History Main / UnhappyMedium

* PhonyPsychic Oda Mae Brown from ''Film/{{Ghost}}'' would rather pretend to perceive dead spirits than deal with the trouble of earning her money honestly by hearing ghosts for real.

We [[WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} don't talk about seeing the future]] - even if you avoid [[CassandraDidIt accusations of bringing about the misfortune you foresee]], it will probably [[FaintingSeer do a number on your health]].

We [[WesternAnimation/Encanto don't talk about seeing the future]] - even if you avoid [[CassandraDidIt accusations of bringing about the misfortune you foresee]], it will probably [[FaintingSeer do a number on your health]].

** The Doctor himself in Planet of the Ood.
** Gwyneth in the story "The Unquiet Dead".

* In ''Film/{{Constantine}}'', people with psychic abilities can see demons while they're still children. This tends to get them [[MedicateTheMedium unwanted psychiatric treatment]] if they tell anyone what they see.

* ''Series/{{Millennium}}''[='=]s Frank Black, whose abilities as TheProfiler edge into PsychicPowers territory, is often morose. He'd be more so without his family, and goes into HeroicBSOD (again) after [[spoiler: he's widowed]].

* ''Manga/XxxHolic'' revolves around Watanuki, one of the few people able to see the the myriad of supernatural phenomena that exist in the universe. Unfortunately, said supernatural phenomena are also powerfully attracted to him. Having to constantly fend of creatures that other people can't even see has not had a good impact on his life.

* When Phoebe of ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' first got her empathic powers, she could not control her emotions and shout out anything that she feels around her. It really annoyed her sisters and even caused some very awkward moments at work.

* Stygian in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse was so depressed that only the attention of two dedicated spirits to get him out of bed and eating. [[spoiler: He also gets forgiven for his role in the Sim sabotage which he took part in only so he would get killed.]]

Almost every instance of TheEmpath is this, as empathy generally sucks as a power and really only has the effect of making your life miserable. A [[TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne powerfully]] evil [[ISenseADisturbanceInTheForce disturbance in the force]] can send you [[FaintingSeer falling to the floor]] with a [[PsychicNosebleed bloody nose]], a powerful ghost will [[DemonicPossession take over your body]] far more easily than a {{muggle}}, and the power itself can [[MadOracle drive you mad]] either from [[ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow the knowledge]] it brings or [[TheDarkSide temptation]] it [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity carries]].

* Mages in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series can be insanely powerful, but they're also closer to The Fade (astral plane/dream realm) which is clogged with demons just looking for a host or a [[DealWithTheDevil deal]]. Because the risk of possession or getting DrunkOnTheDarkSide is so high, Mages live as virtual prisoners of ChurchMilitant Templars who ''really'' love to abuse their power, threatening them with fantastic lobotomies, turning them in to sex slaves, killing them if they even ''slightly'' step out of line. But the alternative seems to be letting demon-possessed, AxCrazy, BloodMagic wielding run rampant. One mage character is apologizing to TheMaker just for ''existing'' and another mage flat-wonders why they don't just drown people like him at birth as a more merciful option! Thedas is [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy that kind of]] [[CrapsackWorld world]].

* Hisoka Kurosaki of ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'' describes this trope to a 'T'. His empathy make physical contact painful, to the point that he can even pass out from the overload of emotions/memories/dreams. His parents started young with the ridicule and rejection bit [[spoiler:when they locked him away in the basement as a child]] only letting him out at night.

** Of course, this is what [[spoiler:leads to his rape and eventual murder]] at the hands of BigBad [[spoiler:Kazutaka Muraki]]

* In ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'', Joshua Christopher is [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity driven insane]] by being [[HearingVoices unable to stop reading the minds of those around him]].
** Mary Magdalene also has so many visions about the future that she's forgotten nearly all of her own memories, and in the manga [[spoiler:her powers make her the perfect target for a {{Body Surf}}ing [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demonic]] HiveQueen]].

* Shion, a shrine priestess from ''[[Manga/{{Naruto}} Naruto Shippuden The Movie]]'' is at first glance a brat and a whiner, but in reality she is this way because all her predictions have come true. So that means everyone she had previously loved or cared for has died, and in order to avoid that from ever happening again, she stopped making friends and connections with others.
* ''Manga/XxxHolic'' revolves around Watanuki, one of the few people able to see the the myriad of supernatural phenomena that exist in the universe. Unfortunately, said supernatural phenomena are also powerfully attracted to him. Having to constantly fend of creatures that other people can't even see has not had a good impact on his life.
* The titular character of ''Manga/TheDisastrousLifeOfSaikiK'' has access to seemingly every psychic power in the book, but is unable to shut them off, which has resulted in them robbing his life of any surprise, challenge, or sense of accomplishment. This includes being able to hear the thoughts of everyone around him, but unlike some other examples, he has enough mental fortitude that it's simply an annoyance to him.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': ComicBook/JeanGrey couldn't control her telepathic powers when she was a child, causing her to develop mental problems. Xavier put blocks on her mind designed to let her grow into her powers gradually. Originally the Phoenix wasn't a cosmic entity, but her full potential, unleashed before she was ready for it by extreme duress. Even ''before'' Jason Wyngarde attempted MoreThanMindControl and found out he really, really shouldn't have, Jean had to constantly fight against WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity and was more anti-heroish.
** There's an X-family foe named The Gamesmaster who a Charles Xavier-class telepath. He also can't turn it off, ever. He is aware of ''every'' thought of ''every'' person in the ''entire'' world at all times whether he wants to be or not. Needing a distraction from the constant chatter in his head is what drove him to villainy. Having something he can put all of his focus into is what lets him stay sane; unfortunately, running a DeadlyGame is what he chose.
* Lionel Zerb in ''ComicBook/RisingStars'' can talk to the dead. All the dead in a given area. Or rather they talk to him and generally don't shut up. In any given area there might be thousands of dead trying to talk to him. He's only happy when he's taken to a very remote area no one ever died in.

