Cyberpsychosis
Cyberpsychosis is a condition which affects individuals who have been cybernetically modified beyond their body's natural capability to withstand such modification.
Symptoms
Cyberpsychosis manifests differently for different people, but is uniformly characterized by a severe loss of a sense of self and a perceived separation from humanity.
Some cases turn horribly violent or even cannibalistic. Others become self-destructive; still others simply withdraw from society, seeming to regress to a more primitive or animalistic state.
In many cases, the very cyberware that caused the break from reality also makes the patient much more dangerous, as their physical or mental capacities are often highly augmented.
Treatment
The current accepted treatment for cyberpsychosis is therapy - a specialized type of therapy involving heavy use of tranquilizers and hallucinogenic drugs, along with carefully planned braindance sessions. Sometimes, more esoteric or cutting-edge tech is employed, from hypnosis therapy to nanobot surgery. The exact specifications are unique to the case and the doctor performing the procedures.
In all cases, though, most or all of the cybernetics will be removed from the patient's body. No one has gotten cyberpsychosis therapy to stick without this step.
In most large cities, there is a government-run cyberpsycho rehabilitation program of some kind. In many of these, there is also mandatory registration for former cyberpsychos.
Prognosis
The current going theory is that the main cause of cyberpsychosis is damage to the neural system and brain from constant, long-term input from neurologically connected systems, but this has not truly been proven and some evidence exists that seems to refute it.
If left untreated, cyberpsychosis usually results in the patient's death. The condition does not kill them, but they often either put themselves in violent situations until someone else kills them, or kill themselves, either purposely or by accident.
Sequela
Patients recovering from cyberpsychosis nearly always show signs of PTSD, insomnia, anxiety, paranoia, and other stress-related mental conditions. However, it is hotly debated whether this is a result of the condition itself, or from the harsh measures that must be taken in order to treat it.
Type
Mental
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Uncommon
Something happens when you start adding metal and plastic to people. They start to change. And it isn't pretty. In the 2000's, we call this cyberpsychosis; a mental disease in which the addition of cybernetics causes an already unstable personality to fragment. At first, the victim begins to relate more to machines than to humans. Soon, he starts to ignore people - parents, friends, lovers. Eating, sleeping all become less important. Finally, human interactions begin to irritate, culminating in a terrifying rage that consumes the victim entirely.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments