Assuming the worst of humanity

[bananacat]

People with anxiety disorders tend to have more empathy than average, which is at odds with conservative thinking. I also don't see the connection between conservatism and depression, since depression is often about lack of motivation instead of just sadness. It's not really about fear though. I think the way some conservatives get riled up over imaginary threats is at odds with depression, or at least the experience my mom had with it where she would be more cynical than fearful of some vague threat.

With conservative thinking, I see a lot more of a hero or martyr complex going on. It's like Zimmerman basically waiting for a threat to come to him so he could defend himself and be a hero. And when no threat was forthcoming, he made it up and found an unarmed teenager to kill so he could feed his hero complex. It's the same with those who want to save the innocent fetuses, but then they also want to save the taxpayers from those evil cheating lazy people who would need any kind of government assistance. I don't really see this correlating with any kind of mental illness.

[chiccy]

People with anxiety disorders tend to have more empathy than average,

Source? (I believe it too, but I'd love to see research that points to it.)

which is at odds with conservative thinking. I also don't see the connection between conservatism and depression, since depression is often about lack of motivation instead of just sadness. It's not really about fear though.

Depression is very complicated and very multifarious; there are tons of aspects of it that can--depending on the case--include anxiety, abulia, apathy, pessimism/negativity, shyness, sadness, or all of the above. I see a lot of crossover with fear in these. Abulia and apathy might not be inherently fearful but anxiety, pessimism, and even shyness do definitely tie into fear. Certainly this is true in my experience. My depression has caused, among other symptoms, an extreme fear of going out in public as well as answering the phone or checking email, and a deep-seated pessimism, negativity, and dread of the future. They are part and parcel of the illness for me, and the experiences of people I've met in the hospital would suggest I'm not alone in many of these respects.

I think the way some conservatives get riled up over imaginary threats is at odds with depression, or at least the experience my mom had with it where she would be more cynical than fearful of some vague threat.

When my depression was milder, I used to be cynical like that, but once it got very severe, I tended to embrace the attitude of doom and gloom as a general principle. Obviously, I didn't believe conspiracy theories or ridiculous predictions; it was more of a global outlook, but one that I think falls very much in line with conservative beliefs.

With conservative thinking, I see a lot more of a hero or martyr complex going on. It's like Zimmerman basically waiting for a threat to come to him so he could defend himself and be a hero. And when no threat was forthcoming, he made it up and found an unarmed teenager to kill so he could feed his hero complex. It's the same with those who want to save the innocent fetuses, but then they also want to save the taxpayers from those evil cheating lazy people who would need any kind of government assistance. I don't really see this correlating with any kind of mental illness.

This is definitely a prominent strain of conservatism, and I agree that it in particular does not seem illustrative of a mental illness. However, there are lots of other types of conservatives, many who are less belligerent/jingoistic. Many people are conservative for primarily economic reasons. They're not all wannabe heros.

That said, part of my depression has always led me to seek safety and self-preservation. For me, this didn't translate into a desire to pump money into the defense budget, but I could see such symptoms doing exactly that in others.