Mental Health

The driving factor behind Tony Chase's internet following is his poor mental health. Tony has been in a state of psychosis for most of his adult life, and he does not appear to be under the care of a psychiatrist. It is still unknown if he has ever seen a psychiatrist or if he was ever treated for his psychosis. Most likely, Tony is schizophrenic, as he demonstrably experiences auditory hallucinations (that is, voices in his head) as well as intense and often bizarre delusions. However, some have speculated that Tony's psychosis is the direct result of long-term drug abuse, a traumatic brain injury, or a combination of these factors, but these theories theories are less plausible than the theory that he has schizophrenia.

Diagnostic Background

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed., (or DSM-5) provides criteria that a person must meet in order to obtain a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Although none of the editors of this wiki have any substantial background in psychiatry, an argument can be made for Tony's schizophrenia by checking the DSM-5 criteria against Tony's large volume of online content. In particular, a diagnosis of schizophrenia is made if the following six criteria are met.

Criterion A

“

Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated). At least one of these must be (1), (2), or (3): 1. Delusions. 2. Hallucinations. 3. Disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence). 4. Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior. 5. Negative symptoms (i.e., diminished emotional expression or avolition).

„

Tony certainly meets the criteria for both (1) and (2), and to a lesser extent, he meets the criterion in (3). So, given that Tony has experienced these symptoms continuously since he began posting to the internet regularly around 2010 (well over the bare minimum 1-month period), Tony safely fulfills Criterion A.

Delusions

See Main Article Delusions

Tony holds several delusions related to his family's wealth and influence as well as his persecution by the Satellite Man and the U.S. government, so Tony definitely satisfies (1) above.

Hallucinations

Tony also frequently discusses auditory hallucinations, which he refers to as "communications." These communications tend to come from satellite controllers and politicians intending to harass and taunt him, but some of these communications are from celebrities and corporations simply wishing to say hello.

someone tried to communicate that pam anderson was trying to get in contact with me, ?

Tony claims that someone told him that the actress and model Pamela Anderson wanted to get in contact with him. This "communication" is almost certainly an auditory hallucination.

Apart from auditory hallucinations, Tony also apparently experiences sensory hallucinations (specifically, algesic hallucinations). Most commonly, Tony will complain of pains caused by the Satellite Man, who will zap Tony, among other things. It is possible however that these pains may be caused by some other underlying health condition, such as fibromyalgia, but these claims are harder to prove, and Tony doesn't display the other symptoms of most of these disorders.

Tony, however, does not appear to experience visual hallucinations frequently, if at all, that are sometimes associated with schizophrenia.

Disorganized Speech

Compared to some other schizophrenics, Tony's speech is relatively comprehensible. However, he will often abruptly change the subject in the videos he posts, a phenomenon known as derailment. In many of his videos, he will state the purpose for recording a given video, but by the end of the video, he will be talking about a completely different topic.

I need a new girlfriend

At around the 2:20 mark, Tony abruptly switches from describing satellite technology to talking about his desire to have a girlfriend.

Criterion B

“

For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, level of functioning in one or more major areas, such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care, is markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset (or when the onset is in childhood or adolescence, there is failure to achieve expected level of interpersonal, academic, or occupational functioning).

„

Criterion B is much more subjective. However, while Tony is relatively high functioning (being that he is able to hold down jobs), we can still safely assert that Tony satisfies Criterion B. Tony's interpersonal relations have suffered substantially as Tony will only rarely interact with his family members. Tony has also faced challenges in caring for himself, as is evident from his advanced tooth decay and his issues with paying his property taxes.

Relationship with Family Members

Tony has almost completely severed contact with his biological relatives, which he has justified through his delusional belief that these relatives kidnapped him and held him hostage during his childhood. For instance, when Tony's brother Robert came to visit Tony at his house to chat, Tony refused to answer the door, despite being home, but instead, uploaded Ring camera footage of Robert to his YouTube channel. It was not until one of Tony's online followers urged Tony that Tony called Robert to speak with him.

Teeth

See Main Article Dental Health

Tony's teeth have deteriorated substantially over the last twenty years, likely from a lack of dental hygiene and further compounded by his unwillingness to see a dentist. It is apparent from younger pictures of Tony that this tooth decay began to accelerate around his early adulthood, which substantiates the claim that his tooth decay is related to his schizophrenia. Tony refuses to see a dentist in large part because he believes that he already has a dentist who is constantly monitoring him.

Personal Finances

Tony's schizophrenia has also made it somewhat difficult for him to look after his personal finances. While Tony fully owns his house as it was passed onto him by his late grandmother and is therefore generally safe from becoming homeless, he is still required to pay the property taxes on his house. However, Tony believes that he is tax-free, and as such, he has resisted paying these taxes. Tony almost had his home repossessed around 2021 for failure to pay these taxes, but his online followers were able to help him by donating to a GoFundMe page he set up.

Criteria C and D

“

Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months. This 6-month period must include at least 1 month of symptoms (or less if successfully treated) that meet Criterion A (i.e., active-phase symptoms) and may include periods of prodromal or residual symptoms. During these prodromal or residual periods, the signs of the disturbance may be manifested by only negative symptoms or by two or more symptoms listed in Criterion A present in an attenuated form (e.g., odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences). Schizoaffective disorder and depressive or bipolar disorder with psychotic features have been ruled out because either 1) no major depressive or manic episodes have occurred concurrently with the active-phase symptoms, or 2) if mood episodes have occurred during active-phase symptoms, they have been present for a minority of the total duration of the active and residual periods of the illness.

