Mental break

A mental break may occur randomly when a pawns's negative thoughts outweigh their positive thoughts enough to push their overall mood below their Mental Break Threshold. Note that this is related to the sum of all the thoughts a pawn has, so small penalties can quickly add up to large effects on a pawn's stability.

Extreme break threshold is 1/7 of the minor break threshold, while major break threshold is 4/7 of the minor break threshold. The default mental break thresholds are:

Extreme break threshold: 5%
Major break threshold: 20%
Minor break threshold: 35%

Mental break thresholds are affected by various traits. The minor break threshold is capped between 1% to 50%

The severity of a mental break depends on how far below their threshold they are:

Below their base mental break threshold, they will have an extreme break in a mean time of 0.7 days.
Below their major break threshold, they will have a major break in a mean time of 3 days.
Below their minor break threshold, they will have a minor break in a mean time of 10 days.

Once a pawn's mental break ends, they'll usually get the 'catharsis' thought, granting a +40 mood for the next 2.5 days. This will generally prevent a pawns from entering a spiral of mental breakdowns in all but the worst scenarios.

Colonists with the Tortured Artist trait will also have a chance to receive an inspiration after a mental break ends. It is currently unknown if this applies to non-colonist pawns.

While a colonist is experiencing a mental break, you have no direct control over them, but you can draft another colonist to attempt to arrest said colonist. The broken colonist has a chance based on the arresting pawn's stats to either go berserk, or come quietly and be escorted to the nearest available prison bed - immediately ending their mental breakdown. However, this will cause the loss of his/her colony membership status, removing the pawn from your colonist bar. Releasing them will return them back to the colony, but eliminates the catharsis bonus, instead yielding a 'was imprisoned' negative thought that can lead to further mental breaks.

Another more extreme way of ending a mental break inflicting unconsciousness - such as by beating the pawn with blunt trauma until they are incapacitated by pain or inflicting brain shock. This is the only way to stop a berserk pawn. However, direct violence causes the victim to have a negative opinion of the one(s) who beat him up, and you risk killing the pawn if he is already injured. It is ineffective if the pawn feels reduced pain, like those with the Painstopper implant or high on Go-juice. This also does not grant the Catharsis mood buff unless the pawn is going berserk.

Minor break

Food binge

Food Binge

Causes the pawn to pig out on whatever meals they can get their hands on.

This break can only occur when the map the pawn is currently on contains more than 10 human-edible nutrition in a stockpile zone. Pawns with the Gourmand trait will experience this more often.

A binge will end as soon as the affected pawn goes to bed, or after a certain amount of time has passed.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 25,000 ticks (6.94 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 45,000 ticks (12.5 mins)
Commonality: 0.8

Sad wander

Sad Wander

Causes the pawn to wander around aimlessly, eventually recovering on their own. Like the Psychotic wandering (Daze) event, but shorter.

Wandering colonists can be arrested, which can be useful if they are in imminent danger.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 40,000 ticks (11.11 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Commonality: 0.5

Hide in room

Hide in Room

Causes the pawn to wander about in their room, refusing to come out and refusing to satisfy their needs.

This break can only occur if the breaking pawn has a bed assigned to them.

This break is relatively short, and usually does not put the pawn in harm's way. At worst, the pawn may suffer from mild starvation or exhaustion.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 40,000 ticks (11.11 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Commonality: 0.5

Insulting spree

Causes the pawn insult nearby colonists at random, making moods worse for everyone affected.

Insults can lead to a social fight, which would then lead to the end of the break.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 25,000 ticks (6.94 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 45,000 ticks (12.5 mins)
Commonality: 0.5

Targeted insulting spree

Causes the pawn to follow and repeatedly insult one other colonist in particular.

This can totally ruin the victim's mood with an up to -33 mood penalty through 10 stacked insults, which can potentially trigger a mental break in the victim as well.

Insults can lead to a social fight, which would then lead to the end of the break.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 25,000 ticks (6.94 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 45,000 ticks (12.5 mins)
Commonality: 0.5

Major break

Social drug binge

Social Drug Binge

Causes the pawn to drink or smoke their problems away by binging on social drugs (i.e. beer, smokeleaf joints).

This can only happen if you have social drugs present in your colony.

Social drug binges will also occasionally happen for those with the chemical interest trait regardless of mood, and still applies the catharsis thought afterwards.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.133 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 40,000 ticks (11.11 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Commonality: 1

Psychotic wandering (Daze)

Daze

Causes the pawn to wander around aimlessly, eventually recovering on their own.

The letter informing you of this break refers to it as a "Daze."

Dazed colonists can be arrested, which can be useful if they are in imminent danger.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 70,000 ticks (19.44 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 90,000 ticks (25 mins)
Commonality: 1 (See Below)

Psychotic wandering (Daze) Short

Daze

Identical to the above, but with a shorter minimum time. This effectively doubles the chance of getting a "Psychotic Wandering" break.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 2,500 ticks (41.67 secs)
Maximum time until Recovery: 90,000 ticks (25 mins)
Commonality: 1 (See Above)

Tantrum

Causes the pawn to take out their anger on the structures in the colony, randomly punching at (and possibly destroying) them.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.033 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 8,000 ticks (2.22 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 12,000 ticks (3.33 mins)
Commonality: 0.333

Targeted tantrum

Causes the pawn to take out their anger on a single structure or stack of items, punching at them until eventually destroyed. The tantrum will redirect to another structure or stack of items if that structure or stack of items is destroyed or made inaccessible.