* In ''Film/{{Push}}'' people with psychic powers are hunted down by the government and forced to work for them. The precognitive "Watchers" in the film have a particularly bad case of this: quite apart from the fact that Cassie feels [[YouCantFightFate powerless in the face of the persistent visions of her death]], Watchers are arguably the most valuable to the government Divisions- as Cassie's mother found out. At present, she's locked up, being kept under a constant flow of sedatives to prevent her from rebelling- to the point that she can't even hold a spoon without assistance.

%%* ''Film/{{Scanners}}''.
* {{Phony psychic}} Oda Mae Brown from ''Film/{{Ghost}}'' would rather pretend to perceive dead spirits than deal with the trouble of earning her money honestly by hearing ghosts for real.
* Creator/MattDamon's character in the Creator/ClintEastwood movie ''Film/{{Hereafter}}'' can communicate with the dead, and hates everything about it.

%%* Sookie in ''Literature/TheSookieStackhouseMysteries''.

* The Happy Medium from ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime'' is called that because she refuses to look at sad things in her crystal ball since it affects her so deeply.
* The Sandleford rabbits expect Fiver to act like this in ''Literature/WatershipDown''; however, once he's reassured that Hazel is going to ''do'' something about his visions of blood and death, Fiver is much calmer and happier. It's most apparent when the rabbits are living on the titular down with no major crises, as many of them consider Fiver to be a source of good level-headed advice.
* Flinx, the protagonist of Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'', spends an awful lot of time bemoaning what a problem his emotional telepathy is.
* [[MakingASplash Watercrafters]] in the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' series are empaths. Sure, they're {{Living Lie Detector}}s, but when they're in an emotionally charged situations they have to work hard to stop other peoples' emotions from leaking over and affecting theirs. At one point Tavi actually managed to escape a watercrafter who was trying to kill him by deliberately giving in to panic, causing her to freak out from the emotional overload.
** Said watercrafter is also AxCrazy due to the fact that her empathic powers hit her at the same time she was kidnapped, had a magical control collar put on her, and was repeatedly raped.
* What if you had ''two'' gifts, but one destroyed your ability to enjoy the other? In ''Polar City Blues'', Mulligan's a former surefire baseball recruit whose career is derailed by the adolescent blossoming of his psychic gifts. All he wants to do is play baseball, but no team will draft him because they're afraid he'll get banned immediately. He can't hide it because all psychics are branded with a red P to protect other people. And as a Blanco (white man) in a Hispanic dominated future, he's got no prospects at all. He's still pretty chipper until he thinks about what he's missing out on.

* Cyndricka in ''{{Literature/The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus}}'' can speak to ghosts and is generally pretty happy about that. She is also homeless (because most living people think she's insane) and mute.

* To say that River Tam in ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' is "unhappy" due to her powers is a ''[[TheWoobie massive]]'' understatement.
* Gwyneth in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "The Unquiet Dead".
** The Doctor himself in Planet of the Ood.
* When Phoebe of ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' first got her empathic powers, she could not control her emotions and shout out anything that she feels around her. It really annoyed her sisters and even caused some very awkward moments at work.
* Lafayette in ''Series/TrueBlood''.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'': Yeul ([[spoiler:and later, Serah]]) possess psychic abilities that force her to view changes up and down the timeline whenever they come into being. Eventually, this results in migraines, fainting and death. But Yeul isn't all that bothered. It's her guardian ''Caius'' that's [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds extremely unhappy about this]].
* Mages in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series can be insanely powerful, but they're also closer to The Fade (astral plane/dream realm) which is clogged with demons just looking for a host or a [[DealWithTheDevil deal]]. Because the risk of possession or getting DrunkOnTheDarkSide is so high, Mages live as virtual prisoners of ChurchMilitant Templars who ''really'' love to abuse their power, threatening them with fantastic lobotomies, turning them in to sex slaves, killing them if they even ''slightly'' step out of line. But the alternative seems to be letting demon-possessed, AxCrazy, BloodMagic wielding run rampant. One mage character is apologizing to TheMaker just for ''existing'' and another mage flat-wonders why they don't just drown people like him at birth as a more merciful option! Thedas is [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy that kind of]] [[CrapsackWorld world]]
* A milder Creator/BioWare example is Dawn Star from ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' who is seen as strange and scares people a little because of her ability to see and talk to spirits. Otherwise, she is one of the nicest people in the party and the [[PlayerCharacter Spirit Monk]] can encourage her to make peace with her abilities. In the same game is Wild Flower, a little girl possessed by ''two'' demons. One of them is a big, LawfulGood, shaggy guy she thinks of as her friend. The other torments her and wants to do wicked things, causing her a lot of pain. [[spoiler: The PlayerCharacter evicts one of the demons in favor of another, and if you choose the tormenting demon, her ending shows that she has gone mad from the torture]].
* Seems to be the fate of every medium in the [[VideoGame/TheBlackwellSeries Blackwell Series]] as going around and helping wandering spirits move on to the afterlife ends up being a full-time job that requires them to effectively give up ever having their own lives. Every medium in the series appears to be bitter, resentful, or just plain empty other than the main character, Rosa.

