Old World Blues
A condition the primarily affects Vault Dwellers and Pre-War Intelligent Ghouls, or those prone to psychotic episodes, Old World Blues (OWB) is a term for a specific type of delusion in which the individual excessively yearns for and even at times, outright pretends or believes that the Pre-War world is alive and well.
It is believed that this condition stems from a schizoid disorder, such as schizophrenia.
It can manifest itself at any age, in all genders, and it often targets individuals with experience regarding the Pre-War world. However, cases of OWB have been noted in born and raised Wastelanders.
Transmission & Vectors
This illness has no known method of infection and is considered a non-communicable disease.
Causes
The cause of Old World Blues is ultimately unknown, but certain wasteland doctors have noted a correlation with the onset of OWB and other mental illnesses. Curie, in The Commonwealth Wasteland, in particular, has hypothesized that OWB is actually subtype of schizophrenia. Unfortunate, the machines needed to further research this condition are no longer available for use.
Symptoms
- Delusions specifically related to the Pre-War world.
- Lack of response to threats
- Mood swings
- Hallucinations, both auditory and visual
Treatment
Treatments for this disorder are very rare, and effective treatments even less so. Most patients are simply considered "crazy" and cared for by loved ones as the best they can.
Doctors in the NCR and the Followers of the Apocalypse have had some limited success in using the drug Steady as an anti-depressant for Pre-War Ghouls and Vault Dwellers afflicted with the condition, but nothing conclusive.
Curie in The Commonwealth Wasteland has hypothesized that anti-psychotic medication might prove effective in treating the condition, but as of 2289, no effective anti-psychotic drugs have been (re)discovered.
Prognosis
The prognosis for an individual with Old World Blues can be very long, depending on their living situation. There are cases of Vault Dwellers and the rare afflicted Wastelander living out long and healthy lives being cared for by family or another community members. However, the prognosis for individuals in unsupportive living conditions, or living by themselves, the prognosis can be very grim as the delusions involved with OWB often prevent an afflicted individual from properly determining threats to themselves.
Sequela
There is a noted co-morbidity with other mental illnesses such as severe depression and schizoid disorders.
Affected Groups
Genetic predisposition
Pre-War Ghouls with preexisting mental disorders
Vault Dwellers
Prevention
There no known official preventative measures for Old World Blues, but it is a common belief that raising your child to accept the world as it is, and not retelling tall tales of the Old World will minimize the risk. However, there is no research supporting or disproving this practice.
Epidemiology
As a non-communicable disorder, Old World Blues does not move through the population.
History
The first recorded cases of Old World Blues occured in the NCR and surrounding areas serviced by the Followers of the Apocalypse. At the time, the majority of people with this disorder were Pre-War Ghouls who already had an existing mental illness, but soon the Followers discovered cases of Old World Blues in vault dwellers, especially ones from control vaults or the rare experimental vault that did not fail. The Followers did not start seeing cases of OWB in Wastelanders until mixed communities of Ghouls, both Pre-War and Post-War, and humans started to appear. However, the Followers could not prove a link between Ghouls and the disorder, since there was a similar phenomenon occuring when Vault Dwellers began to mix with existing Wasteland communities.
Cases of Old World Blues do exist in other areas of the Former United States, however the name has only recently reached places such as The Capitol and Commonwealth Wastelands.
Cultural Reception
The reception regarding patients with Old World Blues varies widely form area to area. Sections of the Brotherhood of Steel will view them with disdain, seeing the disorder as a mark of dishonor. People in the NCR will often care for thier loved ones to the best of their ability, eventually learning to work around the patient's delusions to take care of them.
Outside the NCR, the cases are rarer, and near non-existent in the tribes of people who do not actively seek out Pre-War ruins and installations to live in or explore. Cases of Old World Blues have been seen in the Capitol Wasteland, and the individuals have been cared for by their family, albeit often reluctantly.
There are no known cases of Old World Blues in the Commonwealth Wasteland.
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