Copyright (c) 1995 by Thomas Barnes

Psychiatry (M/H Prereq: Psychology. IQ-5, Physician-5, Psychology-5)

This is the skill of diagnosing and treating mental illness. With it, a 
character can attempt to cure psychiatric problems, or at least keep them 
from getting worse. Traditionally "psychiatry" is a branch of medicine, but
in reality an MD is not required to provide effective psychological 
counselling. It was first formally discovered in the 1870s (TL 5) but only 
became commonly accepted and known in the 1920s (TL 6). Of course, almost
all cultures have people who know how to informally counsel people so this 
skill could be found before TL 5.
	A character with this skill can help other characters to remove
mental disadvantages. In order to do this, both the character to be 
healed and the counsellor must spend at least an hour each week over a 
three month period working on the problem. At the end of this time Period 
both the consellor and the client roll dice. The counsellor must first
roll against his skill. If he rolls successfully then the patient has a 
chance to cure himself. Each three points by which the counsellor made his
roll gives +1 to the client's roll. A critical success gives +5 to the 
roll. A failure means that the counsellor has failed and the patient does 
not get to roll to cure his problem. A critical failure means that the 
client can never benefit from the counsellor's skill. 
	There are modifiers to this roll. Extra time helps; each doubling
of the time spend in therapy adds +1 to a maximum of +3 to the roll. The
Empathy advantage gives +3 to the roll. Other advantages (or
disadvantages) which would tend to make the counsellor more empathic or
approachable, like Charisma might also help at the GM's option. Advantages
or disadvantages that would make the character less empathic or less
approachable give penalties. The GM might also give bonuses or penalties
for similar or different backgrounds between the counsellor and the client
up to +/-2. At TL 6 certain psychiatric drugs are available and techniques
become more refined each TL above 6 gives +1 to the roll.
	
	After the counsellor has made his roll, the client must roll vs.
Will modified by the counsellor's roll. For each point that the Will roll
was made (minimum of 1), the client can subtract 1 point from the severity
of a mental disadvantage of his choice. When the total cost of the
disadvantage reaches -10, or -5 points it is reduced in severity. When it
reaches -1 point is is considered a quirk.  When the cost of the
disadvantage reaches 0 it is completely removed. The total number of 
points removed in any one roll can never exceed the skill level of the 
counsellor.
	As usual, the character must pay character points to buy off the 
disadvantage and must have a plausible story as to why the disadvantage 
should go away. The GM can also prevent certain mental disadvantages from
being bought off and the character might want to *keep* some mental 
disadvantages. As a rule of thumb, it is best if only "simple" 
problems and disadvantages gained as a result of fright checks were 
treatable. 
	It is also possible that a character might acquire a new "positive"
disadvantage to get rid of an old one. A Code of Honor or Sense of Duty 
might replace a Phobia or other personal problem. A dependency on a 
(non-addictive) drug might replace a more serious mental problem. 

	Group therapy: A counsellor can see patients as a group up to his 
skill level. At the end of the the 3 month period everyone in the group 
can make a roll but no more than -5 points of disadvantages can be 
removed per person.