Does one really need to be mentally ill to do horrific things?

[Kin Atoms]

Look at the results of Stanley Milgram's experiment. It is about absolute authority.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

Or Zimbardo, and the malleability of character. It was an either / or choice to be a prisoner or a guard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanfo...son_experiment

Would you stand out or succumb? How about if it is for religious purposes? If you know history, this shouldn't be hard to understand.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Garchompa

do you think the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot were mentally ill to do what they did?

IMO, Hitler would have been labeled a psychopath today (Anti-social personality disorder in the DSM-V).

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

IMO, Hitler would have been labeled a psychopath today (Anti-social personality disorder in the DSM-V).

I wish we would stop softening the language for these human like people.

Psychopath, then sociopath, and now anti-social personality disorder.

They have no conscience and cannot be cured.

They are not mentally ill.

[Garthur]

Any one that is a deviation from normal is considered mentally ill by the general public.

The real question is, are the general populations normal people actually mentally healthy?

[cattalk1]

Is relief mental illness is not longer an excuse for crime. Anyone that confused needs to be locked up, period. Something about local mental care is so bad, things are just not okay having this person running the streets. Years back when insanity was accepted as excuse for crime, the monsters got 1-2 years of confinement max, then back out to wet his whistle again on anyone.

However, things are still so stacked against prosecuting anyone with money, lots goes on that shouldn't. Lucky to know who the area predators are and just avoid them. Cops usually ruin victims and run them off....Churches even run people off and encourage their members to discriminate at work or education. Sadly, the church people choose to terrorize are usually a sex abuse victim, unwilling mistress, someone who morally calls a situation wrong or businessperson who acts too threatened when meeting competition. Let's just clarify who the mental care ruins -- 'victims of abuse' and ruined to cover it. Some communities go farther to discriminate and ruin victims further.

The worst atrocities are still being covered up by government, cops and mental care. Wealth buys 'special interest group' protection for lots of sick stuff....Mental care is only preying on victims, almost never used to even straighten out any of the most screwed up, threatening and sick people of any social-economic level.

[Crazy-Cat-Lady]

This is a misconception anyway (that mentally ill people are more dangerous). Most mentally ill people are only a danger to themselves.

So the answer is "no". People can just snap or perhaps they're just hateful. There's are all sorts of reasons why people commit violent acts.

[Nothere1]

.......I would have to say yes. Mentally ill is the brain not acting as it should in the neuro typical manor. While I don't believe all mentally ill people are 'horrific people', I do believe all 'horrific people' are mentally ill. They do things because their brain is working outside the ethical norm, which is the way your brain isn't suppose to function. That being said the normal is evidently a small minority on this planet. It has been shown that people can turn off parts of there own brain, even loose use to them if not used. I think terrible people in history have either had brain damage and/or have worked at turning off parts of their brain. I think people do this when they dehumanize, therefore making them automatically mentally ill. If anyone has researched the NAZI's I think it is very clear how many turned parts of there brains off over time. For most Nazi's this was very difficult and they subdued to lying to themselves to help compensate. There were many cases where many didn't subdue and could take it, they either dyed, escaped, or retaliated.
.......In my case I have had no empathy from birth, so I've always come off as a psycho to everyone. As that part of my brain is shut down and not functional, I don't go around killing people. I have other parts in my brain telling me many logical ways that isn't a good idea. I think to shut down the whole system, to allow you to become a monster, you need to work on shutting down that part of your brain. Therefore making you mentally ill.