Soul Sickness

Soul Sickness is a general term applying to the effects of one losing their soul without dying. This can happen for a number of reasons, either through a random, natural event or someone taking it from them for any reason. The effects are extremely varied and not all cases are the same. Despite it being called a sickness, it is not contagious.

Symptoms & Signs
There are many different symptoms of Soul Sickness, some being more noticeable than others. Someone with soul sickness may suffer from physical ailments such as feeling cold, generally sick, weak, having red tinted eyes, or experiencing skin corrosion. Skin corrosion is when ones skin begins to turn black and dead without falling off. In soul sickness, skin corrosion general starts near the neck, below the eye, on their wrist, or in ones side. There are other psychological symptoms. These include things such as hazy memory from before they lost their soul, constantly saying that they lost something but not specifying what it is, mood swings, and anti-social behavior. The patient will not know they lost their soul unless told.

The patient may also have a vague sense of where their soul is. Sometimes they may be seen running around the area where it is located, this is especially common if something is being done to the soul. In this case, the patient may be hard to calm down. In the scenario where they locate their soul, they will most likely not let anyone else near it. This situation can be incredibly dangerous as the effects of soul sickness may get more severe and result in a higher chance of death. If they see someone else with the soul, they have a high chance to attack them even if they are not sure why they are attacking them.

Treatment
There is little treatment for soul sickness other than regaining the soul itself. Generally, things like sleep and water can temporarily mitigate the effects, but over time the effects of the sickness get stronger, especially the closer one is to the soul. Returning someones soul is dangerous and should only be done by someone who has practice with working with souls. In the case that the soul was removed for medical reasons, the surgeon or other doctor who removed it should know how to put it back. Heavy tampering with the soul can cause stress in someone dealing with soul sickness, and might result in panic attacks.

Dangers
Just like the disease, the dangers of soul sickness are wide and varied. For some, the only physical dangers might be due to the effects of skin corrosion. Skin corrosion can cause permanent damage to the skin, but it may also heal depending on the amount of damage. Skin corrosion can also be dealt with through surgical removal. Other dangers may arrive through malnutrition. Death is also a danger that may arise, but what causes it is unknown. Some patients also suffer from malnutrition, dehydration, sleep deprivation, and other symptoms that can hurt ones immune system and make them more likely to contract other diseases.

Studies
No major studies have been done on soul sickness, most evidence and notes on it are purely anecdotal.