Insanity and ways to handle it in a PC...

[Michael Tree]

Very true Jake.  The most difficult aspect to play is the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which don't get any publicity, despite their seriousness.  They include social withdrawal, lack of energy or interest, lack of the ability to take pleasure in activities, and lack of social awareness.

How do you roleplay a character who is withdrawn, and isn't motivated to do much? There's a reason why Hollywood ignores these symptoms - they're not as dramatic.  A Beautiful Mind did a decent job of depicting them though, even if the hallucinations were a bit Hollywoodized.

[Rattlehead]

I've never played an insane character before, but I can relate to this in many ways. Julianos Vainsteel was originally an AD&D 2nd Ed. character. He's had many incarnations, but one thing that's stayed with him through it all is his alcoholism. He has a particular weakness for fine wine.

It could be said that alcoholism is a form of mental illness anyway, depending on your point of view. The effects were similar. There was stress in the party (but not between the players), he was often in need of a "baby sitter", he often did things that were dangerous for himself and sometimes others. A ride on a catapult from one spelljamming ship to another comes to mind.... it didn't end well.

It's not easy to play such a character, but if the whole play group supports the idea, it can be rewarding. For all of his weaknesses, perhaps even because of them, Jules has been my favorite character ever since.

Brandon

[Unsane]

I have yet to see a "crazy" character played even remotely realistically, except for a couple cases where the player worked in mental health.

One of my friends is pretty good at playing a schitzophrenic, but since his brother is a paranoid schizophrenic, he has quite a bit of experience.