The Slack

The Slack is a mental illness that is caused by prolonged, extended, repeated exposure to music. Slackened individuals have had a general loosening of their emotions to the point where they cannot easily control their responses to them in a manner that interferes with their life and causes significant distress.

Symptoms

Diagnosis requires at least 3 distinct episodes of the following...

• Uncontrolled Weeping
• Fits of Rage
• Panic Attacks
• Inappropriate Laughter

Each episode must interfere with typical functioning in a social setting or cause the patient distress. Episodes must occur over at least a three month period.

Treatment

Treatment for the slackened is very challenging as tradition harp melodies will only exacerbate the condition. There is no known cure for the Slack at this time. Many proposed herbal remedies have been attempted without a clear effect on the condition.

Prognosis

The Slack is progressive and chronic at this time. At advanced stages, patients will quickly cycle through various emotions without a clear stimulus from the external world. Most of these patients require continued supervision and round the clock care.

Prevention

Prevention of the Slack is paramount. Appropriate limits for music usage and performance have been established and are enforced when possible by the Dyna. Individual compliance with guidelines is the single best method for avoiding the Slack.

Type

Mental

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon

Cause

For ages past, it has been recognized that there is eventual wear and tear on musicians from performing repeatedly. In fact, musicians that were more prolific tended to deteriorate more rapidly than their counterparts.
Eventually, healers determined that this was due to the effect of frequent magical vibrations on the limbic system of the brain which led to a general decrease in the amount of neurotransmitter required for a particular neuron to fire. This leads to a general loosening of the triggers required for extreme emotional responses.
Although many alternative explanations exist in the lay community, this change in the neurons of the brain leads to the condition called the Slack. It appears that there is some predisposition, however as not everybody is susceptible to the Slack.