Conspiracy Theorists And Schizophrenia

I do love a good conspiracy theory, the nuttier the better and so i like all the 'proof' that the Moon landings were faked, that the Royals are a bunch of lizards and Elvis is stil alive but sometimes the theories do have a profound effect on the rest of us such as the anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers and the 5G spreading Covid-19 and then it stops being a bunch of weirdos being weird to having real life effects.  
It is easy to think that the conspiracy theory believers are a bit thick or useful idiots but that is too simple according to Psychologists who believe that there is a bit more going on.
Professor Karen Douglas, from the University of Kent, has studied conspiracy theories and those who are fooled by them and considers that people who are taken in by the theories that include the suggestion that the Coronavirus was made in a Chinese laboratory turn to conspiracy theories when important psychological needs are not met.
'People are drawn to conspiracy theories when they feel powerless or are anxious' states Professor Karen 'and related to the need to maintain a positive view of the self and the groups they belong to'.
She adds that narcissistic people are more likely to believe conspiracy theories where the central core is that something is being covered up with the general idea that authorities and outside groups cannot be trusted and are hiding the truth.
It does seem to be more prevalent in the United States but she considers that to be more political, with left and right wing groups more suspicious of anyone not as left or right wing as them and the political extreme not so fierce in the UK. 
The bad news is that once a conspiracy theory has gained traction it is hard to change peoples minds regardless of how irrational or absurd the claims are, mainly because people do not like to think they have been hoodwinked and 'their group' are wrong as it to affirms or validate their political views, despite the evidence staring them in the face that they are.    
Researchers term conspiracy theory believers as suffering 'schizotypy', traits that include a tendency to be untrusting, ideologically eccentric and prone to having unusual perceptual experiences such as sensing stimuli that are not actually present and is a mild form of schizophrenia.
Probably best to remember the next time someone tries to tell you that Bill Gates is trying to kill us all with vaccines or that Global Warming is a myth, hitting them with logic or evidence won't work, just smile and hide the sharp objects because you should never argue with a crazy mind.