Category:Alienism

The various asylums of the Land of Mists pursue many different methodologies. These may be grouped roughly into the following categories:

Analytical--Pioneered by the Mousel Family, this is a talking/interviewing method that focuses on empowering the conscious mind.

Oneirological--Pioneered by Dr. Gregorian Illhousen, this branch claims the secret to unraveling the psyche is within the subconscious, accessed via hypnosis and dreams.

Palliative--Rather than push for a cure, simple institutionalization. Includes rest, removal from stimuli, and medication. Often a euphemism for neglect, but many asylums can do little more than this.

Conditional--Founded in antiquity, championed by Dr. Harrod Tasker, this methodology views madness is mostly moral laxity; the cure is rigorous discipline and aversive stimuli to manage unwanted behavior.

Surgical--Claims malformation of the brain leads to psychological problems, which must be physically corrected. Includes trepanning, transorbital lobotomy and full lobotomy.

Most alienists use a combination of these methods--in particular, analytical interviewing with hypnosis--depending upon preferences.