[zikzak]

Contact with mysterious phenomenon that seems to communicate with the witness is not unheard of and many people seem to undergo an intelligence boost afterwards, even if short lived. This is often considered a religious experience while more secular minded people might attribute it to something like a ufo experience.

[slibhb]

Sounds like a manic episode. Symptoms include extreme grandiosity and hallucinations. Often a manic person will believe he is God, is in contact with God, or has a special part to play in history.

[shrimp_emoji]

God, Government, and Aliens: the schizo trinity

And talking donkeys if you're Muhammad! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya%CA%BDf%C5%ABr

[iraqmtpizza]

These days it's definitely atheists which are the most schizo w.r.t. searching for, or at least ruminating about, aliens, despite all evidence against it. Another very schizo atheist topic is AI (basilisks etc).

Could be their affinity for strong weed.

[nick7376182]

Having been through manic episodes, I concur.

[grugagag]

Although it sounds somewhat similar to manic episodes keep in mind that they come with a depressive crash afterwards.

The brain is more complex than a mere mental condition which we still don’t fully understand.

[sandspar]

There are "nervous breakdowns" which only happen once. Many historical figures have had them.

But on your larger point about fuzzy diagnoses I agree with you. In my experience, diseases like schizophrenia are better understood as a large number of unique diseases under a single heading. Saying "I have schizophrenia" is like saying "I own a dog". While an accurate statement, there are many different kinds of dogs, and their behavior varies widely. Schizophrenia is the same.

If you've spent time with groups of people with schizophrenia, you'll see that there's an extremely wide range of outcomes. I think the wide range of outcomes may be explained by there being a number of different diseases.

[nick7376182]

Not always. Unipolar mania used to be in previous revisions of the DSM and bipolar type 1 can exhibit as mania without intervening depression.

[AndrewKemendo]

I recognize that. However my perspective is that it was 100% in my head and I’m not unique or special or chosen or whatever nonsense fallacies that typically come with these experiences

Not some exogenous event or mystical miracle or whatever it was just pure chemistry and electricity.

[sandspar]

> I know it was in my head

This awareness is technically called "insight", as in "insight into the weirdness of your beliefs". Generally, people suffering from psychosis don't have insight. They genuinely believe they're experiencing real things. So in this way at least it seems like you're healthy.

That being said, there's a wide range of psychotic episodes, and feelings of uniqueness, specialness, or being chosen aren't always present.

[zikzak]

I am definitely not saying any of those interpretations of the event are correct (I'm a skeptic) but I do find it interesting that some people do seem to have a period of increased focus and productivity afterwards.