„

Tony safely satisfies Criterion C as he has experienced two of the five symptoms in Criterion A since he began posting regularly to the internet in 2010. Further, Tony safely satisfies Criterion D as he has never been observed to have any major depressive or manic episodes since he began posting regularly.

Criterion E

“

The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or another medical condition.

„

Criterion E is perhaps the most difficult and controversial criterion to verify in Tony's case, and this is the only criterion of the six that cannot be directly verified by analyzing Tony's online content. In Tony's case, the only other plausible explanations for his mental illness aside from schizophrenia are drug-induced psychosis and neurocognitive disorder caused by a traumatic brain injury. Online commentators in particular have been quick to blame Tony's mental illness on past drug abuse. However, these accusations are made merely by observing his behavior and are not based on any evidence.

Drug-induced psychosis

It may be possible that Tony's psychosis is in fact drug-induced psychosis (also known as substance-induced psychotic disorder), as many online commentators have suggested. On one hand, Tony frequently and adamantly denies ever having taken any illicit drugs or alcohol, and to date, there is no evidence that he has ever abused illicit drugs or alcohol. Indeed, it seems fairly certain that Tony, at the very least, does not currently abuse any illicit drugs since, given his lack of any verbal filter (see the article Penis, for instance), he would have mentioned using drugs, or he would have shown drug paraphernalia on screen at this point. That being said, substances such as cannabis (particularly when used as an adolescent), amphetamines, cocaine, and hallucinogens have the potential to cause psychosis, which may persist long after the user quits these substances. In short, it remains to be determined whether drug-induced psychosis can be ruled out.

Traumatic Brain Injury

It may also be possible to explain Tony's psychosis as the result of a traumatic brain injury since traumatic brain injuries have the potential to mimic the symptoms of schizophrenia. It is known that Tony was involved in a serious car accident in California sometimes during the early 2000s while riding with his friend Dusty Sorg, which lends credence to this theory. Further, the injuries sustained in this crash may have led to Tony receiving the metal plate in his head, which he sometimes discusses in his videos. It is unknown whether Tony in fact has a metal plate in his head, but the mere presence of his delusions relating to the metal plate also adds credence to the theory that he sustained severe head trauma. However, there is also some scientific evidence that traumatic brain injuries can sometimes bring about schizophrenia in people who already have a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia to begin with, so it may be that Tony's schizophrenia was activated by this car accident rather than being directly caused by it.

Criterion F

“

If there is a history of autism spectrum disorder or a communication disorder of childhood onset, the additional diagnosis of schizophrenia is made only if prominent delusions or hallucinations, in addition to the other required symptoms of schizophrenia, are also present for at least 1 month (or less if successfully treated).

„

It can be safely asserted that Tony is not autistic, and even if he was autistic, the intensity and duration of his delusions and hallucinations cannot be explained by autism spectrum disorder alone or any similar disorder, so Tony satisfies Criterion F.

Tony's Opinions on His Mental Health

Tony denies suffering from schizophrenia or from any mental illness for that matter. When asked by an interviewer if he hears voices, he claimed that he does indeed hear the voices of satellite controllers but denies that these voices are related in any way to schizophrenia. He also described how these voices are overwhelmingly negative, even encouraging him to self-harm, which is characteristic of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. His responses to the question also indicated his own unfamiliarity and misconceptions with this disorder. In particular, he seems to believe that schizophrenics willfully slander and antagonize innocent people.

“	To be a schizo, you have to be real jittery, real darty, like real agitated... like somebody trying to get something from you, always tried to slander your character, so don't listen to the things they try to say. They're always just trying to tear you down, but I always tell them to go fuck themselves.	„
	~ Tony Chase in https://youtu.be/_iIAMSkSHWk?si=KpkzPRwFkMOyt76t&t=3043

In a separate interview, he elaborated more on his beliefs regarding schizophrenia.

“	They tried to murder me with their schizophrenia shit. I don't even act like a schizophrenic. They don't even know what a schizo is. They're the fucking schizos, trying to make up shit. That's what a schizo does, makes up a falsification.	„
	~ Tony Chase in https://youtu.be/79jSuMnZw6M?si=aI-6htCwNcltE9qW&t=95

Discord Calls

Engaging with Tony in a Discord call also revealed other intriguing aspects of his mental state. It's noted that Tony doesn't lie intentionally but often buffers his delusional claims with phrases like "or something like that." His delusions seem to have a specific focus, with some topics triggering coherent responses while others lead to incoherence. Furthermore, Tony struggles to pinpoint the origin of his delusions, suggesting a potential overwrite of childhood memories. Despite awareness of online comments, he remains generally unconcerned, prioritizing his beliefs over external opinions.

In a phone call with WikiAdmin, Tony referred to psychiatry as an industry of death. His beliefs on psychiatry appear to be identical to (and possibly influenced by) the agenda of the Church of Scientology. This is especially interesting as Tony has been critical of the Church of Scientology in the past and accused the organization of being tied in with the Satellite Man.