Dysthymia, PTSD, and Paranoia

 This blog will be a quick recap of the research undertaken for the final three creatures developed for this project.

DYSTHYMIA

SYMPTOMS

-A consistent low mood that lasts more than two years in adults or one year in children and adolescents

-a chronic depletion of energy

- Insomnia or excessive sleeping (hyposomnia) both conditions are persistent not isolated events

-feelings of worthlessness or guilt

-negative feelings toward the future, nothing will change etc

-loss of appetite or over-eating

STIGMATIC PERCEPTIONS

-often misunderstood as being "in a bad mood" or "feeling sad" with no recognition of its chronic, debilitating nature, simplified with solutions of "just cheer up" or "snap out of it"

-perceived as lazy or unmotivated and labelled as weak-willed or unmotivated, this can lead to feelings of shame and inadequacy in individuals

-often misunderstood as 'overreacting' to normal life stress, with condition brushed off as laziness or avoidance

-self-pitying or attention-seeking behaviour

-the mental fatigue that impedes cognitive function can often be misinterpreted as indecisiveness

-exaggerated pessimism or a "negative attitude" when the core symptom is not understood

-eating issues often seen incorrectly as a lack of self-control or "just a phase"

CAUSES

Genetic factors - Family history plays a significant role in the development of Dysthymia, with studies suggesting a genetic predisposition to mood disorders. Individuals with a blood relative who has suffered from depression are more likely to develop Dysthymia.

Brain chemistry or hormonal imbalance - Imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin or hormones such as cortisol can contribute to mood disorders, including Dysthymia.

Chronic stress - Long term stress, whether from trauma, work, or personal relationships, can contribute to the onset or maintenance of Dysthymia.

Childhood trauma or loss - Early adverse experiences, such as abuse, neglect, or loss can increase the risk of developing Dysthymia later in life.

Personality traits - Certain personality traits, such as being overly self-critical or having a tendency toward pessimism may predispose individuals to develop Dysthymia.

The stigma around Dysthymia often minimizes its impact, reducing it to mere sadness or laziness. The symptoms and causes of the disorder are complex and rooted in biological, psychological, and environmental factors that contribute to the ongoing emotional burden. These stigmas can prevent people from seeking help or receiving the empathy they need, reinforcing isolation that often accompanies the condition.

In keeping with using anatomy and behaviours of real-world animals that can be seen as representative of the symptoms and causes of the disorder I initially looked at whale features with smooth, flowing lines to mimic the quiet, constant presence of depression as well as symbolizing the weight of the disorder, slow-moving and ever-present as well as aquatic creatures being a design feature for all disorders in the mood disorder field of cognitive disorders according to the DSM-5, with rumination being a key feature of dysthymia sufferers I thought it would be an eloquent addition to include elephant features due to our own understandings of elephants never forgetting which lead to a discovery of the Hindu mythological creature known as a Makara.

I also began looking at other animals that could influence the design in a similar manner;

1.Tortoise

Tortoises are often associated with slowness and stability, but they also carry the weight of their shell, which could mirror the burden of carrying depressive thoughts. Mechanically this could be an armour-like feature on the back of the creature, symbolizing the internalised weight of unrelenting sadness. The shell could be rough or cracked, suggesting emotional decay, similar to how rumination wears down a person over time. It could also carry markings, like scars or grooves, showing the creatures long worn path of memory.

2.Sloth

Sloths are known for their slow, lethargic movements which could be a representation of the chronic fatigue dysthymia sufferers live with. The creature could have long, drooping limbs or claws that drag slightly as it moves which would suggest a lack of energy or a constant struggle to remain engaged with the environment, a visual metaphor for the heavy toll that depression takes on one's energy levels.

