Psych RP and You!

[Staff Team]

Psych RP is a fantastic avenue for character development and exploring stories for your character and those involved. However, scheduling, general pacing, dependency on a therapist, etc. can make psych RP stressful for both the character getting therapy and the character giving it. It is important to remember that the person you are talking to is also a player, with other stories, other patients to see, and most importantly they are not actual therapists.

This is your story we are here to help with, and we want to help where we can! Below we have collected some resources for you to use to help research and understand the mental health disorder you may want to have with your character. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please open a staff ticket; the staff would be happy to help!
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Local Psychologists and You!

The SAMS Psych Department has been the only main source of psychology care on the server for a while. To assist with any OOC confusion, we will be moving this to a local psychologist, similar to Dr. Zelig at Pillbox. Our local psychologist is located at the Harper Unit for Clinical Psychology, found right next to Zonah Hospital by the Rockford courthouse. There, you can meet with Dr. Ashley Calicom, who will be working with SAMS psychology to help us complete evaluations for psychiatric holds. If you want any sort of medication for your psychology needs or storytelling documentation (such as records or documentation from another hospital), a referral from Dr. Calicom can be sent to Pillbox Psychiatry to fulfill this need. She will also be able to uphold all confidentiality laws and send the appropriate notes to SAMS psych doctors who you may transfer to once one is available.

The main goal for Dr. Calicom (Dr. C) would be similar to what we have for Pillbox when there are no doctors or nurses around to assist. They would be filling the gap to allow you to continue the RP you want to do while there may not be a player able to assist. Dr. C would also be able to help us with documentation and storytelling needs, such as previous diagnosis paperwork or notes from another facility. You can open up a ticket to ask any questions you may have about how Dr. C would work, or to help facilitate RP you want with the local psychologist.

OOC/IC Bleed and Therapy Dependency

Many of those who RP out therapists have done research on techniques and skills that they will then either RP out or pass along via conversation. This research may make it seem like they are therapists OOC. Any RP done should be done for the character, and not for OOC needs. This would fall under OOC/IC bleed.

If you find that you are starting to become dependent OOC on meeting with your RP therapist IC, we ask that you stop the RP and take a look at the following resources: https://newdayrp.com/threads/mental-health-support-resources.5757/

Timeline for Psych RP​

Psych RP can be a great time, but it also can be very demanding and time-consuming for the Psych Doctor. At SAMS alone, Psych doctors are limited to 8 patients, and most doctors will take on an average of about 5 patients at a time. At the end of the day, we at SAMS leave that up to the players so they are more comfortable and are able to balance as they would like. We have very limited resources to accommodate the large population NewDay has.

Here is a small timeline of what Psych RP could look like

1. Referral: All Psych RP starts with either a referral from a 51-50 or SAMS staff at Pillbox Medical Center.
   
   1. Please refer to the 51-50 guide if that is how you find yourself in contact with Psych RP (found here)
   2. Referrals can be done by asking any medical personnel to place a referral. They will ask for your number, contact information, timezone, and some general information so we know how we can help you. Psych staff is then notified of the new referral.
2. Appointments: Once a referral is accepted and processed, the Psych Doctor will reach out to you IC via the phone number we received to schedule a time to meet. They may also attempt to reach out OOC.
   
   1. This part may take multiple weeks to get to based on the backlog we have of referrals and the current amount of patient to doctor ratio we have. We ask that you be patient and respectful of player's time.
   2. You are welcome to reach out to SAMS to check in about your referral after a week has passed, and we can update you on the status. We can also work with you OOC to have you work with local psychologists in the meantime and we can get you any medication that the local may prescribe. You can contact SAMS psych via a staff ticket or by saying you would like a referral for the Harper Unit as well so we know that is something you would like to do.
   3. Once the first appointment is completed, and intake has been done, you will either keep seeing the doctor that you first talked to, or you will be referred to another doctor who may better suit your needs. Based on your end goals and the content of the sessions, you may have many sessions or only a couple.
   4. Each psych doctor may do their sessions differently. Some may do theirs weekly or once a month. Some may do their sessions for 30 minutes or a full hour. This is up to the doctor player and how they balance their RP.
   5. You may only need a couple of sessions or only want to do check-ins and vent sessions. That is more than OK! We would ask that you make sure this is something that you make known to the psych doctor so they can make sure they can work with you, as well as the other patients they may have. If you think you may want to have your character be a longer-term patient for multiple months, please talk with the psych doctor OOC to make sure this pace is doable. It may also just happen organically.
   6. Psych Doctors may reach out OOC to check in with pacing or ensure topics are comfortable, as everyone has their own boundaries that need to be established. They may ask if their diagnosis is something you are comfortable with, or just check to see how things are going and what expectations there are from both sides. Server rules must always be followed regarding zero-tolerance or other Fail RP topics.

Wrapping up Psych RP: Due to the demand for psych doctors, we expect that any psych patient will at one point be able to be removed from a doctor's patient list. This means that an end goal should be established by the player in some way for their character. We have made a list of suggestions below if you would like some inspiration. Each story is unique, and if in their timeline they should be removed from care they may always restart the process via referral, etc.

Arc Suggestions​

As with all stories, psych roleplay should have an ending in mind. This way, we can ensure that our psych doctors can make progress and continue to provide care in character. A couple of suggestions include:

• The patient is cured, YIPEE
• The patient finds a way to manage their mental health and continues to manage it
  
  • Could open up to relapsing, but at the end of the day, would need to go back to managing
• The patient needs longer-term care and decides to get care out of state or with a local therapist with just medication handled at Pillbox
• The patient only needs medication and does not need to do therapy, but has the option to check in when needed.

