You donât come to the conclusion that youâre a dragon without a certain amount of self-examination. Many otherkin are aware that some outsiders think theyâre delusional. The psychiatric professionals I contacted for this story, however, were surprisingly forgiving.
Dr. Marc D. Feldman, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Alabama and inventor of the term âMunchausen by Internet,â told me that otherkin didnât seem like a good fit for mental health treatment.
âPeople in advantaged countries like to think of themselves as especially complex, colorful, and special,â he wrote in an email. âThe otherkin phenomenon certainly reflects this first-world preoccupation. But it isnât illegal, doesnât victimize other people, and isnât a form of mental illness (unless people become delusional about it), so I donât see a particular need for âtreatment.ââ
Dr. Jan Dirk Blom, an expert in clinical lycanthropy (the delusion of turning into an animal), has a similar opinion, saying that unless an otherkin individual is suffering, thereâs no reason to seek professional help.
