Self-induced hypnosis

All people have the power of imagination. Sometimes, it is so strong that the person's brain is able to deceive itself, projecting the delusions onto the world around. Such disorder is called, in a rather straightforward fashion, the self-induced hypnosis.

Causes

There is yet no consensus about what causes this condition to develop. From the sight of it, the probability of developing self-induced hypnosis seems to depend entirely on the individual's power of the imagination. As such, it is usually manifested in young age. However, in the past few centuries, the high elves' theory has been steadily gaining more support among other races as well. According to it, continued exposure to high levels of arcane energy increases the chances of developing the disorder.

Symptoms

The only direct symptom of the self-induced hypnosis is visually and physically perceiving things that exist only in one's imagination. However, those affected by it often suffer from stress, depressions and paranoia. It is unclear whether those symptoms are caused by imagining and thus seeing too many bad things, the condition causing it or both.

Prognosis

Many children manage to recover from the condition as they grow up and their imagination stops running wild as often. However, most of them still suffer from episodic recurrences, proving it to be a remission rather than complete recovery. Unlike children, those who first manifest the disorder at adult age rarely go into remission.

Cultural Reception

In most cultures, victims of the self-induced hypnosis are avoided to a different degree if not exiled. Common people are naturally wary and fearful of those affected by the condition. Due to their unpredictable nature, people with self-induced hypnosis are rarely accepted into any positions of power including the army, and teaching them magic is an untold taboo. Individuals are often rejected at even the simplest jobs and picked on by others, especially children, which does not help their mental state as well.

Type

Mental

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare