programmed to respond in that area!"

http://vampjac.com/lj/pulchritude/2008/Trek_TOS/TOS_Alyce_Andrece.jpg

Whenever people in positions of low-level authority start talking like this, and especially as their explanations become more and more long-winded, increasingly I hear it coming out as a single, simple sentence: "our bosses told us to halt anything that looks like it will result in them getting sued."

First cousin to those "guards" a while back who let an assault take place right in front of them, precisely because of such fears. Eventually we'll all be restricted to our own domiciles, fearful to even step out our own front doors because we might squash a bug and then have an attorney appear (in a puff of black smoke) and serve us with a lawsuit on behalf of his dependents (all 10,000 of them, back in the ant hill).

[madrabbitwoman]

I am seriously considering starting a thread on my experiences of mental illness and the ways of controlling psychotic thoughts/impulses that I use - should I bother? I am really keen on demystifying mental illness - ya know fighting ignorance and all - but there is a chance that someone my post about needing help. Would my thread be closed if that happens? personally I think the best way to deal with that eventuality would be to offer support and perhaps assist in the direction they need to look for medical help (It is amazing how few people are aware of what psychiatric services are available). Would "here is a list of crisis line numbers and a link to page of mental health services in your state" type of information pass?

[DocCathode]

Having read the OP in question, it does not seem to me like she is talking about mere "goofy" or "irrational" thoughts that we all get sometimes. She is discussing thoughts that genuinely disturb her. I further think that she is serious in asking whether she should have herself committed.

And how do we know the Mods didn't pm her with something caring and helpful? The last time I got a thread closed because of insanity , they did indeed send a kind, caring e-mail suggesting I seek professional help.

[Cat Whisperer]

Yes, the irrational thoughts that are part of an anxiety disorder do indeed scare the person having them, but as people said in the thread before it was prematurely locked, that is common in anxiety disorders and doesn't indicate that the person having them is psychotic or crazy. It's a symptom of anxiety disorders like a clenched stomach or pounding heart. Czarcasm and the Powers That Be here are displaying a distressing lack of understanding of how excessive anxiety works (although I shouldn't be surprised - the stigma persists). I really did expect better from a board that makes claims about fighting ignorance - it would do a lot of good and no bad for people who suffer from irrational thoughts to know that it is common and not psychotic.

[HazelNutCoffee]

The OP and the following discussion seemed pretty lighthearted to me. I honestly do not see why the thread had to be shut down. Talk about an overreaction.

[Mangetout]

I'll just chime in to agree with the majority here - as far as I can tell, these irrational thoughts are a pretty common thing for quite normal people. Please just disclaim responsibility, warn people not to give or expect specific medical advice, and re-open the thread.

[Random Design]

I'm also a bit confused as to why the closure. I've read the rationalizing but not finding it rational.

I'm not getting the giggles reading this.

yeah okay clearly you're not amused, and I don't think anyone was as it wasn't intended to be a funny thread.

It wasn't the word "Psychotic" in the title that caused me to close the thread.

that's very much how it appears though, knee-jerk reaction to a thread title. OP isn't psychotic, as many people have already concluded - many people do have these odd and disturbing thoughts and don't understand them, and this thread was an attempt to gain some understanding. At least the OP can take some solace that other people do recognize those thought patterns, even if we're all supposed to stand around and never admit to their existence. :rolleyes:

[Czarcasm]

that's very much how it appears though, knee-jerk reaction to a thread title. OP isn't psychotic, as many people have already concluded - many people do have these odd and disturbing thoughts and don't understand them, and this thread was an attempt to gain some understanding. At least the OP can take some solace that other people do recognize those thought patterns, even if we're all supposed to stand around and never admit to their existence. :rolleyes:Many people have thoughts like these and are o.k., but some who have thoughts like these are not(here I am speaking from personal experience, having lost one friend and almost lost another), and the best way to find out is to seek the advice of a professional who can examine the thought patterns of the client and study them in context of the client's personal life. I never said the OP was psychotic-unlike some in this thread and the original one, I'm not willing to give a diagnosis over the internet for two damn good reasons:
1. I don't have all the information needed to give a proper diagnosis, and
2. I am not a professional in the field necessary to make such a diagnosis in the first place.

