# Overactive imagination vs. psychosis



## Ungweliante

This is something I have thought about a lot, without really finding any kind of an answer:

How does an overactive imagination differ from psychosis? Or does it differ at all? Can delving deeply into your imagination makes you cross into psychosis? Can you e.g. dodge a psychotic episode by "grounding" yourself into normal daily business? Is psychosis more prevalent during the night?

All your thoughts are greatly appreciated on the matter.


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## NephilimAzrael

Define "Over-active" imagination.


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## Dr. Metallic

I have an extremely vivid imagination. Sometimes I don't know if I could do it if I didn't come right up to the cusp of psychosis.
But I like to think I'm pretty stable.


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## εmptε

I have an amazing imagination.


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## Siggy

This is grossly simplified : With an overactive imagination, you know what you are visualizing/thinking is fake, and you can turn it off. People with pychosis cant turn it off. Plus people dont usually act on their imagination, while those with pyschosis do.


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## ChaosRegins

*My imagination is detailed and vivid. It can defintely run away from me, but I come back to reality. Other times it takes a hefty travel to make it back. *


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## NewSoul

I don't think diving deep into your imagination can turn into psychosis. Now maybe if you were isolated in a little room it'd be different...


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## Ungweliante

NephilimAzrael said:


> Define "Over-active" imagination.


Profoundly feeling the things you imagine. Having your sense of reality change based on that. No overt hallucinations. Especially happens when alone and at night. 

E.g. watching a horror movie about zombies and after that being too afraid to move so as the imagined zombies around the house won't hear you.
E.g. avoiding mirrors in an over-imaginative state of mind, for fear of your reflection changing into a demon, which you think can really happen.


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## εmptε

I do not have that kind-of imagination. I control mine, and I thought you were meaning that I imagine stuff in such vivid detail that I zone out into that imagination until I'm done with it. Yes, I do that, but I don't allow my imagination to transfer over to real life unless A) I want it too B) It's something extreme, and so far nothing has been that extreme.

 So, I guess I'm out of this experiment. Sorry, ung.


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## NephilimAzrael

Ungweliante said:


> Profoundly feeling the things you imagine. Having your sense of reality change based on that. No overt hallucinations. Especially happens when alone and at night.
> 
> E.g. watching a horror movie about zombies and after that being too afraid to move so as the imagined zombies around the house won't hear you.
> E.g. avoiding mirrors in an over-imaginative state of mind, for fear of your reflection changing into a demon, which you think can really happen.


Before I get started, let me tell you, that Psychosis is a serious condition when people are driven to action under its influence.. The term itself is derived as a means of expelling the necessity for use of supelatives or vague definitions such as "over-imagination" which can be inferred in numerous (even contradictory) manners..



WIKIPEDIA said:


> Imagination is an experimental partition of the mind used to create theories and ideas based on functions. Taking objects from real perceptions, the imagination uses complex IF-functions to create new or revised ideas. This part of the mind is vital to developing better and easier ways to accomplish old and new tasks. These experimental ideas can be safely conducted inside a virtual world and then, if the idea is probable and the function is true, the idea can be actualized in reality. Imagination is the key to new development of the mind and can be shared with others, progressing collectively.





First Episode Psychosis said:


> Psychosis is a severe mental disorder in which there is extreme impairment of ability to think clearly, respond with appropriate emotion, communicate effectively, understand reality and behave appropriately.


What do you mean by profoundly feeling? As in an intense emotional reaction of the imagined state or actual sensory perception of these imagined events?

In what context and scale is reality altered specifically?

For the hypothetical situations forwarded - let me respond to your examples.

Watching a horror movie and being behaviourally influenced by the affective content is part of the reason why the films are why they are a successful genre.. However, what you are describing by way of the extremity of this affect is based on the delusional belief that there are zombies, where one is.. So there is delusion.
Such thoughts and feelings are not concurrent with the reality of a situation as could be applied subjectively and objectively; rather being reliant solely upon an imagined sense, which is affecting one's capacity for perceiving reality accurately - based on the evidence.