* Faen of ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' demonstrates the downsides of having empathy, since even though her mother is a powerful empath Faen's own powers aren't well controlled, and make her especially sensitive to demons and other people's pain.

* The "demon seed" mediums in ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'' often went insane from the constant torment from demons taunting them and showing them Hell. Most of the sane ones kept their powers secret, since nobody will want to hear "your relatives are burning in a river of lava for all eternity, and so will you." However, humans find ways to block out the messages, and uses them to open portals to invade Hell.

* When Phoebe of ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' first got her empathic powers, she could not control her emotions and shout out anything that she feels around her. It really annoyed her sisters and even caused some very awkward moments at work.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'' gives us Sollux, who can hear the wails of the imminently deceased (which presumably has something to do with his generally pessimistic personality; he gets a lot happier after he is blinded and can't hear them anymore) and Aranea, who remarks that her empathic abilities allowed her to feel everything the other characters felt about her, good or bad, which left her feeling isolated and quite lonely.

* The Happy Medium from ''AWrinkleInTime'' is called that because she refuses to look at sad things in her crystal ball since it affects her so deeply.
* The Sandleford rabbits expect Fiver to act like this in ''WatershipDown''; however, once he's reassured that Hazel is going to ''do'' something about his visions of blood and death, Fiver is much calmer and happier. It's most apparent when the rabbits are living on the titular down with no major crises, as many of them consider Fiver to be a source of good level-headed advice.

See also AMindIsATerribleThingToRead

* People with psychic powers in ShamanKing risk being isolated and physically hurt by ghosts because of their abilities.

* In the ''TabletopGame/DeltaGreen'' supplement ''Countdown'', characters with psychic powers are in big trouble. Their information gathering abilities make it easier for them to see things related to the CthulhuMythos, which causes them to lose Sanity (and go insane) even faster than regular investigators.

* Flinx, the protagonist of Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''HumanxCommonwealth'', spends an awful lot of time bemoaning what a problem his emotional telepathy is.

* Faen of ''{{Drowtales}}'' demonstrates the downsides of having empathy, since even though her mother is a powerful empath Faen's own powers aren't well controlled, and make her especially sensitive to demons and other people's pain.

* While passing through a busy courtyard, Dowager Queen Jehana in ''[[{{Deryni}} The King's Justice]]'' catches the thoughts of the assassins who are planning to attack her brother-in-law Nigel. She agonizes over whether or not to warn him (and save his life) since she believes her Deryni powers are evil (and a threat to her soul).

* The titular character of ''[[Manga/TheDisastrousLifeOfSaikiK]]'' has access to seemingly every psychic power in the book, but is unable to shut them off, which has resulted in them robbing his life of any surprise, challenge, or sense of accomplishment. This includes being able to hear the thoughts of everyone around him, but unlike some other examples, he has enough mental fortitude that it's simply an annoyance to him.

* ''Film/{{Scanners}}''.

* Sookie in ''Literature/TheSookieStackhouseMysteries''.

* The titular character of ''[[Manga/ChounouryokushaSaikiKusuoNoSainan The Disaster of PSI Kusuo Saiki]]'' has access to seemingly every psychic power in the book, but is unable to shut them off, which has resulted in them robbing his life of any surprise, challenge, or sense of accomplishment. This includes being able to hear the thoughts of everyone around him, but unlike some other examples, he has enough mental fortitude that it's simply an annoyance to him.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', most psykers end up being consumed by the Astronomican or the Golden Throne as a sacrifice. Of course, if you're not put in that, you may [[YourHeadASplode have your head explode]], of turn to chaos, or be possessed by a chaos daemon...

* ''AmericanDragonJakeLong'' features two sisters who can see the future. One sees only good things, but is constantly glum because she's no longer surprised or happy when the prediction actually happens. The other sees only bad things, but is [[StepfordSmiler constantly cheery]] because any moment she's not around misery seems good in comparison.

->''"Imagine there was a door to the [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace realm of Daemons]], and the slightest inattention on your behalf would see them batter it down and rip you to shreds. Now imagine that door is [[YourHeadASplode inside your head]]. That is what being a Psyker is like."''