[Koxinga]

Many people have thoughts like these and are o.k., but some who have thoughts like these are not(here I am speaking from personal experience, having lost one friend and almost lost another), and the best way to find out is to seek the advice of a professional who can examine the thought patterns of the client and study them in context of the client's personal life. I never said the OP was psychotic-unlike some in this thread and the original one, I'm not willing to give a diagnosis over the internet for two damn good reasons:
1. I don't have all the information needed to give a proper diagnosis, and
2. I am not a professional in the field necessary to make such a diagnosis in the first place.

I know someone who posted here complaining of a severe headache. Which reminds me, I had a real-life friend who had a severe headache and it turned out they had a brain tumor!!! Oh noes!!!!!

Not to make light of your loss but really, in other words, what's the friggin' difference? If I come here to swap stories about my distended rectum, I don't think anyone will shut down my thread just because the particular moderator overseeing the thread is not a certified proctologist. Why do you think that mental health is such a touchy area as opposed to other kinds of health?

[Czarcasm]

I know someone who posted here complaining of a severe headache. Which reminds me, I had a real-life friend who had a severe headache and it turned out they had a brain tumor!!! Oh noes!!!!!

Not to make light of your loss but really, in other words, what's the friggin' difference? If I come here to swap stories about my distended rectum, I don't think anyone will shut down my thread just because the particular moderator overseeing the thread is not a certified proctologist. Why do you think that mental health is such a touchy area as opposed to other kinds of health?You want to compare having a headache with thinking about stabbing someone in the leg or pouring boiling water on a puppy? No thank you.
I'm not saying that mental health is a touchy subject as opposed to other kinds of health-I'm saying that mental health just as important as other kinds of health. If you want to know if that strange growth on your arm is something you should be concerned about, your best bet is to take it to a medical professional who can examine it in person and talk to you about your personal history. Asking a bunch of anonymous posters on a message board who might have had a somewhat similar experience, and have no access to your medical records, is such a poor second that it comes in third, imho.

[Czarcasm]

I know someone who posted here complaining of a severe headache. Which reminds me, I had a real-life friend who had a severe headache and it turned out they had a brain tumor!!! Oh noes!!!!!

If someone posted here complaining of repeatedly having severe headaches and they didn't know the cause, and I had to choose between closing the thread with a strong recommendation to see a medical professional, and leaving the thread open to a bunch of people saying "Hey, I get headaches all the time-it's normal!", you can bet your last shiny nickel I'd pick the former.

[Mangetout]

I agree that the phenomenon under discussion is unlike headaches, but for the opposite reason. Headaches are an ailment. Stray, possibly-disturbing thoughts appear to be just a normal feature of the human mind.

Either headaches or stray thoughts could be indicators of something amiss, but neither need be.
I don't expect to change anyone's mind on the subject, but I think closure of the thread was not objectively warranted, and out of character with the general ethos of the SDMB.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Meanwhile, a separate thread "recommending" intoxicated driving as a useful tool for murder has thusfar escaped the executioner's axe...

[Cat Whisperer]

Meanwhile, a separate thread "recommending" intoxicated driving as a useful tool for murder has thusfar escaped the executioner's axe...
Well, I didn't say you *have* to kill people with your car; just offering it as an option.

[Rack-a-Bones]

Just use a bag of grapes.

[EmAnJ]

Here I am! I didn't realize this thread had been started, thanks for letting me know Rack-a-Bones.

I suppose I can sort of see why the thread was closed, but I also thought it was obvious that I wasn't asking for medical advice, and from the contributions to the thread, it's also obvious that this is a normal part of the human psyche and not at all abnormal. If I hadn't posted 'So, should I commit myself', would the thread not be closed? That's the phrase that was highlighted when closed by the mod.