Now based on the delusion of zombies, you state that your behaviours are influenced by the potential threat of these manifestations. So it would indicate paranoid layers to the delusion.. And seeing as you are immobilised by the terror of this delusion then the lack of consistency between a perceived threat, a personal context and the evidence that indicates a contradiction to your imaginations implies that this is not merely an irrational fear, but rather a disordered perception - a paranoid delusion.. 

It does appear that the secondary example displays a similar theme...

Ok.. 
If this topic reflects your personal history, it would be beneficial for you to ask yourself the following questions:
1. How regular have such episodes been?
2. Has this sense of perceiving events been occurent for a significant perios of your life?
3. Are you conscious of the event being imagined as you experience it?
4. Have there been major life-events that could be attributed to the shift in your perception? (for all cases: Context)
5. Were any intoxicants consumed? i.e. Alcohol, marijuana, caffeine etc.
6. Do you have a family history of similar behavioural patterns?
7. Do you display behaviours indicative of a sense of psychological vulnerability? i.e. Suspicion of others, withdrawal, irritability, unwarranted empathy/sympathy and sensitivity, sense of insignificance in comparison to others and their achievements.

And if you are concerned with the issues, perhaps you could ask a few experts in person or through telecommunications.. But for the sake of this discussion, the above are somethings to consider in regard to what differentiates the loose concept of Over-imagination from a specified behaviourally effective disorder of thoughts and feelings.


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## Perseus

It says in the Desiderata "Do not distress yourself with your imaginations". I do this to the point of madness when I know I have been betrayed or double-crossed. Affairs of love and hate.

AS an INTP I cannot handle emotions, emotions and threats all mingled up together. I just withdraw into my shell, if I can.


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## Ungweliante

NephilimAzrael said:


> Watching a horror movie and being behaviourally influenced by the affective content is part of the reason why the films are why they are a successful genre.. However, what you are describing by way of the extremity of this affect is based on the delusional belief that there are zombies, where one is.. So there is delusion.
> Such thoughts and feelings are not concurrent with the reality of a situation as could be applied subjectively and objectively; rather being reliant solely upon an imagined sense, which is affecting one's capacity for perceiving reality accurately - based on the evidence.
> 
> Now based on the delusion of zombies, you state that your behaviours are influenced by the potential threat of these manifestations. So it would indicate paranoid layers to the delusion.. And seeing as you are immobilised by the terror of this delusion then the lack of consistency between a perceived threat, a personal context and the evidence that indicates a contradiction to your imaginations implies that this is not merely an irrational fear, but rather a disordered perception - a paranoid delusion..


Thank you for this analysis. The clarity of your mind can be very refreshing at times 

I will answer the questions in PM.



Perseus said:


> It says in the Desiderata "Do not distress yourself with your imaginations". I do this to the point of madness when I know I have been betrayed or double-crossed. Affairs of love and hate.
> 
> AS an INTP I cannot handle emotions, emotions and threats all mingled up together. I just withdraw into my shell, if I can.


Ah, it's not so much of a problem as something that interests me from a philosophical / psychological point of view. Thank you for your concern, though :happy:

How do you view your imagination? Do you believe it can descend or overactivate into psychosis ?


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## skycloud86

Ungweliante said:


> This is something I have thought about a lot, without really finding any kind of an answer:
> 
> How does an overactive imagination differ from psychosis? Or does it differ at all? Can delving deeply into your imagination makes you cross into psychosis? Can you e.g. dodge a psychotic episode by "grounding" yourself into normal daily business? Is psychosis more prevalent during the night?
> 
> All your thoughts are greatly appreciated on the matter.


When I was younger (my late teens), I used to wake up in the middle of the night and be terrified of spiders that would be looking for me inside the house, and if I walked through a doorway they would grab me with one of their legs. I would also not want to go anywhere near by bed or anything that I thought might be a spider. I'm not actually scared of spiders and I was awake at the time. This hasn't happened for some years now and I think it's because I use my very overactive imagination for my stories, so that I use it up before I go to bed. However, I do get worried about snakes and spiders at night still, even though I have no phobias of either animal.

Psychosis and an overactive imagination are two very different things in my opinion.


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## Perseus

Love is Imagination

Love is Psychosis

I expect it is more like the latter from my limited exeperience. If they (the Guards SJ) could ban it they would!


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