| From: | Loki <daddyjim@**********.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: cyberware and it's effects on the psyche and body [LONG] |
| Date: | Thu, 10 Jul 1997 16:17:25 -0700 |
> >
> > OK,
> >
> > so what's the best way role play a sammie with .6 essence?
> >
> > what sorts of effects on him can realistically be expected?
> >
> > What long-term effects does this have on a body and psyche?
Here's something from a document on my web page that may help:
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
Cyberpsychosis: A Synopsis of the Disorder
Sumaro Takahara, M.D. Fuchi Industrial Systems, Inc.
Constantin Sergey'ich Tomorov, M.D. Moscow State University, CIS
R. Alexander Carrington, Ph.D. Cornell University, UCAS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTRODUCTION:
One of the most onerous of public myths is the frequency of
"cyberpsychosis" and its impact on modern society. An explosion of
research has been undertaken in the last five years, both with
corporate and federal funding, in order to quantify, examine, and
treat this illness. This article is submitted in order to summarize
the most recent findings and to provide the mental health practitioner
a set of treatment options from which to choose.
SYMPTOMATOLOGY:
According to the DSM-IX-R, cyberpsychosis "is an undefined
schizoid-like disorder caused by either invasive surgery, the
implantation of cyberware, or a combination of these two events".
Cyberpsychosis, like all psychoses, manifests as the following
symptoms: sensory hallucinations, delusional thinking (especially
delusion of persecution and other paranoia complexes), tangential
thought patterns, and/or disrupted physiological patterns, such as
eating and sleeping.
Diagnosis of cyberpsychosis is a difficult task, and most likely
happens more frequently than the incidence of the disorder actually
merits. The psychotic behavior is usually noticed quickly by the
clinician, and after learning the patient has had cyberware implanted,
he or she makes what appears to be the appropriate diagnosis. However,
this does not discount the possibility of drug- or chip-addicted
schizoid behavior, or the possibility that the behavior might have a
pre-surgical cause (such as a traumatic event or a genetic
predisposition to psychotic illness).
Also seen frequently are violent outbursts, possibly due to
neurological degradation caused by the cyberware. This is the most
common reason these patients come to be in the care of professionals
in the first place.
Clinicians are, therefore, urged to obtain a detailed background of
their patients, run a full series of blood and neurological tests, and
rule out other psychoses before giving the cyberpsychosis diagnosis.
Also suggested are a standard set of projective psychological tests to
determine the level of dysfunction in the patient.
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
Although we know that cyberpsychosis is a version of schizophrenia
caused by the implantation of cyberware, we are far from knowing the
actual mechanisms involved in creating the mental disorder. Several
theories have been put forth, each with their merits. A brief
discussion on some of these theories is necessary before we can look
at the treatment options.
Infection:
It has been postulated that cyberpsychosis is actually the behavioral
manifestation of a physiological infection. Much research has been
done on this point, with emphasis being placed on bacterial infection
of subcortical and limbic structures in the central nervous system.
However, this theory has three important limitations: first, it does
not account for cyberpsychosis caused solely by "bodyware" (e.g.,
muscle augmentation, dermal armor, and such), which is generally
implanted with only minimal connections to the central nervous system,
if any; second, similar effects are not noticed with the implantation
of bioware; and third, treatment regimens of antibiotics have been
largely ineffective.
Metal Poisoning:
Similar to theories regarding Alzheimer's Disease, some researchers
believe that cyberpsychosis is caused by metal ions in the central
nervous system disrupting activity in the cerebral cortex. Though this
explanation is attractive in that it offers a potential easy cure for
the afflicted, it must be discounted. The metals used in cyberware are
inert, and do not form biological hazards when exposed to the
environment inside a cranium.
An interesting, though little examined, point along these lines should
be considered: although the physical properties of the cyberware might
be safe, what of the nanites used in cyberware construction? These
machines are supposed to be flushed from the body with other wastes,
but what if they aren't? Little research has been done with this
concept in mind.
Neurotransmitter Imbalance:
Currently the most popular explanation of cyberpsychosis, this
explanation has a good deal of evidence to support it. Blood levels of
those suffering from cyberpsychosis indicate much higher levels of the
neurotransmitter dopamine than in other people. This same phenomenon
also can indicate schizophrenia, though. Cyberpsychotics also have a
much greater incidence of abnormal EEG wave patterns, especially alpha
and theta complexes.
Cyberware implanted in the frontal and parietal lobes, and any of
their associated subcortical structures, can be implicated in damage
to dopaminergic neurons. Histologic and immunoassay studies have
demonstrated that these nerve pathways are disrupted by the presence
of cyberware in both central and peripheral nervous systems.
Complicating the matter is the brain's inability to reverse the
changes wrought by cyberware implantation, even after that cyberware
is removed.
TREATMENT OPTIONS:
The most frequest method for treating cyberpsychosis is removal of the
cyberware in conjunction with the administration of antipsychotic
medication (haloperidol or chlorpromazine). The removal of the
cyberware is usually academic as far as the mental illness is
concerned; the damage has already been done. More appropriately, the
cyberware is removed to prevent the patient from injuring the staff
during treatment. It can be assumed that most orderlies and nurses
would object to having to restrain a man with two cyberarms,
especially if one held a weapon.
After the cyberware is removed, the disorder appears more like
schizophrenia than anything else. The antipsychotic medication trial
can help restore the patient to a functional level, but a return to
pre-morbid functioning is impossible.
Another frequent treatment method is psychological therapy, though
treatment results are generally poor. Psychotherapy indicates an
ability to examine ones motives in an introspective manner, something
that psychotic patients have rarely, if ever, been capable of doing.
CONCLUSION:
Cyberpsychosis can best be understood as an artifically induced form
of schizophrenia. It appears to be caused by implantation of
cyberware, though the exact physiological mechanism as yet remains
undetermined. Research points towards a disruption in the nerve
pathways that use dopamine as the neurotransmitter. Treatment methods
are more to alleviate psychotic symptoms rather than cure the
disorder. Prognosis for a patient with this diagnosis is poor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sumaro Takahara is a neurosurgeon in the employ of Fuchi Industrial
Systems, Inc. His specialty is in cyberware implantation and function,
and he has pioneered many of the more innovative techniques in the
field.
Constantin Tomorov is a psychiatrist currently teaching at Moscow
State University. His research background includes psychotic behavior
in cybernetically-enhanced chimpanzees, as well as treatment of
chip-addicted patients.
Alexander Carrington is a neuropsychologist and chairman of the
psychology department of Cornell University. His research focuses on
the cognitive function of cybernetically-enhanced people, and how that
function changes over time.
===
@>--,--'--- Loki
Poisoned Elves: www.primenet.com/~gamemstr/
"You're being held up by a stim patch, Loki's almost a pile of ashes
thanks to that fire elemental, and we've got the Baron running around
screaming assassins...assassins...oh eek, assassins!"
--> Caric to Ook during the Harlequin Campaign
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