Also, just wanted to ask why the mod in question didn't respond to my PM asking for clarification? That's not very mod-ly.

[EmAnJ]

And now that I've read all the comments, a few to add.

No mod ever PMed me about the closed thread, either to explain, or express concern.

I am not crazy or psychotic. Interestingly, I polled family after dinner last night about these thoughts and asked if they had any of their own. Three of four did, and we concluded that it's very normal. One lamented the fact that he sometimes had flashes of stabbing his wife, another said sometimes she'll be petting her cat and would wonder what would happen if she just strangled it.

That said, reading some of the comments by Czarcasm in this thread almost makes me think it isn't normal. Perhaps we should all be admitted? Or perhaps he's just one of those people that don't have these thoughts and thinks we're all crazy, same as my husband does.

[Czarcasm]

And now that I've read all the comments, a few to add.

No mod ever PMed me about the closed thread, either to explain, or express concern.

I am not crazy or psychotic. Interestingly, I polled family after dinner last night about these thoughts and asked if they had any of their own. Three of four did, and we concluded that it's very normal. One lamented the fact that he sometimes had flashes of stabbing his wife, another said sometimes she'll be petting her cat and would wonder what would happen if she just strangled it.

That said, reading some of the comments by Czarcasm in this thread almost makes me think it isn't normal. Perhaps we should all be admitted? Or perhaps he's just one of those people that don't have these thoughts and thinks we're all crazy, same as my husband does.There is nothing I could have said in a PM that I didn't say in my initial post, and nowhere have I said you were psychotic or needed to be committed so the sooner that pathetic strawman is dumped, the better. I merely suggested that you consult a professional who could tell you what your personal situation is better than a bunch of anonymous posters who have no idea what your personal, mental and physical condition might be.
I was not privy to your light-hearted family discussion last night where people people discussed fantasies about stabbing wives and strangling cats. I only had your own post to go on, and all I did was close the thread and ask you to talk to someone who could possibly give you some answers.

[Rack-a-Bones]

And now that I've read all the comments, a few to add.

No mod ever PMed me about the closed thread, either to explain, or express concern.

I am not crazy or psychotic. Interestingly, I polled family after dinner last night about these thoughts and asked if they had any of their own. Three of four did, and we concluded that it's very normal. One lamented the fact that he sometimes had flashes of stabbing his wife, another said sometimes she'll be petting her cat and would wonder what would happen if she just strangled it.

That said, reading some of the comments by Czarcasm in this thread almost makes me think it isn't normal. Perhaps we should all be admitted? Or perhaps he's just one of those people that don't have these thoughts and thinks we're all crazy, same as my husband does.

Hmmm. I can see wanting to strangle your pet, but stabbing your spouse? Then again, there are people on this board participating in a death pool or wanting to bugger somebody with a stake. YMMV and all that I suppose.

[Cat Whisperer]

<snip>I only had your own post to go on, and all I did was close the thread and ask you to talk to someone who could possibly give you some answers.
It was established early on in the thread that irrational thoughts are common and not a big deal; this really looks like you're viewing this thread through the light of your own personal, tragic circumstances, Czarcasm, instead of aiming for impartial.

[Czarcasm]

It was established early on in the thread that irrational thoughts are common and not a big deal; this really looks like you're viewing this thread through the light of your own personal, tragic circumstances, Czarcasm, instead of aiming for impartial.Gee, and here I thought that advising someone to seek out a professional to find out if there was a problem to worry about was being impartial. Silly me.

[Rushgeekgirl]

Czarcasm, you closed a thread based on your personal baggage, not any violation of the board rules in my opinion.

Not that my opinion matters much around here.

[HMS Irruncible]

I was not privy to your light-hearted family discussion last night where people people discussed fantasies about stabbing wives and strangling cats. I only had your own post to go on...
Uhm, that post, and every other post in the thread there, chief. Don't pretend like you were desperately seeking context and it just wasn't there.

