The terms paranoia and schizophrenia have no definition in psychiatry. They
have only descriptions. MDT is able to generate normal definition for these
deficiences.
In a scientific theory, the definitions are generated by the model and, as
such, can't be compared to the descriptive definitions from present
psychiatry. However, as in the common language we meet these two terms, as we
do not want to invent new terms, they have been kept, but with the definitions
as generated by MDT.
The general theory does not define, in fact, the diseases. It defines only
status and parameters. A status is considered pathological, if some parameters
have values beyond certain limits, more or less conventionally imposed.
Example: In MDT, the schizophrenia parameter of a normal brain occurs at any
time having a different value. The value can be lower (better) or higher
(worse), at different moments. Sometimes this parameter can reach the limit
considered pathological, even if the person is not sick. The illness is
declared if this parameter is permanently and significantly in the
pathological zone.
We'll describe and then, define the two fundamental illnesses, as they appear
in MDT.
Schizophrenia
The characteristics from lighter to severe cases are:
XS1: not enough long-range models exist in order to understand the external
reality. The individuals interact normally with external reality, but the
context to understand the primary facts is missing sometimes (missing long-
range predictions). These individuals succesfully integrate in society, not by
all means in unfavoured positions (on the contrary, as we will see later).
XS2: Bad understanding of what is going on in front of their eyes, due to the
fact that the necessary models are poor quality or inadequate. The capacity to
build and operate short-range models is maintained. These individuals are
mostly able to be integrated in society, if they have a model of interest for
the society.
XS3: The person has no adequate long-range model for the external reality,
short-range models are scarce.
Example: The person does not know where he/she is, even if in his/her own
room.
Such a person uses only very low quality models, most of them being components
of PSM. The chances of integration in society are very limited.
On static analysis, XS1 is situated in the non-pathological zone, XS2 is on
the border, and XS3 is pathological.
The schizophrenia parameter is variable in time. A normal person can be
temporarily in XS2 status, and if drunk, sedated or tired, even in XS3,
without being declared pathologically schizophrenic.
We'll analyze XS1 in detail; two situations can occur:
XS1A: The person has several models, including long-range, associated with
some domains of activity. These allow him to be integrated in society in a
good positions. For such a person, some models associated to laws/rules of
integration in an advanced society, based on long-range symbolic models, are
missing, or of low quality. The absence of these models can lead to anti-
social acts, of which the person can't be aware. Social problems occur when
this type of individuals is in a large number in a society.
XS1B: The person can build long- and short-range models associated to any
external reality, but in current life, he needs only very few of them. Thus
the capacity to build long-range models is diminished. The long-range models
exist, as imposed from the outside, by education. This is a society-induced
schizophrenia. As long as the requirements of the society do not change, the
individual is integrated perfectly in the society. If the requirements of the
society change, the person has to acquire new long-range models, as they are
generated by the society, to reintegrate into it. The capability to build own
models is diminished to zero.
For both XS1A and XS1B cases it is characteristic that the capacity to build
long-range models on their own is extremely reduced. The persons can in both
cases assimilate external long-range models. While XS1A has a reduced capacity
to both build and assimilate models, XS1B had initially these facilities, but
they were lost in time due to lack of use.
Induced schizophrenia (XS1B) is a great advantage for a person integrated in a
stable society, as it ensures adequate models to that society. At any change
in the society, the individuals are forced to acquire new models, as they have
a reduced capacity to build their own.
Example: Driving style in an advanced country
Authorities enforce the traffic laws for generations. Any personalised style
of driving is punished. Thus, the capacity to build own models is reduced to
disappearance. If the environment is non-aggressive, the drivers will have
less and less self-protection capacity at mistakes made by others. Chain
accidents are a direct consequence of induced schizophrenia (XS1B).
There are 2 possibilities:
1. We accept induced schizophrenia, and we build safer and safer cars and
infrastructures.
2. We accept personalized driving (aggressive style is not punished anymore).
An aggressive environment stimulates the development of intelligence and, as
such, the capacity of building and operation of long-range models. The
aggressivity of the environment makes most drivers better or more capable to
react correctly to impredictable situations, including others mistakes. If the
inexperienced drivers will feel aggressed, they become either experienced or
they will give up driving. Society will come at some point to analyze both
variants, with their advantages and disadvantages.
Now the method used is schizophrenic: we solve the problem which already
occured, with the hope that it won't reoccur in the future. This method is
unable to predict what other long-range problems might occur after the change
operated. Its only advantage is that is gives a personal assurance (including
legally) to the peson who initiated the solution.
The theory shows the existence of a basic dilemma connected to the problem
described above: optimisation or capacity to face an aggressive environment.
The tendency of induced schizophrenia occurs in an optimised structure with
slow changes. The individuals have optimal reactions as long as the
environment is stable. At a change of the environment, they have a reduced
capacity to become compatible with the changed environment. In a new
environment, the favorised are the aggressive ones, as they have the capacity
to build and operate their own long-range models.