Targeted tantrums are significantly more dangerous than the non-targeted variety, as the pawn has a much higher chance of actually destroying things instead of simply damaging them. They are especially dangerous when the pawn targets mortar shells (beware the antigrain warhead), which explode upon destruction.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 40,000 ticks (11.11 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Commonality: 0.333

Bedroom tantrum

Causes the pawn to hide in their bedroom and randomly punch at structures within.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 40,000 ticks (11.11 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Commonality: 0.333

Sadistic rage

Causes the pawn to melee attack prisoners until they are downed (or killed).

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 40,000 ticks (11.11 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 30,000 ticks (8.33 mins)
Commonality: 1

Corpse obsession

Causes the pawn to go to a grave or sarcophagus, dig up a corpse and drop it on a high-traffic spot, such as a table in a dining room. The obsession will then end.

This break can only occur if you have a filled grave or sarcophagus.

While this break is somewhat quick, it can potentially bring "Observed a corpse" mood debuffs to whoever sees the corpse, and can trigger a colony-wide "Colonist left unburied" mood debuff if the corpse was of a colonist.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 50,000 ticks (13.89 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 70,000 ticks (19.44 mins)
Commonality: 0.4

Extreme break

Berserk

Causes the pawn to go berserk, melee attacking any living creature near them. The pawn will not intentionally kill anything (although unlucky hits may still result in death), instead redirecting to another target once their current target is downed.

Berserk colonists are able to use doors that are forbidden, and don't close doors behind them (auto-doors included). Berserk prisoners will bash at doors until they break.

Subduing the berserk pawn with bare fists or a blunt weapon poses the least risk of killing them. Once a berserk pawn is subdued, the break is over. They do not need to be arrested, and can be immediately rescued to recover from their injuries. If the berserker is not in danger and can be safely avoided, it can be best to leave them to rampage by themselves until their berserk rage wears off to avoid injuries.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.166 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 40,000 ticks (11.11 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Commonality: 1

Fire starting spree

Fire Starting Spree

Causes the pawn to go on a fire starting spree, targeting flammable materials and setting them ablaze.

Pawns with the pyromaniac trait will occasionally suffer this mental break regardless of mood (though it will happen less frequently as mood increases). As of Beta 18, pyromaniacs no longer gain the Catharsis thought after fire starting sprees.

Fire-starting sprees are very short and can easily be dealt with by having somebody else "babysit" the pyromaniac, putting out fires as the pyromaniac pawn starts them.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.033 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 6,000 ticks (1.67 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 10,000 ticks (2.78 mins)
Commonality: 1

Hard drug binge

Hard Drug Binge

Causes the pawn to binge on hard drugs (i.e. flake, yayo, go-juice and wake-up).

Hard drug binges are considerably more dangerous for the affected colonist's health than soft drug binges, as hard drugs contribute towards overdoses which are potentially lethal, and can easily lead to an addiction. As with soft binges, hard binges will either end when the affected colonist goes to bed, or after a certain amount of time has passed. Colonists taking penoxycyline and luciferium have nothing to do with the drug binge they are on.

Pawns with the chemical fascination trait will occasionally suffer this break regardless of mood, and still gain the catharsis mood afterwards (if they don't die from an overdose).

Mean time between Recovery: 0.133 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 40,000 ticks (11.11 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Commonality: 1

Catatonia

Causes the pawn to enter a catatonic state, where they become incapacitated and need to be rescued.

This is one of the least immediately harmful of the extreme breaks as it does not result in injury or damage to colonists or structures. However, the affected colonist will be down for quite a long time, and unable to perform any work. This can be especially detrimental if the colonist performs a vital task in the colony.

Since catatonia is technically a health condition, usage of the healer mech serum can instantly bring the affected colonist out of the mental break.

Only colonists can experience this mental break. Pawns from other factions, not under the players control, will not. Temporary colonists from quests or from permits can experience this mental break.

Minimum time until Recovery: 100,000 ticks (27.78 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 300,000 ticks (83.33 mins)
Commonality: 1

Jailbreaker

Causes the pawn to incite a prison break.

The pawn will move to the targeted prisoner, and upon reaching them a prison break event will trigger. Afterwards, the mental break will be changed to something else.

The pawn can be arrested or incapacitated before reaching the prison cell.

Minimum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)
Commonality: 1

Slaughterer

Causes the pawn to slaughter tamed animals at random.

If you have a lot of tamed animals this usually won't cause major losses, but there's a chance the maddened colonist may decide to butcher a bonded animal or your favorite tamed thrumbo.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.033 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 8,000 ticks (2.22 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 12,000 ticks (3.33 mins)
Commonality: 0.75

Murderous rage

Causes the pawn to select a random colonist or prisoner and melee attack them until they are dead. Once the target is killed the break is over.

