Voices in the background

[Egressus]

So, I'm trying to write a VN where the main character is suffering from schizophrenia (and minor bipolar disorder). I'm going to try for (semi) realistic, seeing as I've done some research, and after surfing around a bit, I came across this sweet little simulation.

So my question for you guys: What do you think about adding low voices instead of music? Will you turn it off? Because if the general consensus is the latter, I'll probably emit them. Or include the options to turn it on.

Thanks.

[Arelune]

For me it would depend on how much they repeat what they say and how loud they exactly are.
Are you going for those whispery voice of the first part or the normal ones of the second?
I could bear with the first, though it does somewhat remind me of ghosts. But the second were kind of annoying, always repeating the same things.
If you can pull this idea off though, it would be a nice experience.

How about putting some voices IN the music?

[Egressus]

I hate the second part, too. The video is interesting, but the voices are meh. Doesn't give you the creepy feeling of the first due to the repetitiveness.

I'm going with the first, although what they say will vary depending on your choices. If you choose to be cruel, they will come early (and sound malicious), while if you stay quiet, the onset will be delayed but still hateful, and by being nice, the noises are generally harmless. That is if I manage to record it anyway.

[AnthonyHJ]

Just my 2 cents, but this sounds dangerous. Trying any sort of authentic portrayal of mental illness is going to be difficult. The fact that you know the difference between schizophrenia and multiple personalities is a major plus-point, but including mental illness without doing some serious research can lead to some serious stereotypes.

Done well and sticking to reality instead of the Hollywood version, I think you could end up making something quite compelling, but failing to put the effort in could be quite hurtful to real schizophrenic and bipolar people. My mother-in-law was schizophrenic, so getting it right is something that matters to me.

For the record, there are places on the web where you can talk about mental illness and do some research. http://www.rethink.org/ has some fact-sheets on the disorders (aimed at both sufferers and people who want to learn more, such as family members) which could help and they seem to have a forum for discussing mental-health issues. It's UK based, but I'm not sure how Indonesians approach mental illness, so I don't know if there would be a local equivalent resource for you.

[Endorphin]

I always used voices in such situations, sometimes combined with music to draw the attention from it a little.
As long as it's not to repetitive it's fine - also, give the player a break sometimes. Play music instead or nothing, so that the voices don't lose effect.

- R.

[Egressus]

I understand how portraying it wrong would be offensive to some, but I'm not about to wave it off. I am trying to research as much as I could, which was mainly why I'm running around simulations-- to know how they feel. I'm planning to find a journal of a patient, but so far the blogs aren't that helpful.
The bipolarity itself is minor as it addresses a 2 weeks depression period and 1 week manic episode. The story is written in the point of view of one of the hallucinations.
However, considering that the game itself will contain suicide, it's not advisable for those who can't handle it.

Speaking of which, what are the stereotypes/Hollywood version of it?

I cannot seem to open it right now, but for basic information:
The setting is in America, 1937. It might be slightly fictionalised, but I might go research for details on the city. I'm not sure how deep I will go regarding the location, though.
The fictional parts would be about insulin shock therapy. I'm not sure where I can find the list of hospitals that have the equipments and experts to do so.

If anyone can actually help me by describing a schizophrenic person's attitude, it will be a great help, but this thread is about voices in the background and I think continuing here would be off-topic.

@Ryouko: I guess in certain situations I can play music or set it to silence. There's more effects like sounds of rain, though, that will blend and possibly overpower the voices.

[ThisIsNoName]

Just my 2 cents, but this sounds dangerous. Trying any sort of authentic portrayal of mental illness is going to be difficult. The fact that you know the difference between schizophrenia and multiple personalities is a major plus-point, but including mental illness without doing some serious research can lead to some serious stereotypes.

I definitely agree with this, though at this point it almost feels like a bonus if it's anywhere near accurate, instead of the expected norm.

The main issue I saw was this:

I'm going with the first, although what they say will vary depending on your choices. If you choose to be cruel, they will come early (and sound malicious), while if you stay quiet, the onset will be delayed but still hateful, and by being nice, the noises are generally harmless. That is if I manage to record it anyway.

