Psychiatrist (also known as Psycho) is a party game in which all but one player takes the role of a patient suffering from the same affliction, and the remaining player is a psychiatrist who must diagnose them with a series of indirect questions.
The players sit in a circle, with one player sitting in the middle of the circle. The player in the middle is the "psychiatrist", and the players in the circle are the "patients". Before the game starts, the patients must agree on a common affliction, such as being afraid of the dark, or believing themselves to be a particular film star. The psychiatrist must leave the room while this affliction is discussed and decided.
The psychiatrist then returns, and attempts to diagnose the collective illness by asking indirect questions to each patient in turn ("Do you prefer the daytime or the nighttime?" rather than "Is your illness related to light?"). Patients can convey hints in their behavior as much as their answers.
If a patient gives an answer which is inconsistent with the agreed affliction, or is a lie, the other patients should shout "Psychiatrist!", and the answering patient swaps seats with the patient who shouted first. This game mechanic may be invoked voluntarily if the psychiatrist's questions are being too direct - for example, if the psychiatrist has worked out that the shared delusion is that of being a film star and asks one of the patients "What is your name?", that patient may choose to lie, knowing that another will then shout "Psychiatrist!"[1]
The continues until the psychiatrist correctly identifies the patients' ailment.