This requires intervention from other colonists if the life of the victim is to be saved.

This can be interrupted by attempting arrest. If it is successful, the colonist will quietly submit and go to prison along with the warden. Otherwise, the colonist will instead go berserk and will lash out at nearby colonists instead, which may be easier to deal with as the colonist is no longer hellbent on killing one person.
Immediately rescuing the murder target once they are downed causes the murderous pawn to select a new victim.

This break can occur in pawns placed temporarily under your control, such as those provided by quests or from permits .

Minimum time until Recovery: 100,000 ticks (27.78 mins)
Maximum time until Recovery: 100,000 ticks (27.78 mins)
Commonality: 1

Run wild

Causes the pawn to run into the wild and start acting like an animal. While acting like an animal, the pawn will subsist on wild sources of food, usually berry bushes or agave in arid biomes. They may wander across spike traps and randomly trigger them.

Unlike other breaks, this one lasts indefinitely without intervention. The only way to end it is to have another colonist tame the broken colonist and convince them to act like a human again. Taming a wild man is equivalent to taming an animal of 75% wildness, equivalent to an elephant or fox, and requiring an Animals skill of 7 or greater.

Damaging them until they are downed isn't an advisable option; since they don't belong to your faction anymore, they will most likely die upon receiving enough damage to incapacitate.

Upon taming, they will have their usual Catharsis moodlet, and will have their Beauty and Comfort needs set to 50%, while their Outdoors needs is set to 100%.

Additionally, it appears that this mental break does not trigger the Inspired Creativity mental inspiration from the Tortured artist trait, however more testing is needed.

Commonality: 0.5

Given up and leaving

Causes the pawn to decide they've had enough with the colony, and leave entirely.

This can be countered either by arresting the colonist, or incapacitating them by force.

Commonality: 1

Special

These mental states aren't mood-related, and have certain circumstances required to trigger them.

Confusion

Confused and wandering

Similar to the 'Sad Wandering' mental state, except confused wandering only occurs on a pawn with Alzheimer's or Dementia, as well as those still woozy or recovering from anesthesia.

This mental state is similar to psychotic wandering in the respect that confused pawns are prone to wandering into dangerous situations, however they do not strip off their equipment. This mental state ends after a certain period of time, or when the affected pawn is downed or killed. All normal thoughts are blocked during this time frame.

It can also occur in animals after their bonded master dies.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.2 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 3,500 ticks (58.33 secs)

Social fighting

Traders social fighting

Social fighting is triggered when one pawn slights or insults another (significantly more likely with insulting than slighting), and the affected pawn gets angered. While very brief and usually only resulting in minor-moderate injury, social fighting can also end up with much worse results including a pawn getting downed, disfigured, or uncommonly even outright killed. Social fighting ends after a very short time, or when one of the fighting pawns gets downed or killed.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.02 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 420 ticks (7 secs)

Fleeing in panic

This sort of mental break happens when half (rounded up) of a group of non-colonist humanlikes are killed; whether it be hostiles, traders, or the likes. Pawns affected by this mental state will attempt to leave the map by any means possible as soon as they realize that they're not going to win whatever battle they got caught up in.

This mental state will end once the affected pawn leaves the map, or when they're killed.

Pawns in this state will run indiscriminately towards the closest edge of the map, completely disregarding any hostiles in the way (such as your colonists firing at them), trying to smash down doors even when there is a clear path out next to them.

Manhunter

Animals may suffer a manhunter mental break, similar to berserk. A manhunter animal will seek out and attack any humans on the map it can reach. The mental break can be triggered by the death of their bonded master (only applies to tamed animals), via a random event (mad animal or psychic wave), being injured by any humanlike pawn or a failed taming attempt angering the animal. A player should take care about what animals they hunt, because although some species rarely turn manhunter, others have no tolerance. If one animal in a herd is angered, the entire herd may turn manhunter. Manhunter animals will attempt to break down doors if they see a colonist hide behind them, so they are not completely safe against them.

An animal's manhunting rampage will end after a certain amount of time, or once forcibly subdued.

Mean time between Recovery: 0.3 days
Minimum time until Recovery: 10,000 ticks (2.78 mins)

Manhunter Permanent

Permanent manhunter is randomly applied to animals that are part of a manhunter pack. Affected animals will never snap out of this mental state under normal circumstances, and completely neglect their own needs. Animals in this state will generally leave the area within a few days.

Some manhunter animals, such as boomrats, will typically starve to death due to their hunger rate combined with the typical manhunter animal duration.

Minimum time until Recovery: 99,999,999 ticks (27,777.78 mins)

Roaming

Introduced in 1.3, farm animals (animal species that cannot be controlled via zones) can randomly get this mental break if they are outside of an enclosed pen. This can cause them to leave the map if not roped in immediately. If they are enclosed in a pen, or if they are roped in by a colonist after a valid pen is placed, this mental break will immediately end.

This does not occur on maps where they have recently been brought in, or on maps the other colonist are raiding in.