To be really struggling to deal with my mother whose obsessed with conspiracy theories?

[giraffes2021]

So my mother came round today in the space of two hours this is what I've been told :

My son has picked up hand foot and mouth from nursery because he's been round vaccinated people
The queen is dead and they haven't announced it yet
Princess Diana is not actually dead she's in hiding
Those who have been vaccinated will be really poorly this winter because of the vaccine
Beyoncé and jayz are being done for child trafficking
Billy gates has been shot
Pfizer has confirmed the vaccine sheds and harms
Hilary Clinton is a child abductor
Michelle Obama is a transvestite

All these things and more have taken over her life it's literally unbearable she was going mad today too as I said I didn't believe in the devil

It's consumed her I feel sad as she's home on her own and obviously getting caught up in all this however even when I see her and take the grandchildren it's alllll she talks about!!!!

Sounds dead stressful, OP. Have you mentioned roughly how old your mum is? Any chance it could be related to specific dementia (it can happen at a relatively young age now or cognitive decline), or has it been going on for years and this is just the latest batch?

My MIL is like this too. Its all she goes on about, it's exhausting. She told me the Michelle Obama trans one a few years ago and i dared to disagree and got shouted down by her and her partner so i dont bother now. Also very anti vax. Me and DP havent told her we're fully vaccinated as we cant be bothered with the aggro

She also believes that the earthquake in Leighton Buzzard last year wasnt an earthquake at all but the tunnels that pedophiles use to smuggle kids, being destroyed

@penguinparty00

MIL exactly the same an utter nightmare to be around, not only has very strong political views and views on everything, gets all her information from you tube videos, refuses to watch the news and she is a subject matter expert in... well every subject which is incredible considering she's rarely left the house properly in years.

Soon as we walk in the house she starts, it's like she can't have a normal conversation, we've been round hours and she's not even asked how son/ grandson/ anyone is she just talks at everyone about whatever issue she's seen on the internet and wonders why I won't leave DS with her !

This is my mum. Covid has massively exacerbated her crazy views.

I follow a guy on Instagram called Steve Hassan who provides some insight into conspiracy theorists. His handle is cultexpert if you’re interested.

DH is like this. He's swallowed the the QAnon thing, pizzagate, the premier paedophile ring, the Great Reset, anti COVID jab, Bill Gates and depopulation, George Soros, all of it.

He gets angry if I don't engage with it. He has anxiety disorders and believes his "research" (usually dodgy blokes from YT).

He was getting to me recently and I started feeling a bit down so he's stopped in the main but it's only a matter of time before he starts up again.

My mum's like this too. Parents are deeply religious and anti vax. In their case they don't really watch normal TV, it's a diet of religious programming from the god channels which I think fuels it. And as they're in their late eighties and cev, it could end up killing them.

You have my sincere sympathies.

I feel your pain.

I don't have any family members who've gone "QAnon" (google it, it's scary) but I now have several friends who've jumped down the rabbit hole of conspiracies.

There's one very old and good friend of mine who I now actively avoid as conversations with him are exhausting, annoying and to be blunt - boring. No matter what we are talking about he always turns the subject back to conspiracies until I have to tell him to change the subject or I'm leaving the pub. He's lost interest in his hobbies and then fallen out with friends who he has known for twenty years. He's permanently angry and underneath it all seems to be really, deeply unhappy with his life in a way that wasn't true before. It's like it's a cancer eating away at his mind.

There's a really good quote from Churchill about these people:

"A fanatic is someone who won't change his mind and cant change the subject."

Sums is up perfectly.

I have no idea what can be done to "rescue" people when they've gone this deep. They don't seem to listen to any advice as they know best and people who disagree with them are "sheep". Maybe the only thing we can do is to cut them loose.

People find it scary that actually there isn't much control over world events, things can happen randomly and 'authorities' often less than competent or doing things off the back of a fag packet.They want there to be some higher power controlling things because that is less frightening than the reality and offers some weird sort of comfort.

She has a mental illness. This type of belief system is paranoid and founded on insecurity, uncertainty and anxiety. If she doesn't see a psychiatrist via her GP I would cut contact. Her messing with your mental health is not good.

Both my DM and DF as well as my DB are so far down the rabbit hole they grew whiskers and a tail!!

My DB told my DF diabetes is easily cured by a simple pill the government banned to keep people ill. He bought the pills off the Internet and my DF stopped his medication and took these instead for a week. I went mental when I found out and checked his sugar levels... 27!!!! He has gone back on his diabetes medication and I've still to lose my shit at my DB. Pick attached of what DF was taking.

It's Chlorine Dioxide, sorry pic isn't very clear.

Buffy, that’s horrific. What did DF say when you measured it?

This does highlight the point at which stupidity becomes a safeguarding issue. Lots of posters are so patient with these crackpots. I’m not sure I would be so patient with people who eg had a relationship with my DC.

He shrugged, said oh well I tried it for a week I'd better start my tablets again and walked off.

DB also bought my DM these seeds that were banned, telling her they cure / prevent cancer and all sorts. They're banned because they release or contain cyanide! Yes DM takes them everyday.

But it's OK because it's 'good' cyanide

If there was a cure for diabetics it would sell for millions

Just tell her in no uncertain terms that you don't care whether she believes in all this stuff or not and she's welcome to do so. But you're sick and tired of hearing it - you don't want to hear any of it any more, so if she doesn't shut up, then you will walk out.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I've a good friend whose mum has gone that way since the start of the pandemic and it's been such a struggle for her because she's really close to her mum. Her mum is a funny, warm, wonderful human being -- and she is currently hospitalised for covid, which is heartbreaking.

These are scary times and I understand up to a point why it might be comforting to believe this nonsense - uncertainty is scarier than knowing, even if what you 'know' is bilge.

Doesn't mean I feel tolerant about it. My foster son's mum is into 'research' online. Deep sigh.

@BuffyTheBuffetSlayer oh gosh!! I feel for you! At least I know I'm not alone.
It's really hard she's sent me alone today 5 things about vaccinations theories etc it's relentless.
I can't actually have a proper conversation without it coming back to something untoward.
It's sad really as I do feel like my relationship with her is suffering as I'm keep her at arms length as it's not enjoyable to be around.

I no longer talk to my dad because of the swamp. And trump. And pedos in the swamp
And the true leader of the world. Trump

One of my friend’s dad is the same as my mum and your mum @giraffes2021 It is all he talks about and she said she dreads him getting dementia or anything as he will be so paranoid about everything.

It is so sad that many of us have “lost” a part of our parents to this conspiracy stuff. It’s a pandemic in itself.

I would just not pay attention to what she's saying when she starts on one of her rants, then when she stops to take a breath start a new conversation about something completely different. Keep doing it over and over, don't engage with the conspiracies