This. I am an ex-leftie myself. Full-blown feminist, socialist, Bernie bro. I used to laugh at the "liberalism is a mental illness" line, but there is something to be said there. I dealt with mental health problems for years. Once I started to overcome them, my political leanings changed dramatically, and pretty immediate too. I believe the reason for this is because victimhood is an inherent part of leftist ideology. Once I began to realize that I was to blame for every single one of my shortcomings and mental health problems, I noticed that this also translates politically. Notice how literally every left-wing person always talks about mental health, be it as an "advocate", or their own personal experiences with it.

A lot of these people are genuinely mentally ill, and their internalized victimhood translates into every aspect of their life, especially their political views.