We continue with the induced schizophrenia (XS1B). When one of these life
styles is followed for a long time, the person is going to be affected by
schizophrenia induced by the environment, which in time can become
pathological. This negative phenomenon can be attenuated to a certain extent,
because of the permanent changes in society. These changes are forcing the
population in advanced countries to come up with new models every day. Even
though society forces people to build and operate new models every day, some
do not have the capability to do this. Because evolution is based on symbolic
models, some people may not be able to build symbolic models of good quality.
Thus, there might be a group of people that cannot fit anymore in the society,
might isolate themselves or even oppose to the society.
This way, induced schizophrenia (XS1B) might build shielding models, which
could act against society. If this group gains enough power, it could try to
destabilize the society.
Schizophrenia can appear in an unlimited number of types, depending on the
perturbations, which are associated with the fundamental process of the brain
operation. The affected functions are:
- The construction of new models and the continuous improvement in accordance
with the changing external reality.
- The integration of a new model in the structure of models of the brain. The
long-range models must contain enough short-range models to handle the
external reality, which is complex and changing.
Based on the above considerations, the normal definition of schizophrenia will
be given:
Schizophrenia is a technological problem of the brain. The brain cannot build
complex models that fit the external reality, and integrate them in a
harmonic/logic way in its general structure of models. The function of
building and operating short-range models is maintained.
Many times, schizophrenics on the first level (XS1) can be brilliant in the
construction of short-range models.
In short, for humans, schizophrenia is short-range thinking.
We will continue to describe the schizophrenia of type XS1 A and B. This
nonpathological form of schizophrenia can bring some big advantages to that
person. Long-range models use a great amount of energy in order to be suitable
to the changing external reality, and are also developed to find the best
solution to problems. In a stable society, many such models are of little use,
because the society imposes certain models, that need only be assimilated.
This way, a person who has XS1 A or B will use the energy only to make better
and better short-range models.
Thus, a stable and efficient society favorises the XS1 schizophrenia.
Let's see an important factor associated to the education system. The whole
educational system is based on assimilation of external models and
verfications of the assimilation of these models. The construction of new
models is totally unfavored. Thus, the general education system favorizes the
development of induced schizophrenia (XS1B). The effect is devastating for the
society, if we take into account the consciousness issue. The theory defines
consciousness as the capacity to build long-range models containing the person
as an element. Thus, the educational system favorizes implicitly those who
have a low-level consciousness.
The second main psychiatric illness is paranoia XP. Paranoia is defined as the
inclusion of an ordinary model (OM) into PSM (OMPSM).
The basic characteristic of a model in PSM is its invariance. These models are
practically impossible to be changed, whatever the information coming from
external reality would be. When there is an OMPSM, all the models contained in
the brain have to be in harmony with this invariant model as well.
When a new model is built, some information coming from external reality could
be in contradiction with OMPSM. In this case, the only way to integrate the
new information with the condition imposed by OMPSM is to distort the ZM which
will intergrate that information. This is possible only on image models. On
image models, there is no criteria to attribute to primary facts the correct
importance. Thus the whole structure of models will be distorted in order to
be harmonic with OMPSM (e.g. some facts will be minimalized and other
exaggerated as importance).
This is why paranoia is to be understood as an illness, which affects
personality. The personality in its whole is of paranoid type. The structure
of models is or can be built partially harmonically; the associated symbolic
models are built to be in accordance with the image models, and sometimes, the
paranoid can have a brilliant harmonical and logical structure.
The detection of paranoia is very difficult, as the patients can have no
logical contradiction in their thinking structure, and they can have a good
coupling to the changing external reality.
Many paranoids are brilliant in thinking, with an infallible logic. The
example of Hitler is eloquent. His OMPSM was 'the Arian race is a superior
one'. What followed was based on logic. Communist personalities can be
mentioned here as well. They had an OMPSM of the type 'the working class is
the driving force of progress'.
When an OMPSM exists, then we have a case of paranoia. There is no treatment
for it. Even if OMPSM could be destroyed, the whole structure of models in
harmony with the OMPSM should be rebuilt, and this is impossible.
We will talk now of light forms of paranoia, undeclared as illness. As we
know, when a model becomes invariant, all associated models will be distorted
to be in harmony with it.
Let's suppose that a brain has a normally built model in accordance with
external reality. This model could at some point become totally inadequate in
the understanding of external reality due to a change in the latter. The
normal solution is the reconstruction of the whole structure of models, but
this activity would be beyond the technical capacity of reconstruction of the
brain. Due to this, one of the possibilities is to leave the model untouched.
In this case, we have a light form of paranoia, which manifests itself as
confusion or avoiding discussions connected to the model with problems.
Another possibility is to build a shielding model. Shielding models do not
modify the inadequate model, but can deactivate it.
As this is not pathological, i.e. no OMPSM exists, the illness could be cured,
especially at young individuals. This type of problem (important normal models
which do not fit the external reality anymore) can occur at any time in
lighter or more serious forms. Prevention of this light form of paranoia can
be done with an adequate education.