IRLs / DAs : Our Opinion

Throughout this rentry, we will refer to them as delusions/delusional attachments. The word "delusional" will also be used here in the context of a description term, not as an insult.
A quick note: We deal with intense and extreme delusions that have previously been fed into so deeply that even once we got proper help and were put on medication, we still believed them. This rentry does not come from a place of hatred or ignorance, it comes from a place of genuine concern.
Everything in this rentry is coming from either personal or second hand experiences. Please keep that in mind.
This is going to be spliced into categories.
- Definitions
- Feeding In
- Legitimacy
- Reality Checking
- TL;DR

Definitions

So, before we can get into this, we must first understand what delusions themselves are. "A false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, occurring especially in mental conditions.", is the official definition of what a delusion is. Now, delusional attachments can, in some cases, go hand-in-hand with delusions themselves. The definition of a delusional attachment: "A delusional attachment (DA) is a term that psychotics have coined as an alternative to the term 'Identity Delusion', in which someone believes that they are another 'being' than they actually are, whether that be a real person, a fictional character, a nonhuman creature, an object, etc." It is not a real medical term and should not be considered as such

Feeding In

Now that we have established the meanings of both, let's talk about why it's bad to feed into delusions. First and most obvious, it's extremely anti-recovery to do so. Regardless of how "big" or "small" the delusion seems to you, feeding into it can cause it to dissolve ones sense of reality and completely sever that line between what is real and what isn't.
Another reason why it's bad; delusions can be extremely dangerous. For example, many cult leaders start off with just a small delusion, but that grows to be something worse, leading to them believing that they are something bigger than what they are. In some cases, even believing that they are a god or a savior. Of course, that would be one of the more extreme cases, but delusional people can come to accept their delusions as reality and embrace it due to their peers feeding into it and telling them "yes, you are what you believe you are."
The most dangerous part of feeding into delusions is that the person is unaware that their belief isn't actually real. They don't realize that they aren't actually that character or person who they believe they are. When you feed into these delusional attachments, it only furthers that belief that they are, in fact, someone who they're not.

Legitimacy

Now I want to go over something that might be seen as a bit of a touchy subject. I'm going to say this now; this may come off as us fakeclaiming delusional attachments, however, it is not meant to be seen that way. This is simply to point something out that a lot of people seem to forget when on the topic of IRLs and DAs.
With that said; I want to talk about the people who do lie about having delusional attachments. I'm going to start this by quoting something I have previously stated a moment ago, "the person is unaware that their belief isn't actually real." In order for a delusion to be a delusion, it means that you are unaware that it is not real. So, with that information, it makes no sense for someone to be fully aware of the fact that they are a delusional attachment and still fully identify with themself even if they know that they are, in fact, a delusion. Again, actual delusional people are not aware that their delusions are delusions. They do not know that their belief is untrue.
It makes no sense to see somebody listing who their delusional attachments are because the delusion is not something that they are aware of. If they are aware of it, it is not a delusion. There is no arguing with this statement, it is a genuine medical fact. It is extremely rare for a person experiencing delusions to be aware that their delusions aren't actually real. This is why people saying "oh yeah, I am a delusional attachment of x-character but I also have delusional attachments to y-character and z-character" doesn't actually check out. I cannot stress this fact enough; if they are aware of the delusion, it is not a delusion.

Reality Checking

With all of that out of the way, I want to remind everyone not to reality check them without consent just because you don't want to feed into their delusions. Of course, reality checking can be harmful, however, in some cases it is important to remind people of what is real and what isn't. If you let them believe that their delusions are fact, they can evolve and become harmful on their own. Delusional attachments are extremely destructive to the person experiencing them if not handled correctly. Again; DO NOT REALITY CHECK PEOPLE WITHOUT CONSENT, it is just as dangerous as the delusions themselves. Simply do not imply that they are the character, whether that be something as small as "you're my favorite character" or something bigger.

TL;DR

Again, this is only out thoughts on this matter. In our eyes, delusional attachments calling themselves "IRLs" makes no sense and likely aren't actually delusional attachments because it doesn't work like that.

Edit

Pub: 09 Dec 2022 06:54 UTC

Edit: 09 Dec 2022 07:38 UTC

Views: 102