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What makes each sign lose their MIND.
By Trudi Mentior — Written on Oct 31, 2017
It’s one thing to say that your boyfriend is driving you crazy or to ask your friend if she’s insane when she talks about quitting her job to go live in the woods. Real mental illness is another thing entirely, and it’s nothing to joke about.
Does insanity show up in an astrology chart? Yes and no. The chart tells us a lot about the challenges that someone faces, including indicators of health problems of all kinds. A close examination of one’s birth chart, which shows the natal planets and the aspects between them, reveals a lot about what makes them feel frustrated or depressed.
Another type of chart, the Progressive, will even show us the times in someone’s life during which they might face the greatest danger of a mental breakdown.
Sometimes a bad relationship will cause severe mental health issues. A Synastry chart, which is a combination of two people’s birth charts, can show whether or not your latest love interest is likely to literally drive you crazy over time.
Mental health is complicated and certainly goes much deeper than someone’s zodiac sign. Much of it has to do with a person’s attitude, their horoscope, and their relationships with their family and friends.
Just because we see signs of insanity in someone’s chart doesn’t guarantee that they’re going to lose their mind. However, because the Sun sign is a general overview of the personality, it’s a good place to start when you’re wondering what would push someone so far that they would need to seek professional help.
Speaking of professional help, if you or someone you know is battling mental illness, please don’t hesitate to find a good therapist. Astrology is fun and quite helpful, but it should never be used in place of a trained doctor or psychiatrist.
Here's what drives the zodiac signs insane the most.
ARIES (March 21 - April 19)
Aries needs action. They have trouble with complicated situations that require subtlety and finesse. Ruled by Mars, the planet of battle, Aries’ fuse is already short, and they prefer instant gratification to patience. Give them enough obstacles that they can’t just smash their way through will derail them pretty quickly.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
Taurus is known for stubbornness, materialistic values, and a need for security. They’re pretty good at taking care of themselves and planning for the future, but prolonged periods of poverty or financial uncertainty will turn Taurus into a jittery mess.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
Gemini is associated with the nervous system, so they’re naturally high-anxiety. They need people around to help them feel connected to reality. Solitude amplifies Gemini’s nervous temperament, but even worse is when they’re with a group of people that they just can’t seem to communicate with.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
Cancer is the sign of the home and family. Usually very private people, Cancer has a fragile sense of self and they require a few deep relationships with people that they can trust completely. Without these emotional outlets, Cancer’s naturally depressive nature turns in on itself and they’ll retreat even farther into their shell.
LEO (July 23 - August 22)
On the outside, Leo seems confident and self-satisfied, but that masks a constant need to be told that they’re loved and appreciated. When Leo feels ignored for too long or has to deal with too much criticism, you’ll see their behavior become more and more erratic as they try to figure out how to regain the attention and adoration that they need.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
Picky, detail-oriented Virgo is susceptible to obsessive-compulsive disorders. They simply cannot stand chaos in their environment. A Virgo who is unable to put things in some logical order and keep them there is bound for a breakdown.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
Libra loves peace and beauty. Make no mistake: they won’t run away from a nasty fight when something they care about is at stake. Libra will even go to war if that’s what it takes to correct an imbalance.
However, if the battle lasts so long that it becomes the normal state of their world, with no negotiations in sight, Libra loses hope and their mind sinks into despair.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21)
In spite of Scorpio’s emotional intensity, they actually have a pretty good handle on sanity (at least, their own definition of it, that is). Scorpio is very much in control of their own mind and heart. They don’t crack easily, unless they’re forced to spill all their secrets.
When Scorpio finds all their layers stripped bare, their innermost thoughts and feelings exposed to someone they don’t trust, the sense of vulnerability can break them.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)
Sagittarius is blessed with the mental flexibility to deal with almost everything, no matter how sad or scary. The only thing that they cannot cope with for long is boredom. A Sagittarius trapped in a dead-end job or relationship won’t take long to explode.
When life never changes and there’s no chance to learn or experience new things, Sagittarius will find a way to force the issue, even if they have to sacrifice their sanity.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
Capricorn is a goal-oriented, results-driven, no-nonsense sign. They’ll spend years diligently planning their path to success and working hard to make sure it happens.
Always logical and rational, Capricorn is one of the least likely signs to have a mental breakdown, unless something goes terribly wrong with their plans. Long-term dedication doesn’t always ensure success even if you do everything right, and for Capricorn, failure is the worst thing that could happen.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
You might think that Aquarius is already insane. The most eccentric sign of the zodiac, they always seem to be operating on the fringes of reality. Aquarius is concerned with the whole world — they want to make everything better for everyone on the planet.
Sometimes the state of the world seems very bleak, almost like our society is going backward. Aquarius needs to remind themselves that we are making progress, however slowly, or they’ll become overwhelmed by the apparent dystopian nightmare.
PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
Pisces relates to everything and everyone through their emotions, making them already prone to instability. On top of that, they tend to be empathic — they can sense what others are feeling and share these emotions as if they were their own.
Pisces needs to be very aware of the boundary between their hearts and the rest of the world because they can easily become emotionally over-stimulated and lose themselves in the chaotic, confusing mess.
Trudi Mentior grew up in Great Falls, Montana, where she spent her formative years wondering just what might be beyond those vast plains, on the other side of those distant mountains. She now lives in Vancouver, Washington, with her husband, three cats, and a loudmouthed hyacinth macaw (who loves to scare the cats).