Cyberpsychosis

Cyberpsychosis is a mental illness, specifically a dissociative disorder, caused by an overload of cybernetic augmentations to the body.

There are many Cyberpsychos that roam Eden City, most of which are hidden in alleyways, or have been taken away by the ECPD.

## Symptoms

Cyberpsychosis symptoms are gradual, ranging from decay of self-preservation, distancing or disregard from friends and family, and poor or impulsive outbursts or acts. They start to identify more with machines than people, and stop doing things that used to give them pleasure (eating, sleeping, socializing, sex, etc).

Eventually human interactions become irritating, and then irritation morphs into contempt, and finally violence. Not all cyberpsychos are physically violent. Some have fragmented personalities, some are kleptomaniacs, others are compulsive liars. But violence towards living things, especially people, is most common.

Incidentally the council (and corporations) are not going to wait for you to go over the edge.

It is quite common for the council (who are often the de-facto government) to track people who are known to install lots of cyber-wares. This is another reason Ripper Doctors exist; not everyone wants to be on a government watch list for Cyberpsychosis.

There is no real cure, though treatment is available. The effects are cumulative. A single cyber hand is unlikely to cause Cyberpsychosis, but replacement of all four limbs and both eyes will probably start down the slippery slope to madness.

## Treatment & Therapy

People who are near the edge are politely asked (that is, required) to register as such.

A registered Cyberpsycho is on something akin to parole. They must attend periodic therapy sessions at their nearest hospital and clinic to keep them human. They have implants to monitor their activity. So long as they don't do anything dangerous, they can go about their lives as normal.

A Cyberpsycho who goes over the edge is often killed outright. Cyberpsychos usually have enough implanted hardware to cause significant damage, and are a threat to anyone they come across. The Eden City Polizei Department will not go out of their way to risk people's lives trying to take the psycho alive.

But if the psycho can be subdued, they will be strapped down and all of their cybernetics deactivated, placing them into a long-term coma while specialists try to piece back their personality together by tampering with their brainwaves, and memories.

Over weeks or months, the Cyberpsycho gradually regains their humanity. They may even eventually become human enough to install cybernetics again (assuming they are not in prison for crimes committed on their rampage).

But they are never really the same again. Mental damage from Cyberpsychosis will change aspects of their personality, and follow them their entire lives.

## Famous Cyberpsychos

* **"Spikey" aka Ong Beomgyu** - The main suspect for mass murdering over 6,200+ inhabitants in Eden City between 2070-2095, and for the Emerald Mall bombing in 2094.
* **Liz Im** - Brutally murdering 80+ men between 2050-2055.
* **Minx**
* **Junior Lu**
* **Eunhyuk Kang** - Former owner of Pipeline Club, suspected of murdering and cannibalism in 2100.