Mana Deficiency

The doctor grabbed a cup by the hospital room sink, filling it up with water. "Imagine your body is like a paper cup." He murmured, "and the cup is full of water: your mana."
He showed it to the patient, and they watched, confused.
"If I take this pen," He clicked it open. "And poke some holes at the top to empty some of it out, the cup can't hold as much water, see? And...That's what's happening right now in your body." After a pause, he continued. "You've been diagnosed with Mana Deficiency."

Brief

A condition one can be born with or acquire at any point in their life, Mana Deficiency causes the affected being to struggle to store and call on the mana within their bodies. This is especially taxing on species with lower mana levels such as Humans and some often turn to Magic Enhancing Items to return to their base level of magic usage and regain a semblance of their life prior to obtaining the Mana Deficiency.

Transmission & Vectors

Mana Deficiency cannot be transmitted from person to person in any way. The only ways this ailment occurs is as a side effect from various diseases effects on the system, such as Mana Poisoning, or congenitally from birth.

Symptoms

Common Symptoms

• Extreme fatigue, especially after using magic
• Weakness
• Pale skin
• Headache, dizziness or light-headedness
• Poor appetite
• Muscle spasms
• Pain before/after using magic

Uncommon Symptoms

• Hair loss
• Chest pain, fast heartbeat or shortness of breath
• Short-term memory loss
• Dementia
• Depression
• Cold hands and feet
• Loss of control, or full loss of magic use

A symptom, or a Side Effect?

Some symptoms are more common than others, and not every being will experience Mana Deficiency the same way. While considered uncommon as a symptom of the deficiency, depression is often something that people suffering from this aliment deal with due to the stigma, pain, and lack of support they may receive. There are often support groups running for people suffering from Mana Deficiency, aiming to make a network of people to lean on and ask for help if needed.

Prognosis

Life with Mana Deficiency

Just because you have Mana Deficiency doesn't mean your life is over! It's just an extra hurdle in the race that is your life! Science as well as Magic Theory has come so far in the past few years and there are many methods to help you adapt to your new normal. Ask your physician for a Mana Deficiency and You Pamphlet!

The disease is not fatal on its own, but if a being that relies on a lot of magic (such as Pixies) it can cause complications that may endanger their life. Mana Deficiency has never outright killed a being; symptoms, and side-effects are often the problem.

Cultural Reception

Stigmas

There is heavy stigma surrounding this condition, especially in communities with beings that are usually heavily involved with magic within their culture. This ailment can cause rifts in communities and families, especially Dragons. To deal with this, species affected with Mana Deficiency often use more covert M.E.I.s to make their condition not as obvious. This is commonly done via earrings, or other small accessories.

Congenital VS Acquired

Congenital

If a family member is born with Mana Deficiency it can be easier to accept for some compared to when it is acquired suddenly. This gives family members time to cope and understand that their loved one will not have the typical abilities that their species usually has, and they can plan for treatment and aids. Things can still go sour, as not everyone can take the news well.

Acquired

Sometimes aliments simply....Happen. While surprising, it is not uncommon for someone to gain a Mana Deficiency. This can cause problems for the affected and those around them, as parents and loved ones may try to forcibly change them or hold more mana than they can. When it inevitably doesn't work, some parents even abandon or disown 'deficient' children.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Common