3.Mole/bat

So these creatures have been looked at predominantly for their poor eyesight, this in my mind can have multiple ways to represent how those with dysthymia can feel disconnected or detached from the world around them but also how the psychological term of confirmation bias is applied to the snowballing way dysthymia disorder can take an individual's feelings hopelessness to catastrophizing everything. Confirmation bias is the human tendency to only seek out information that supports one position or idea, within mood disorder sufferers this can have a significant impact as the naturally exhibited bias towards negative information that occurs within depression leads individuals to selectively attend to, recall, and interpret events in a way that supports their negative self-perception and expectations. This can create a self-reinforcing cycle, where negative belies are strengthened by a biased processing of information, perpetuating and worsening depressive symptoms. Whilst bats and moles are used here as an animal example alternatives could also be blind eyes or an entire lack of eyes which can often make creatures look even more horrific due to the lack of ordinary features and an understanding of the 'uncanny valley' where the less human something looks the less we can sympathise with it, plus vision is our primary sense and we are acutely aware of how sensitive they are.

PTSD

SYMPTOMS

-intrusive memories and flashbacks where the individual relives the traumatic event as though it is happening again. This can also include unwanted memories or distressing dreams.

-avoidance behaviour, certain places, people, or situations may be avoided by the individual isolating themselves to refrain from making contact with the triggers that can bring on painful memories

-hyperarousal which refers to being constantly on edge or easily startled

-difficulty relaxing, feeling jumpy, or excessively alert to threats even when there is no immediate danger

-negative mood and cognitions as PTSD can lead to feelings of hopelessness, detachment from others, and an inability to feel positive emotions

distorted view of the world, feeling unsafe or disconnected

-difficulty sleeping or insomnia due to nightmares, anxiety, or physiological symptoms such as increased heart rate

STIGMATIC PERCEPTIONS

-sometimes viewed as a form of weakness or a sign of being unable to "move on" from the past

-assumption that those with PTSD are exaggerating or unable to cope even though the symptoms are involuntary

-avoidance is often misunderstood as anti-social behaviour or a lack of resilience when in fact its a coping mechanism

-shutting people out or not participating

-perceived as overly sensitive or paranoid

-misinterpreted as being "too emotional" or "on edge"

-the hypervigilance can be seen as irrational even though it is a natural survival response to past trauma

-often perceived as cynical, negative, and difficult to be around when it is the profound emotional toll that trauma has on the brain

CAUSES

Exposure to trauma - PTSD is caused by exposure to life-threatening or deeply distressing events, such as military combat, abuse, accidents, or natural disasters. This trauma may be sudden and shocking or long-term and chronic

Biological factors - genetic factors and brain structure changes such as alterations in the hippocampus or amygdala can make some individuals more susceptible to PTSD, with the hippocampus playing a key role in memory formation as well as recall of past events and the amygdala being the central structure in processing emotions particularly fear and anxiety. A prominent theory suggests that PTSD involves a dysfunctional interaction between the hippocampus and the amygdala leading to overgeneralization of threats and difficulty differentiating safe vs. dangerous situations.

Childhood experiences and developmental trauma - Individuals who experience trauma in childhood may be more vulnerable to developing PTSD later in life as their brains are still developing and are more sensitive to stress.

Lack of social support - Not having a supportive network after a traumatic even can increase the likelihood of developing PTSD. Social isolation or being surrounded by people who invalidate the trauma can delay healing.

Previous mental health conditions - Individuals with a history of mental health issues such as anxiety or depression are at a higher risk of developing PTSD following trauma. Pre-existing vulnerabilities may make the impact of trauma more severe.

The PTSD creature could embody traits of hypervigilance, erratic movement, physical scars and defensive postures. It's behaviours and anatomy should be come from animals that reflect the emotional toll of PTSD, showing the internal conflict of being unable to escape from past trauma while constantly preparing for potential danger.

REAL WORLD ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR/ANATOMY FOR REPRESENTATION

1.Echidna/Hedgehog/Armadillo

Animals that are known for maneuvering into defensive positions by curling into a ball with defensive anatomy on the outside of said spherical form whether that be poisonous barbs, spines, or armoured plates. Echidnas are also known to survive wildfires and extreme heat by hibernating and lowering their body temperatures. However, looking at salamanders and their unique colouration and scales could be an interesting addition to the creature design for representation of being burned by past traumas but continuing forward with attached triggers.

2. Rattlesnake/Ankylosaurus

Utilizing the symbolism of a heavy but functional tail that the creature would be dragging round with them like a heavy or traumatic memory weighing you down but always ringing alarm bells in your head, I envision a heavy club tail like that of the Ankylosaurus but rattling with every movement similarly to a rattlesnakes tail.

