Hatter's Disease / Tea Madness
We're all a little mad here, so why not enjoy the InsaniTea!
Transmission & Vectors
Hatter's Disease is not contagious and a subject suffering from this condition cannot pass it onto another being.
Causes
This disease is caused by brain damage due to an overdose of magically-brewed Mood Tea, a socially-acceptable drug designed to artificially alter a person's mood to some degree. While this Tea is not dangerous in small quantities, ingesting too much of it can cause Hatter's Disease. It is advised that an individual does not have Tea every day and should not take stronger Teas more than once a week, to prevent dependence and addiction, which can often lead to Hatter's Disease. This only applies to those with the wrong type of innate magic, however. Those with the magic to prevent contraction of this disease, such as the Fae and certain Witches, are free to consume as much Tea as desired without succumbing to this illness.
The strength of the Tea has also been shown to have an impact on the likelihood of contracting Hatter's Disease. Jolt Teas, for example, are the least likely to cause the disease and are often safe to consume more than once per day, every day. Extremely strong Teas, such as the Knockout Knutmeg or the All-Day Breakfast Tea, are very risky to take as they manipulate the emotions and magic of a person more.
Symptoms
The earliest known symptom is often dissociation, with the affected experiencing depersonalisation and feeling disconnected from reality. The next symptoms to emerge are typically feelings of depression and anxiety, affected individuals often reporting that they felt as though a black cloud was following them at times. Mood swings come next, the affected having a progressively harder time controlling their emotions and experiencing emotional changes at the drop of a hat, sometimes literally.
As the disease progresses into the mid-stage, impulsive behaviour sets in as the mood swings increase in frequency and strength. Delusional thinking abounds, this stage of the disease often reminiscent of untreated bipolar disorder or BPD. Next come occasional tremors in the extremities, known as the shakes. Toward the end of the mid-stage, some of the affected begin to experience auditory and/or visual hallucinations as well.
In the late stages, everything increases to an uncontrollable level as their mood swings grow exponentially and their sense of reality is completely lost. This is known as Tea Madness. The affected individuals have no way to regulate their emotions and no impulse control. If they get angry at something, they make sure everyone knows about it, often by lashing out at the source of their anger. Whenever they are sad, they cry for hours until their emotions are changed. It's in everyone's best interest to make sure they are kept as calm and happy as possible.
If the Tea Maddened continue to consume Tea, they can experience even more serious permanent brain damage.
Treatment
Those in the early-stages can undergo magical healing rituals, combined with mundane medicines, in order to cure themselves of the disease. The price depends on where the individual seeks treatment but is most expensive in America, and cheapest in countries like the UK with free health care.
For those in the mid-stages of the disease, treatment is longer- and sometimes more expensive- often requiring weeks, even months, of healing for the affected to recuperate. The rituals involved can be time-consuming and both physically and magically draining for those involved. Unfortunately, treatment at this stage is unlikely to be completely successful, leaving the affected with mental health issues, such as bipolar disorder and extreme ADHD, physical problems like the shakes, and sometimes even magical consequences, such as being unable to perform longer or more powerful spells.
Hatter's Disease is incurable in the late-stage Madness, but symptoms can be managed to a degree with antipsychotic drugs and various mood stabilisers.
Prognosis
In the early stages, recovery is likely if the affected does not consume any more Tea and seeks treatment as soon as possibly. The mid-stage makes treatment more difficult, but it is possible to recover. Those with Tea Madness do not recover completely and if they continue to consume Tea, they can drink themselves into a coma or even to brain death.
Sequela
Those who are cured in the mid-stage of this disease often experience mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, BPD, ADHD, and even schizophrenia are common conditions resulting from complications of Hatter's Disease.
Affected Groups
Those with a genetic predisposition toward Tea addiction are more likely to consume the amount of Tea required to cause Hatter's Disease, along with those who are actually addicted to Tea.
Prevention
To avoid Hatter's Disease, those with less innate magic, such as Humans, should consume no more than 2 weak Teas per week or no more than 1 strong Tea per week. For those with more innate magic, 3 weak Teas and 1 strong Tea, 2 weak Teas and 2 strong Teas, or 3 strong Teas per week are the recommended limit. However, this is highly dependent on the individual and the species, some are able to take Tea every other day for a year and not show symptoms of the disease, whilst others showed signs of entering the early stages after only 10 doses of extremely weak Tea.
To prevent a relapse, those who were cured of the disease should avoid consuming any kind of Mood Tea again.
Cultural Reception
Those who show obvious signs of Hatter's Disease are met with caution and fear, often being ostracised from the general population. Though there is some truth to those with the late-stage Madness being dangerous, the affected are never normally violent until that point and are, in fact, less violent than the general population.
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