Argumentum ad hysteria

{{title-italics}}{{logic}}
The '''appeal to hysteria''', or '''''argumentum ad hysteria''''', is the (informal) [[fallacy]] of painting one's opponent as mentally ill in order to discredit their argument. It is a variant of the ''[[ad hominem]]'' fallacy which is a fallacy of irrelevant premise. It is fallacious because one's mental status, regardless of one is mentally ill or not, does not entail that one's argument is invalid, or one's statements/beliefs are false.

This is distinct from the [[clinical]] context of labeling a [[delusional]] [[belief]] as delusional with sufficient [[ethical]] grounds. It is an appeal to hysteria fallacy which assumes that because someone is mentally ill (whether one actually is or not) then whatever one says must be as a consequence false or unreasonable.

This type of argument was formally introduced by author Federico Soldani in 2019 at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London, under the expression "argumentum ad psychen", linking the argumentum framework to the diagnostic one for the very first time. Argumentum ad psychen was described as "pseudo / quasi / technical name-calling or 'diagnosis', ideopathological lexicon / psyspeak. Citizens assuming the experts' psychopathological gaze."

This concept builds upon Arthur Schopenhauer's argumentum ad hominem (which targets the opponent’s character or past opinions) and the more direct argumentum ad personam (which resorts to personal insults) by aiming at the psychological makeup of the speaker.

Soldani described argumentum ad psychen as a form of "psychological insult" or "name-calling" rooted not merely in personal attacks, but in pathologizing the individual—implicitly or explicitly reducing their position to symptoms of mental illness or psychological weakness. He also referred to this kind of fallacy with alternative Latin formulations such as ad mentem ("to the mind") or ad cerebrum ("to the brain"), and, tentatively, to forms such as ad caput or ad encephalon.

According to Soldani, this rhetorical move represents a progression in ad hominem strategies: from ad rem (addressing the issue), to ad hominem, then ad personam, and finally ad psychen.

See: [https://psypolitics.org/2020/07/13/are-we-witnessing-the-emergence-of-a-new-global-psychiatric-power/ Federico Soldani, “Are we witnessing the emergence of a new global psychiatric power?” PsyPolitics, 28 July 2020].

The expression argumentum ad hysteria first appeared on RationalWiki in 2023, following Soldani’s 2019 formulation of argumentum ad psychen.

==Form==
An ''argumentum ad hysteria'' argument has the basic form:
{{syl
|2=Person '''A''' makes claim '''X'''. 
|4=Person '''A''' is claimed to be mentally ill.
|5=P3|6=Whatever claims mentally ill people make are false.
|7=C|8=Therefore claim '''X''' is false.
}}

==Examples==
*"Your argument for the legitimacy of your [[gender identity]] is invalid because you have a mental disorder that is [[gender dysphoria]]."<ref>[https://genderanalysis.net/2017/08/being-transgender-is-a-mental-illness-what-does-the-dsm-really-say/ 'Being Transgender is a Mental Illness': What Does the DSM Really Say?]" — Gender Analysis with Zinnia Jones</ref>
*"Your argument about [[discrimination]] against the [[disabled]] is invalid because you're a diagnosed {{wpl|schizophrenic||.}} How can we be certain you're not just being [[paranoid]]?"
*[[Drapetomania]] — or the idea that there's something [[medically]] [[bullshit|wrong]] with [[African American|black]] people not wanting to be [[slavery|human livestock]].
*"There’s nothing wrong with the [[Soviet Union]], comrade! You only think that because you’re suffering from {{wpl|sluggish schizophrenia||.}}"
*"Why should I accept anything said from an insane [[homosexual]]?" from when homosexuality was considered a mental disorder
*"The government isn’t spying on us. You’re just paranoid!"
*Dismissing women's complaints as [[female hysteria]]
*[[wp:Adrian Schoolcraft|Adrian Schoolcraft]]
*[[wp:Gustl Mollath|Gustl Ferdinand Mollath]]
*"These 30 'crazy' people have been proven RIGHT by [[history]]."<ref>"[https://www.boredpanda.com/crazy-historical-figures-who-were-right/ 30 crazy historical figures who were RIGHT]"</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ableism]]
*[[Gaslighting]]
*[[Pathos gambit]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Ableism]]
[[Category:Informal fallacies]]
[[Category:Latin phrases]]

Categories: Ableism, Informal fallacies, Latin phrases