I'm not all that familiar with schizophrenia, but seems like it should be almost the other way around. At the very least, the voices should hit by far the hardest when you stay quiet. I don't see why the hallucinations would change just because of how you act.

Also, the emphasis should be on 'doing' nice things instead of just 'being' nice. My sister deals with depression, but the symptoms she deals with sound pretty close to schizophrenia, but with thoughts instead of hearing. Anyways, the advice her psychiatrist always gives her is to 'do' stuff, so that she won't have time to focus on the bad thoughts.

As for your original question, one thing I would like is to be given the option to switch between the voices and the music. I also like the idea of having the voices mixed with the music. Either way, if you're aiming for authenticity, it would be nice to have the hallucinations be the same regardless of what you choose. The only thing that should change is the volume.

All in all, (this may sound redundant) I think you should either go for accuracy or not. If you do go for accuracy, just beware that there will always be people who might be bothered by your portrayal. I honestly think it's okay if you don't. Then again, judging by what AnthonyHJ said, there might still be people offended by the story taking the illness too lightly.

Either way, good luck with your story. It sounds like it could be very interesting.

[AnthonyHJ]

It occurs to me that you might not need schizophrenia. At the worst end of the spectrum, bipolar disorder can include hallucinations and psychosis. Voices are apparently a common symptom, even in the 'milder' cases. From memory, bipolar and schizophrenia are on a single spectrum of disorders and have a lot of overlap.

The only other thing that springs to mind is this; doctors love to give anti-depressants to depressed people. If you give anti-depressants to a bipolar person in a depressive phase, you can make them seriously manic to the point of extreme psychosis. That's probably the most likely reason for depression followed by mania, since I am sure someone told me that you usually see mania followed by depression (a crash, as it were) in normal bipolar cycles, then the lucid periods. Of course, that's all second (or even third) hand and best used as a starting point for your research rather than taken as gospel.

[Egressus]

I might have forgotten to include that YOU are the voice.
I'm aware that having people around you actually quietens them, which I have read.. somewhere. I intend to at least attempt a shot at accuracy, mainly because I cannot even comprehend making them humorous.
At first I wanted to add the other symptom: disorganized speech, but I don't fully understand how to imitate them. So that's out of the window. I hope the delusions, hallucination, and negative symptom will suffice.

I think I will go with the louder voice like you said.

@AnthonyHJ: ...I love you.
But the girl is 9 years old... Well, who knows, maybe I can find something.
Yeah, most of the Bipolar list shows Mania as the first, followed by either Hypermania or Depression.
I will research them and compare to see which one is better. Thank you very much!

Considering the fact that the drugs come out around late 60's I don't think I can use it, though. I'm still thinking...

[ThisIsNoName]

Just a funny little tidbit I just found out... Apparently, my great grandma was put into an insane asylum when she was younger. My grandma was also later put into a mental hospital for... you guessed it, manic depression and schizophrenia. Unfortunately, my mom said she didn't know of clinical records and she doesn't particularly like to talk about the details.

[Egressus]

It can be a highly sensitive topic, which is why I'm pretty much selling myself here. Brain, you give me the worst ideas ever.

[Tsundere Lightning]

Without going into a discussion about doing research (you seem to have that part down), I have to say that the specific technique - background voices with or without music - works, very well, if you want a creepy vibe or to get across the character's sanity slipping.

I'd link you to an example of it working well, but it hurts

[Egressus]

I'm after the latter.

Checking the site. Now I'm wondering what could be in it.

[Nuxill]

I'm after the latter.

Checking the site. Now I'm wondering what could be in it.

Ahh Trilby's Notes is a good game! It's part 3 of the "Chzo Mythos" series but it's enough of a stand-alone that you could play through and understand what was going on for the most part. There's good use of the effect you're looking for in the first game (5 Days A Stranger) as well if you want to check it out.

[Anarchy]

Man, when I first played this game and the voices happened, I freaked out so much I could barely keep playing. It was soooo scaryyyyy