Divergent Sims v6.1 (29.10.2024) [Exclusive]
Based on the overwhelming votes in my Patron poll, I have created something that's both an amalgamation of specific features from some of my other mods and new, unique features and enhancements. This is, by far, my most detailed mod to date and second largest and that's really saying something! This was a hard mod for me to make as it turned out to be a bit triggering but I'm really very pleased with how it turned out and so much effort, research, and work went into so I hope you enjoy!
This is a brand new, cohesive, comprehensive, modular mod that focuses on neurodiversity, self-esteem, mental health, evaluation, and treatments. This includes a detailed variety of 25 anxiety, developmental, learning, mood, neurological, personality, body, eating, and mental health disorders affecting infants to elders.
While there are many traits and smaller mods which cover various individual aspects of this mod, I wanted to be intentional in making something that was in-depth, inclusive, and comprehensive while also being configurable for different players and their play styles.
Disclaimer: This is not meant to be a 100% accurate representation of these disorders, evaluations, diagnosis, therapies, etc. but a more generalized, Sim-style version. In real life, everyone's experience looks different and so can't be perfectly translated into a mod and there are lengthy, complicated steps to diagnosis and limitations to translating all of this to the Sims 4. That said, the mod is very much informed on a realistic approach as all of my mods are.
How it Works
Triggering the Mod
Note that nothing automatically happens with this mod unless one of five things:
- You install Disorder Auto Assignments to give all sims in your current household, Infant and older, a chance for aspects of installed modules automatically assigned to them OR
- You use the "Randomly Assign Any Disorder" or "Randomly Assign X Disorders" options in the Divergent Sims menu under Actions to randomly assign an individual sim, Infant and older, aspects of installed modules OR
- Your sim ages up in game and the aged up sim in the active household, Infant through Young Adult, has a chance to be randomly assigned aspects of installed modules OR
- You manually assign specific disorders to individual sims from installed modules via the Divergent Sims menu under Actions
- You send your sim to the Psychiatrist where there's a very small chance your sim will be randomly assigned aspects of installed modules and diagnosed.
Neurodiversity and Self-Esteem
All sims randomly roll their self-esteem and neurodiversity- they are either neurotypical or neurodivergent upon aging up to infant and they either have Low, Neutral, or High Self-Esteem. If it's the first time the mod is run self-esteem and neurodiversity are randomly assigned at any age. This is done whether or not you have Disorder Auto Assignment or not and to all sims.
Auto Assignment of Disorders
If any of the below optional modules are installed, there's a small and random chance that, depending on self-esteem and neurodiversity, a sim (infant-young adult) can roll one of the disorders below, but it is random chance depending on factors such as personality traits, neurodivergence, and self-esteem. This is optional, however, and can be prevented by taking out the Disorder Auto Assignment package. This only pertains to the active household. This does not have any effect over assignment from the modules when aging up.
Aging Up Disorder Chance
Babies who age up to infants or infants who age up to toddlers and are neurodivergent can roll one of the developmental disorders below (if installed). As infants and toddlers they can have one of the delays which stays with them through those two ages. Even if they do not have delays, neurodivergent infant and toddlers can still struggle socially, emotionally, or behaviorally.
Those delays or struggles can translate into a learning or neurological disorder (if installed) as they age into a child otherwise when they age up the delay goes away but they remain neurodivergent and can still struggle. If a sim did not have a struggle or delay as an infant or toddler, they can still upon aging up to child or teen develop a neurological, mental, anxiety, learning, personality, or mood disorder later in life.
Just because a Sim is neurotypical does not mean they will be immune from body, eating, mood, or personality disorders in the future (if those modules are installed). Sims who have low self-esteem have a chance of rolling a Body or Eating disorders when they age up to teen (if installed). All Sims have a small chance to roll a Mood, Mental, Personality, or Anxiety Disorder upon aging up to teen and then another, smaller chance again upon aging up to a young adult (if installed). Sims teen and above have a chance, due to a traumatic life event, to develop PTSD.
Multiple Disorders
Sims with certain disorders are more likely to develop others. Therefore, Child and Teen sims may, even when not aging up, trigger another disorder. This happens most with Sims who have body, personality, and neurological disorders as they tend to lead to additional diagnosis of other learning, neurological, or mood disorders.