At the end of the day, this is up to the player, but it is best to keep in mind the others in the story. Those playing psych doctors may not be available all the time, and our goal will always be to help the story of the character we are treating and see progress in their mental health.

Hostile RP and Psychology​

Criminal psychology and why people commit crimes is a fascinating area for our psych doctors and patients to explore. With legislation like the Involuntary Psych Hold, criminal psychology tends to be pretty active. One aspect of criminal psychology is looking into motivation and causes for hostilities. Motivation for participating in crime can come from various sources, and it is extremely important to do your research if you want the motivation to be mostly based on a mental health standpoint. It is important to understand that most individuals with severe mental health disorders like DID and schizophrenia are not violent. It is equally as important with any mental health condition to keep in mind that we need to be respectful to those who may have these conditions IRL.

We highly recommend reading over the Hostile RP Guide found here. We have also collected various sources of research for those wanting a starting point to learn more about mental health disorders.

 

[Staff Team]

Resources for Research​

General Websites
There are loads of resources for research on psychology that can be found through a simple web search. A couple of general websites you can begin looking at include:
American Psychological Association
Psychology - Theories, History, and More
Mental Health America
Rethink Mental Illness
About Mental Health

Have something specific in mind for your character? Here are some places you can start to learn more about more specific mental health issues:

• Anxiety & Anxiety Disorders (Phobias, Social Anxiety, GAD) have a very large spectrum of symptoms and how they may affect an individual. Not every anxiety case will look the same, and most times treatment and management is trial and error.
  
  • NIMH » Anxiety Disorders
  • Anxiety Disorders | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
  • Anxiety | NHS inform
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) continues to be the most RPed out mental health issue we most often see in criminal psychology and general psychology. Previously known as multiple personality disorder, this is the disorder most people think of when talking about alters or other personalities. It also can be mistaken for schizophrenia due to the potential hallucinations and delusions. This disorder manifests in the majority of patients during childhood and doesn’t come from traumatic brain injuries. It has various ways of managing symptoms, and for long-term care, you are likely to be referred to Dr. Calicom.
  
  • There are other forms of dissociative disorders, such as dissociative amnesia and derealization disorder. These are often seen during times of high stress and trauma and can be managed similarly to DID.
  • Dissociative Disorders | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
  • Psychiatry.org - What Are Dissociative Disorders?
  • All About Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is where a patient exhibits excessive thought patterns that compel them to do certain things. This is often where the stereotypical idea of someone being a perfectionist is classified as OCD. OCD is much more than being a perfectionist and is a chronic disorder that is often managed rather than treated.
  
  • About International OCD Foundation | All There Is To Know About OCD
  • NIMH » Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Obsessive-compulsive Disorder | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is another one of the disorders we see quite often, especially within government departments or those in high-violence storylines. This doesn’t mean those who are actively seeing violence or involved in violence are the only ones experiencing the symptoms that come with PTSD. There are also many types of PTSD, including Acute PTSD, usually where symptoms only last for a short time, and Complex PTSD, where someone has been exposed to trauma repeatedly.
  
  • National Center for PTSD
  • NIMH » Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Symptoms - Post-traumatic stress disorder - NHS
• Autism Spectrum is a disorder that has a wide range of symptoms, which may include other mental and developmental disorders. It is often complex and unique to the individual.
  
  • The Autism Experience
  • What is autism? - NHS
  • NIMH » Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also sometimes referred to as ADD, is often diagnosed in childhood and managed with coping skills and medication. Those diagnosed with ADHD may struggle with paying attention, impulse control, or overactivity.
  
  • ADDitude
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - Symptoms - NHS
  • NIMH » Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• Bipolar 1 and 2 are two separate diagnoses involving extreme mood swings and depend on the sort of moods that may occur during an episode. Medication and specialized therapy are the most common treatments for bipolar disorder.
  
  • International Bipolar Foundation
  • What is Bipolar Disorder? | SAMHSA
  • Psychiatry.org - What Are Bipolar Disorders?
• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD, which can also be abbreviated for Bipolar) is a mental disorder that gravely impacts a person's ability to regulate their emotions. This can lead to impulsivity and periods of “manic” or “mania” with the opposite being periods of depression. This can affect a person’s view of themselves and affect their relationships with other people:
  
  • NIMH » Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Borderline Personality Disorder: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
  • What is borderline personality disorder (BPD)? - Mind
• Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that may cause delusions and/or hallucinations which can cause an individual to interpret reality abnormally, which is often distressing.
  
  • Schizophrenia
  • NIMH » Schizophrenia
  • Overview - Schizophrenia - NHS
• Gender Dysphoria is a psychological distress associated with those who are not cisgender. We want to offer roleplay to anyone exploring this roleplay. A guide has been written regarding trans care (which includes nonbinary genders) and how that roleplay works in tandem with SAMS;
  
  • NewDay Transcare
  • Gender dysphoria - NHS
  • Psychiatry.org - What is Gender Dysphoria?
  • If you wish to transition your character’s gender identity, this can be done! We ask you to create a ticket and ask to talk to SAMS Command and/or Psych on how to speed up the process. Staff will also be able to help answer any questions you may have about PED changes, ID changes, and so on.
  • We will never force anyone to go through the length of gender reassignment if you are not comfortable with it OOC. We are here to facilitate the story you want to tell.