3. Lions/Wolves

Pack animals often fight for power and hierarchy within their group especially big cats that often have the male leader defending the group from other males leading to heavy scarring from these battles for dominance. These war wounds can be symbolic of the deep routed trauma that scars the mind of PTSD sufferers. The creature would gain these wounds from other hunters hoping to gather materials from it, perhaps poison from the barbs on its back for example, or from defending its territory from other PTSD creatures hoping to expand their own grounds to inflict it's poison onto the minds of other sufferers.

PARANOIA

Whilst not appearing on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders as an actual cognitive disorder it is an extremely common symptom of many other cognitive disorders across a variety of the separate classification fields. (anxiety, substance induced conditions, mood disorders etc). Due to its prevalence within both symptoms of cognitive disorder and societal discourse of mental health this creature would also have both domesticated and wild variants, though the wild variant would not be a creature that would be hunted within the game, more of a rare occurance to observe as it feeds on the carcasses of other cognitive disorder creatures hunted by players.

Because paranoia is ever-present as a symptom for many cognitive disorder the descriptive conditions of paranoia have already been presented in the designs of other cognitive disorder creatures so to give the creature a unique appearance from other creatures means looking further for anatomical and behavioural qualities during the iterative design process.

Paranoid individuals often have persistent mistrust or suspicion of others without basis, with a constant belief that others are deceiving, exploiting or intending harm against them resulting in hypervigilance, defensive and hostile behaviour, or a reluctance to confide in others. Often exaggeration occurs within these individuals with perceived slights seen as deeply personal attacks or reading hidden meaning or threats from harmless remarks or casual looks.

SYMBOLIC ANIMAL TRAITS & ANATOMICAL CUES

Worldbuilding and why

 Yes, this project is primarily about the discipline of concept art specialising on creature design, and the focus must remain on that when it comes to utilising this format of art as a tool to foster empathy in players. However, if the project is to emulate the richness of a full pro-social gamethen with the creatures must come their environments, the cultures or individuals they interact with, and the development of the world around them. As Elias travels around this world documenting the encounters he has with the creatures, I have already discussed how he would communicate about them with others to build his own knowledge and understandings, would he not too document these characters, or the environments to show how they have impacted his growth, both in skill as an observational artist and scholar but also as a maturing empathetic individual. The two work in tandem in this sense as character building for the narrative whilst also growing the richness of the development of the world this project resides within allowing readers to become more immersed and thus enabling a more successful attempt for change in behaviour that I am hoping to achieve with the project. Some of this will be treading on earlier established ideas but also expanding upon them to develop this area of the projects development.

So how does this develop, and how can I break it down into a manageable production task without impeding the primary objective of the project. Firstly lets see what I envision the worldbuilding to exist as in the book.

1. Locations and materials

The most important part of the world building are the locations or more specifically the environments, where the creatures exist and in contrast what parts of civilisation occur outside of the creatures habitats - that can show how Elias travels from a place of origin in terms beginning to learn about the creature to witnessing first-hand the individual cognitive disorders, since the environment can play a part in the representation of the symptoms when developing the designs of the creature (but not a necessity in all creature designs just where it is an additive to the process).

For example when we look at the Insomnia creature I imagined it living in deep canyons that echoed every sound, with the rocky terrain made up of minerals that held qualities that enabled sound to reverberate constantly to create a place that seemed almost impossible to rest within. Understanding the habitat of the creature to this level plays an impact on how the design is further developed as I have to answer questions of how the creature survives in this place through its anatomy as any real creature has adapted to their own in our world. It aslo affects how i craft the individuals who share this location as a home and can provide Elias with more detailed information of higher accuracy about the creature than those who have never seen it. So the Hollow Order are formed with idea that they choose not to rest (as they cannot within the echo caverns) but allow this characterisation to develop as a part of their own culture with a 24 hour passage of time in complete silence being a holy rite of passage in their cult as a means of passing into maturity within their own ranks. This can be contrasted by nearby cities, choosing to have their residences built with materials that insulate sound or reduce it to much lower levels, since functionally they would not quarry materials where the creature lives due to the risks involved but also aesthetically the juxtaposition of a place of comfort where one such as Elias can rest providing inaccurate information on the creature can represent the choice for an individual to journey into discovery about the cognitive disorders often been one that can incur discomfort or moving from a place of relative ease to one with less.