Evaluation and Diagnosis
All options for the mod are available on the Sim. For Infants and Toddlers it is "Early Childhood Development", for Children and Teens it is labeled "Youth Development", and for Young Adults and up it is labeled "Mental Health Services."
Parents and Caregivers can have their infants, toddlers, children, and teens evaluated by a child psychiatrist to receive a definitive diagnosis and can then seek treatment options if they choose. Older sims can also avail themselves of psychiatric evaluation for diagnosis. The psychiatrist will evaluate the sim and then give a diagnosis. Along with the diagnosis will be a proposed treatment plan.
Initial consultations are most expensive but subsequent consultations will be significantly less expensive with pricing based on the age of the sim and if the specific treatment was recommended by the psychiatrist.
Treatments
Sims can seek a variety of treatment options if they chose to do so or if recommended by the psychiatrist at the time of evaluation. Depending on the disorder, treatments range from speech therapy, behavioral therapy, occupational/physical therapy, psychotherapy/ talk therapy, play therapy/floortime, personalized tutoring, and medication including antidepressants, antipsychotics, psychostimulants, anxiolytics, and mood stabilizers. All medications have the possibility of side effects. The most effective treatment plan will usually be a combination of therapies and medications.
Sims can also go to support groups, therapy sessions with family members, try self-help options, eat healthier, and exercise, meditate, or practice other wellness activities. Some therapies work better than others and medications can cause side effects. Sims who choose to can self-medicate with Basemental's mod as well and that will be recognized by this mod.
If Sims change their minds about medication, want to go off meds, or want to try an additional pharmaceutical treatment, they can book a follow up appointment with the psychiatrist to discuss those options.
They can also, even if not specifically recommended by the psychiatrist, sign up for specific interventions, however, they will cost more than those specifically recommended by the psychiatrist. They will only be able to sign up for interventions which are generally recommended for their disorder(s).
Disorders
Each disorder will affect that which is typical for those disorders. Every disorder has various buffs, short and long-term, that occur due to their disorder, as well as occasional shifts in mood or trouble concentration/completing interactions or repetitive interactions or stops, and effects on mood, motives and needs (energy, fun, social, etc), social interactions, gaining friendships and romantic relationships, daily activities, learning new skills and reaching milestones, etc. all specific to the condition of that disorder. The disorders themselves, their categories, and who is eligible for them are listed below.
*Note that currently you cannot have more than one undiagnosed disorder at a time.*
Socials
There are over 50 socials for your sims in regards to their diagnosis, moods, or emotions. Sims can do things like discuss concerns over undiagnosed child, bond over shared disorders, argue, yell at, and place blame on other sims during bad moods, express compassion and suggest coping techniques, and more.
Required Core Modules
Main Mod (Required)
The main mod is required for all other modules to work. It is the building block of the other modules. It includes all forms of therapy, psychiatry, support groups and group sessions, evaluations, and medications.
Self-Esteem (Required)
Self-esteem inform how a sim sees themselves. This is much more subtle than before but this core module is critical to the Body and Eating Disorders, Mood Disorders, or Personality Disorders modules.
Neurodiversity (Required)
Sims are either neurotypical or neurodivergent. This informs how they develop skills and interact with other sims and the world. This core module is critical to the Developmental, Learning, or Neurological disorders.
Optional Modules
Plans
I'd love to do an actual venue where sims can go and have their group sessions and therapy appointments. I also want to do a career. How interactive and what that looks like I haven't decided which direction I'm going to go but open to ideas!
Requirements
This mod is Base Game compatible.
Note: The medications in the mod uses an animation from Spooky Stuff, but it is not required. The animation will just be missing.
Compatibility
In original conception, this mod blocked Sims from receiving disorder traits from this mod if they had assigned personality traits of those same disorders from mods like Basemental or YourFalseHope's traits. However, since those are personality traits and this mod's traits are gameplay traits, I decided to not block your sim from getting the ones from this mod still. I may change this based on feedback, though.
Installation Instructions
1. Install mod HERE. Install the adeepindigo_gameplaymods_divergentsims_core package and script. It's the core required file for this mod.
2. If you want all features of the mod, install all modules. Otherwise, only install the modules for features which you want in your game.
3. Lumpinou's Mood Pack is required for the mod to work
4. Make sure you have the most recent version of the general pie menus
Credits: Thanks so much to DaleRune for the base for the Anorexic and Bulimia disorders.