Cyberpsychosis

What is Cyberpsychosis? Before we go further, we should define what cyberpsychosis is. While this is explicitly used in the Cyberpunk universe, Deus Ex and Shadowrun‘s versions of the condition have different pathways from initial onset to symptoms and, ultimately, death.

Cyberpsychosis is effective when a person’s cybernetic augmentation causes a breakdown of their sense of self, whether mentally, physically, or — in Shadowrun‘s case — spiritually and magically. Sometimes, it arises as typical mental illnesses: a growing sense of superiority to non-augmented humans or an increased detachment from reality. In others, it manifests in physical symptoms, not unlike organ rejection or chronic pain that can only be alleviated through some external means. Whatever the case, cyber psychosis is almost always terminal — and the only time it isn’t, the original person ceases to be.