The Syndrome of Information Disorder
Information disorder is a term coined in a 2017 report titled Information Disorder Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policymaking written for the Council of Europe (Derakhshan & Hossein, 2017). The term “information disorder” refers to the spread or development of false information, which is categorized as misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. Interestingly, the election of President Trump in 2016 was the trigger for the creation of this report.
From the report:
This concept has been further developed by think tanks, academics, NGOs, governments and others who have now invested in the vast complex of fact-checking and industrial censorship. We have all become well acquainted with these concepts over the past few years.
A 2020 peer-reviewed study took this concept further and declared information disorder a psychic health condition.
Abstract:
“Many of us may unknowingly suffer from information disorder syndrome. It is becoming more and more common due to the digitalized world where information hits everyone’s phone, tablet, and computer in no time. Information disorder syndrome is the sharing or development of false information with or without the intent to cause harm and is classified into the categories of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation.
The severity of the syndrome is classified into three levels. Level 1 is a milder form in which the affected person spreads false information without the intention of harming others. Level 2 is a moderate form in which the person develops and spreads false information for the purpose of making money and political gain, but not with the intention of harming others. Level 3 is a severe form in which the person develops and spreads false information with the intention of harming others.
Addressing this disruption requires addressing false information, which includes rumor monitoring, targeted messaging, and community engagement.
Repeated Level 1 sufferers, all Level 2 and 3 sufferers require psychosocial counseling and sometimes strict regulations and enforcement measures to control this information disorder.
The most important act to do is to be aware of the fact that not all virtual communication posts and news are genuine and need to be interpreted with caution.”
From that paper, the term “information disorder syndrome” quickly entered the lexicon of both the censorship-industrial complex and the psychic health industry. It’s important to note that the terms syndrome, illness, and psychic disorders are often used interchangeably. In this case, organizations like First Draft Aspen Institute Aspen Institute have determined that the way to cure this syndrome is to stop the flow of misinformation, disinformation, and misinformation online.
Is it only a matter of time before the American Psychiatric Association includes this new “syndrome” in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)?
Is that a possibility?
The American Psychological Association is at least thinking about how to classify “information disorder” or even “information disorder syndrome” within its modalities. The APA has prepared a report, paid for by us taxpayers, on combating health misinformation (consensus statement). The CDC paid the APA $2 million for this project.
Next, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will develop a grant program to research the cure or management of this new psychic disorder, which is considered a new syndrome due to the pernicious tendrils of the Internet.
Because information disorder syndrome is not yet an officially recognized psychic illness, the NIMH has not yet provided any specific funding. However, it is reasonable to assume that information disorder syndrome will be further developed by the medical establishment into a psychic health condition. If this occurs, it is conceivable that the NIMH may support studies in the future, particularly for those “affected at levels 2 and 3 who require psychosocial counseling and sometimes strict regulations and enforcement to control this information disorder.”
This is another example of how the government can, and has, exercised control over people. What occurs when the APA stigmatizes people with differing views or lifestyles, or repeatedly posts false, disinformation, or misinformation online? The APA has a long history of discriminating against and labeling people who deviate from the norm.
This continued for decades, and the APA endorsed many medical treatments such as surgical procedures including castrations, vasectomies, hysterectomies and lobotomies, drug therapies and even chemical castration, sexual depressants and stimulants, LSD, estrogen and testosterone, and also electroconvulsive therapy, which involved administering electric shocks to patients.
To return to the topic at hand, if information disruption becomes a syndrome affecting the people, the state can intervene through the medical and insurance industries and force the person to conform to societal norms. As the example above shows, this is within the realm of possibility.
Is this a future that will take place? Who knows, but it could. And we should be prepared for this future to manifest itself in various planning stages. That is why the new media are promoting terms such as “information disorder” and “information disorder syndrome”, which need to be rejected at all levels.
Free speech is the most pragmatic tool we have for finding the truth. Only by examining all sides of an issue can the truth be carved out like a statue from marble. But the underlying reality is that there can be many truths; each of us has our own experiences, values, customs and lives. That is the beauty and wonder of being a human. There is no freedom of speech without free and open access to ideas, knowledge, truths and untruths. Without freedom of speech, we are little more than slaves.
We need to defend all speech, whether it is untrue, or intolerable, for this is the only way to protect our rights and our ability to understand the world. Once freedom of speech is restricted, that restriction will be used to influence public opinion. Once a person can be labeled a heretic because of what he says, soon anyone who opposes the “officially accepted” side of an issue will be labeled a heretic. The next logical step will be for the state to define acts of heresy as criminal offenses. Once governments and those in power can influence public opinion by restricting freedom of speech, democracy and even our Republic of the United States will be lost.
Author: Robert Malone
yogaesoteric
February 15, 2025
