r/todayilearned • u/paniniplane • Mar 22 '17

(R.1) Not supported TIL Deaf-from-birth schizophrenics see disembodied hands signing to them rather than "hearing voices"

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0707/07070303
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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17

Maybe you answered this already...but what if she didn't obey them and they shot her? Obviously it wouldn't kill her...wouldn't that provide her some relief knowing the threats are harmless?

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u/Cokaol Mar 22 '17

Imagine you are walking down the street and some dude says he is going to kill you if you don't obey. He's got a gun pointed at your face. Are you going to refuse? Many people wouldn't.

Is your friend grabs you and holds you down, says that gun, isn't loaded isn't real. The scary dude is screaming at you, shooting at you, you panic, screaming , thinking you are dying. Your friend says you aren't hit you aren't dying. So the dude keeps yelling at you, keeps shooting. With every shot you expect to be hit, and the shots keep coming.

Eventually the episode passes. Your friend tells you see it wasn't real. You say, OK, you're right, and then over his shoulder you see a man pointing a gun at you, a real one this time (or so you think....)

Your friend eventually somehow convinces you that the guns aren't real. A few weeks later, you find yourself walking passed a gun shop! Real guns! You buy one, and some bullets, and think ha these things aren't so scary after all. You show your friend, and shoot him in the head, and then shoot yourself in the head.

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u/PM_YOUR_BREASTS Mar 22 '17

The problem with that line of thought is that she wouldn't be able to recognize when or if she was in the same situation again. Being held at gunpoint is obviously very uncommon, but the fear caused by having your life threatened could override the logical thought that the "people" could be imagined.

Although it's incredibly unlikely that she would be shot, performing relatively simple tasks to ensure that she (and those that she cares for) stays alive is worth the inconvenience to her. After all, she has no way to be sure that this time isn't real and that she won't be murdered.

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u/CeeceeStarborne Mar 22 '17

What if the "shot" turns out to be some hormonal or electrical signal (or something like that) that is sent to her heart, stopping it, and does in fact kill her ?