Limestone canyons are a great real world example of naturally occuring hard, smooth surfaces that reverberate sound effectively.

Where as buildings within 'safe' nearby towns or villages would make use of sound absorbing materials such as wood, moss or hemp, bamboo, cork, seaweed, and stone bricks such as basalt quarried from nearby volcanic regions.

Now these environmental choices in the design do not need to be overt to the player as I don't want to bash them over the head with everything being representative of symptoms and cognitive disorders, I envision materials being available for collection for manufacturing weapons, tools, and apparel and all substances would have a small description in the inventory menu similar to how Dark Souls approaches their item descriptions that the player could theorise and speculate why they exist in particular contexts, adding to the richness of the world to a player willing to go the extra mile in terms of discovery further adding to the theme of information being a reward for taking the time to research deeper and find more authentic details especially when it comes to building empathy for those who suffer from cognitive disorders.

2. Naming conventions

To further enhance the richness of the world with purposeful decision making in worldbuilding I want to ensure that places in the world are named with the same level of detail whilst still paying homage to the Greek themes and aesthetics in the iconography, UI, and UX that would be present in the game in keeping with the history of psychology and philosophy originating from Ancient Greece. Utilising pages such as fantasy name generators with conventional prefixes and suffixes that offer some hidden details about the places, again offering easter egg style details that keen eyed players that travel down the path of discovery and take the time to analyse the game would pick up on.

Again if we treat the area (consisting of environment and local towns/cities/villages) where the Insomnia creature resides as an example of using this method I can look at the prefixes and suffixes that relate to the concept of sound. These are "audio-", "phon", and "son-". "Audio-" is used as a prefix, while "phon-" and "son-" can be found as both prefixes and roots within words related to sound.

"audio-"

This prefix, derived from the Latin word "audire" (to hear), indicates something related to sound or hearing. Examples include "audiovisual" and "auditory"

"phon-"

This prefix or root, derived from the Greek word "phōnē" (sound or voice), is commonly used in words related to sound and speech. Examples include "telephone", "microphone", and "phonics".

"son-"

This root, derived from the Latin word "sonus" (sound), is another way to refer to sound. Words like "sonic", "sonar", and "sonata" utilize this root.

Resulting place names could include;

Sonarthenes                            Somniopolis - Somni relates to sleep

Sonynthus                                Soneiros - Son relates to sound and oneiros relates to dreams

Audiphyrian                             Kyrysomn

Phonuriun                                 Demetoneiros

Audiopolis

Audinion

Phonopolis

At the start of the concept art book will be the same world map that the protagonist Elias,  takes with him that will show the reader the established place names and give them a sense of the place that he is travelling through, and giving them an introductory sense of immersion as they begin to observe the pages of the book. There is a chance that this will alienate the message from the reader as they will view the place as separate from our own world so in an attempt to discourage this I am referencing old naval maps of Greece as the established outlines for my own map.

3. Cultures and people

A final area that I've been attempting to draw upon when establishing a richer narrative through worldbuilding is the diversity in individuals that Elias meets along his journey, some that cohabit environments with the creatures can be utilised as tools to further escalate symptoms and their effects, to show opposing ideologies between those with stigmatic perceptions and those attempting to understand, or be in complete contrast to the symptoms to showcase the difference between the reader and those who suffer from symptoms.

One example of this was looking into the cultural trend of scarification affiliated within african tribal groups to be juxtaposed against the Dermatillomania creature where sufferers constantly pick their skin in an attempt to make it smoother. The african tribal culture can then be a starting point for the designs of tools, weaponry, and apparel produced from materials gathered in the area or from the creature when successfully hunted adding a diverse and expansive range of these features so each player would develop their own character in a unique way increasing their own immersion as well as representing how global an issue cognitive disorders and societal stigma towards them is through use of a range of global cultures and peoples.