[samclem]

Meanwhile, a separate thread "recommending" intoxicated driving as a useful tool for murder has thusfar escaped the executioner's axe...Good thing you reported that one so a mod could check it out. :)

[BleizDu]

I could have sworn we had done a similar thread lately, but it was restricted to the desire to jump from heights or crashing one's car, with only a couple mention of body harm to others. Which is why I guess it wasn't moderated.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=535083

[KarlGauss]

I could have sworn we had done a similar thread lately, but it was restricted to the desire to jump from heights or crashing one's car, with only a couple mention of body harm to others. Which is why I guess it wasn't moderated.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=535083
Have you reported it yet? ;)

[Cat Whisperer]

Good thing you reported that one so a mod could check it out. :)
Oh oh...

[BleizDu]

Have you reported it yet? ;)
:p

The op should have used smilies! like:
"I had a flash of "what would happen if I poured this boiling water over the dog?" :eek: :smack: :o :confused:
But not:
"I had a flash of "what would happen if I poured this boiling water over the dog?" :) :cool:

Or:
"So, should I admit myself?" :p
And not:
"So, should I admit myself?" :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
--
More seriously, chalk me up as another person against the closing of that particular thread. Besides not feeling alone, I actually rather like seeing that it's pretty common for humans to entertain, or being subjected to, irrational, weird or just plain fucked up thoughts, all the while recognizing it would be bad to act on them or having no desire at all to truly do it.
Like that guy who admitted to have pedophile thoughts and desires, yet was repulsed by them. (not saying that it's common to have pedo thoughts, though, what the hell do I know, but you get my drift)

[HazelNutCoffee]

So no dice then, huh?

I am seriously confused by this thread closing, and I usually don't care either way on threads being closed. Anyone who read that thread would know that it was a lighthearted conversation on bizarre thoughts that pop up from time to time. Enough people were participating in it to confirm that the OP wasn't alone in her thoughts. She wasn't seriously asking if she should be comitted, and she's not a poster that otherwise shows unstable tendencies in her posts. No one else seemed remotely disturbed by it.

The whole thing is just a huge :confused: for me. But if the mods insist they have it right there isn't much that can be done about it I suppose.

[cjepson]

I was not privy to your light-hearted family discussion last night where people people discussed fantasies about stabbing wives and strangling cats.

I can see where you get your username.

Seriously, though, I (and numerous others, apparently) did feel that the comment you made in the post that closed the thread had a whiff of "you need more help than we can give you", and I think that's part of what a lot of people are having a problem with. I do believe that you didn't intend it to sound that way; I'm just letting you know that that's how it sounded to me. So this criticism isn't a "pathetic straw man".

[Cat Whisperer]

I can see we're getting nowhere with arguing this point, so I'll drop it, but I just want to re-iterate how deeply disappointed I am by this decision. Anxiety disorders and depression are extremely common, and I expected this board to treat them more respectfully and realistically than the rest of the world.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Good thing you reported that one so a mod could check it out. :)

I ain't no snitch!

[EmAnJ]

There is nothing I could have said in a PM that I didn't say in my initial post...

You couldn't be bothered to even reply to my PM with that though? I mean, seriously, your non-response totally came across as 'I really can't be bothered to answer this question because I really don't care if people don't like what I've done.' As far as I'm concerned, having the title of mod means you need to respond to the general membership, even if their question may be stupid to YOU, in an effort to explain the rules and your decisions (to lock a thread/ban a member/etc.).

[Koxinga]

You couldn't be bothered to even reply to my PM with that though? I mean, seriously, your non-response totally came across as 'I really can't be bothered to answer this question because I really don't care if people don't like what I've done.'

He probably thought if he interacted with you that way, the voices in your head would tell you to stalk him in real life and pour boiling water on his cat. Get away, you crazy person!