(adj. Epiphantasmic. This describes the experience itself, however, rather than how the sufferer feels. One is said to 'have an Epiphantasm'.)

An acute suffering caused by the (always false) impression that one's whole life has 'gone wrong', that one has followed a false sign some way back and that nearly everything needs to be changed in order to rectify the situation. The impression usually dawns quite suddenly during a period of negative brooding and convinces the sufferer that any pleasurable occasions they recall were little more than moments of denial during a steady descent into despair. The feeling can be so strong that the sufferer considers drastic measures such as leaving home, destroying all ties, even suicide.

An epiphantasm is frequently caused by a minor or temporary trauma that is difficult to pin down. It is distinct from the multiplicity of sufferings one endures when one's whole life has truly 'gone wrong' and thus it is important to learn to recognise one.