Videogame Psychosis

A dissociative break where the logic, rules, and perceptual framework of a video game become the operating model for reality. The individual may perceive life through a HUD (Heads-Up Display), believe they possess "save points" or extra lives, interpret social interactions as quest dialogues with binary choices, or view people as NPCs (Non-Player Characters) with limited utility. This is an extreme absorption of the gamified lens, often fueled by excessive immersion in immersive sims, VR, or augmented reality games, leading to a loss of the fundamental boundary between simulated and consensual reality.

Example: A person deep in a Elder Scrolls VR marathon begins to believe they can "quick save" before risky real-world actions. They attempt a dangerous stunt, genuinely believing they can reload. They start "level-grinding" by performing repetitive tasks to "increase stats," and talk to strangers using stilted, menu-based dialogue they think will unlock "quests." This is videogame psychosis: the architecture of the game has overwritten their understanding of physics, social interaction, and mortality.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026

Political Psychosis

A break from shared reality centered on political ideology, where conspiracy theories and partisan narratives form a completely self-referential, airtight delusional system. It is characterized by the belief that one is a central actor in a grand historical struggle, that political opponents are literal demons or subhuman agents of evil, and that all contradictory information is proof of the conspiracy's depth. This psychosis often manifests as messianic or persecutory delusions woven from news fragments, online propaganda, and the mythos of a political movement, severing the individual from any common epistemic ground.

Example: A person becomes convinced they are a "digital soldier" for a political leader. They believe mainstream news anchors send them coded signals through eye blinks, that their neighbor's lawn sign is a threat against their family, and that they must stockpile weapons for an impending "Storm." They lose their job for ranting about these beliefs at work. This is political psychosis: their grasp on reality has been hijacked by an ideological narrative, transforming the world into a personalized, paranoid political thriller where they are the protagonist.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026

Legal Psychosis

A psychotic state triggered by protracted, overwhelming involvement with the legal system, where the individual's mind fractures under the absurdity, ambiguity, and oppressive power of the law. It manifests as delusions of grand legal significance (e.g., believing one has discovered a secret clause that nullifies all law), persecutory beliefs about every legal professional being part of a unified cartel, or a catatonic withdrawal from society for fear of any action being deemed criminal. The law's Byzantine nature becomes a hall of mirrors from which the mind cannot escape.

Example: A pro se litigant, after years of losing a complex civil case, begins filing incoherent motions written in a self-invented legal language. They believe the judge is using "psychotronic waves" to influence the jury, and that they must "file a writ of habeus corpus against the state's fictional persona." They stand on street corners "serving process" to passing cars. This is legal psychosis: the system's gaslighting complexity and raw power have broken their ability to distinguish legal procedure from reality, consuming their mind in a feedback loop of legalistic paranoia.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026

Economic Psychosis

A delusional disorder born from the extreme pressures and inherent absurdities of late-stage capitalism and financial precarity. It can take two forms: 1) The Grindset Psychosis of the aspiring billionaire who believes they are just "one hack" away from limitless wealth, acting with ruthless, delusional grandeur. 2) The Precarity Psychosis of the impoverished person who internalizes their condition as a cosmic judgement, developing complex superstitions around money, or believing they are trapped in a literal debtors' prison constructed by invisible financial entities. Both reflect a break with the shared reality of economic life.

Example: A crypto-obsessed influencer, deep in debt, begins livestreaming from their car, claiming they are "intentionally manifesting bankruptcy to trigger the quantum wealth singularity." They believe numbers on screens are direct messages from the "market gods," and that by sacrificing sleep, they are "hacking time itself." This is economic psychosis: the magical thinking required to survive (or believe you can win) in a volatile, predatory economic system has metastasized into a full-blown financial messiah complex.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026

Scientific Psychosis

A rare psychotic break where the language, concepts, and authority of science become the fabric of a delusional system. The individual may believe they have single-handedly solved a grand unified theory, that they are receiving transmissions from a future scientific utopia, or that they are being persecuted by "the establishment" for their revolutionary discoveries. Their speech is a garbled pastiche of technical jargon, and their grandiosity is rooted in a distorted vision of scientific progress. It is the pathological end-state of scientism, where the mantle of science replaces the self.

Example: A failed PhD candidate becomes convinced they have derived a "Theory of Conscious Quantum Gravity" from interpreting the static on AM radio. They write hundreds of pages of equations mixing real terms with invented ones, and believe the CIA is monitoring them to steal the "truth." They stand outside university physics departments, yelling about "suppressed eigenfunctions." This is scientific psychosis: their identity and sanity have been consumed by a desperate, fractured narrative of scientific heroism and persecution.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026

Anti-Pseudoscience Psychosis

A paranoid and grandiose state developing in individuals deeply embedded in militant "skeptic" or anti-pseudoscience communities. They develop a persecutory delusion that they are on the front lines of a literal war against "the forces of unreason," seeing pseudoscience proponents not as mistaken, but as evil, conscious agents of a reality-distorting conspiracy. This can escalate to beliefs that they are being targeted by psychic attacks from "woo-practitioners" or that they must take extreme, "rational" measures (like attempting to "de-program" family members) that destroy their social world. Their identity as a defender of science becomes a totalizing, psychotic crusade.

Example: A moderator of a large anti-pseudoscience forum begins doxxing alternative health practitioners, believing they are "biochemical terrorists." They install EM-shielding in their home to block "homeopathic frequencies" they believe are targeting them. They cut off their sister for seeing a chiropractor, claiming she's been "infected by memetic pathogens." This is anti-pseudoscience psychosis: the ideological framework of combating falsehood has morphed into a schizoid reality where pseudoscience is an animate, malicious enemy requiring vigilante action.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026

Mass Media Psychosis

A psychotic break in which the curated reality of mass media—its narratives, characters, and symbolic events—completely replaces lived experience. The individual may believe they are living inside a news broadcast, that they are a celebrity or a wanted criminal from a TV show, or that world events are part of a scripted drama with them as a key, hidden player. This often involves the literalization of media metaphors (e.g., believing "the war on terror" is a physical war happening on their street). It represents a final dissolution of the boundary between the mediated spectacle and the mind.

Example: An individual, isolated and watching reality TV non-stop, begins to believe their apartment is a hidden camera show. They narrate their actions for an imagined audience, interpret mail delivery as "plot twists" from producers, and confront neighbors believing they are "fellow contestants." They call news stations to report on events in their home as "breaking news." This is mass media psychosis: the performative, narrative-driven world of television has become their only operational reality, erasing any sense of a private, unobserved self.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026