Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Five (5) Four (4) active instances of SCP-XXXX-1 are to be kept for study in Site-19, folded inside a plastic clear container. The container sits on top of a table within an empty room with access given only to Level 1 and 2 personnel. The contents of SCP-XXXX-1 should not be read in any way except through a photocopy as copies of the notes do not have the anomalous properties of the originals. Level 1 personnel are to empty the liquid substance out of the container once a week to prevent overflowing. Other instances of SCP-XXXX-1 are to be neutralized.

If a personnel becomes an instance of SCP-XXXX-2 and is only within the early stages, they will be given psychiatric therapy and will be put on leave for a month. Other personnel are encouraged to show support and care to the affected individual. After they have recovered and are cleared of the effects, they will be given a psychiatric evaluation before being allowed to resume their duty. Personnel who have reached the advanced stages and/or have not recovered after therapy will be administered Class-B amnestics and are forbidden to return to the containment area of SCP-XXXX.

Another SCP-XXXX-1 outbreak was never reported again at the designated place of origin, but as a precaution, the Foundation asked the local government to post suicide hotlines across the town as well as mental clinics.

The Foundation is to monitor suicide rates across the world in order to ensure no new outbreak of SCP-XXXX-1 begins again.

Description: SCP-XXXX-1 are suicide notes written by an instance of SCP-XXXX-2 first brought to the attention of the Foundation in 2/10/20██. A mass suicide has been reported at a town in ██████, ██████, United States with a total of 4,534 fatalities. The first reported cases of suicide were that of students from ███████ ████ High School, followed by most of the students' family members a few days after.

Due to depression and suicidal tendencies being a common emotional reaction to the loss of a loved one and the suicide cases that followed shortly were ruled coincidences by the local police department, the incident progressed unnoticed by the Foundation for months. The incident was finally put under investigation by the Foundation when the town's death toll reached almost 3,564, with the local businesses and production crashing due to workers losing morale.

SCP-XXXX-1 instances are written on non-anomalous papers with varying messages. Subjects who are within the vicinity of an instance of SCP-XXXX-1 will experience an unexplained feeling of guilt towards the individual who had written that instance even without having any relation. Subjects will somehow know the name of the individual and their method of suicide despite having no prior knowledge regarding the matter.

Active SCP-XXXX-1 instances produce clear liquid substance identical to that of human tears from the handwriting, containing small DNA samples identical to those of the SCP-XXXX-2 instance. The papers remain dry and do not show any sign of damage even after being submerged in the liquid. Instances leak this liquid constantly at a slow-rate, being able to fill up a small box within a week. If an instance is held by a person, it will stop producing the liquid and will show no signs of being drenched.

If a subject views the content of an instance of SCP-XXXX-1, within seeing the first word of the first sentence, the person will immediately be unable to stop reading the rest of the letter. Though they have claimed that they were reading the instance willingly, brain scan showed peculiar brain activity during the fact. After having its message has been read, the instance will become inactive, losing all of its anomalous properties and will become a standard note, perfectly capable of being erased and damaged.

Immediately after reading the letter, the subject will begin to breakdown in a state of emotional stress. The subject will now be known hereafter as SCP-XXXX-2. SCP-XXXX-2 will show a progressing state of major depressive disorder, resulting in loss of appetite, fatigue, anxiety breakdowns, self-doubt, insomnia, self-harm, and in some cases, hallucinations. Few subjects displayed severe aggression and self-mutilation.

At the early stages of the effect, SCP-XXXX-2 will constantly talk about the previous deceased instance, usually, by praising them, as well as mentioning events they should have no knowledge of. The symptoms will later transition from guilt for the previous instance to self-doubt. Instances will lose their grip on reality and will find no motivation to do mundane activities and self-grooming, they will occasionally slip into a state of dissociation. The skin will become pale along with periorbital hyperpigmentation due to lack of sleep brought on by insomnia as the subject becomes mentally damaged, often being described by subjects as "feeling sucked dry out of something", severe weight loss due to poor appetite, and lastly, suicidal tendencies. SCP-XXXX-2 will write its own instance of SCP-XXXX-1, after which the instance will take its own life. In one case, a subject grabbed a gun, shot Researcher XXXXX, before terminating itself on the spot.

The progression of SCP-XXXX-1's effects vary between the subjects. A D-Class personnel only survived one (1) week without treatment while Researcher John ██████, who was accidentally exposed to an instance of SCP-XXXX-1, lasted ten (10) months.

Recovery is possible and the procedures are usually always successful depending on the stage.

Treatments for early stages include; psychiatric therapy, physical contact with SCP-999, and basic anti-depressants.

The advanced stages require Class-B amnestics as recovery becomes increasingly difficult due to uncooperative and/or aggressive behavior.

After recovery from early stages, SCP-XXXX-2 instances become happier and have a far more positive outlook in life for an amount of time, but will eventually return to a normal state. Instances who are completely recovered will be relieved from the designation of SCP-XXXX-2 and are allowed to resume their duties.

Addendum 1: SCP-XXXX - Close Researcher John ██████ was found hanged in his office with his prized leather belt. An instance of SCP-XXXX-1 written by Researcher ██████ was found folded on his desk. Researcher ██████ was considered by many as optimistic and carefree with a sense of humor. ██████ was a husband and a father to an only child. ██████ was assigned to SCP-XXXX in the previous year and overlooked the study for a few months. ██████'s colleagues did not report any changes in his behavior but was noted to have been more energetic and talkative, as well as giving advice to new personnel. ██████ was last seen alive attending his child's graduation ceremony before taking his own life in his office the following day. Investigation after his death led to a journal being found under his office desk. ██████'s entries in the journal revealed he was accidentally exposed to an instance of SCP-XXXX-1 after studying the items alone and started to experience major depressive disorder. However, ██████ may have resisted to hide the symptoms in order to keep personnel morale up and to be able to survive long enough to attend his only child's graduation. ██████ recorded his experience under the effects of SCP-XXXX-1 for use for future research. He expressed guilt for a man named Rick ███, who was an engineer working for ███████ Co. He noted this as being strange has he had no idea who this man was. ██████ wrote that he left flowers on Mr. ███'s burial site. As the symptoms progress, he reported increasingly intensifying anxiety and sensations of hopelessness but later reported the feelings of bliss and contentment after surviving long enough to see his son graduate. Despite this, however, ██████ took his own life at 7:43 pm, Saturday, 3/14/20██. ██████'s SCP-XXXX-1 instance is now one of five (5) active instances kept in the Foundation's care inside its own container separate from the original four instances. It has now become a memorial as personnel leave tributes in ██████'s honor. Researcher John ██████'s findings were able to let the Foundation know that the effects were curable. "We could have saved him if he asked for help, but he didn't. He didn't want us to worry about him, he knew he led a good life. This makes me wonder just how many good people out there are suffering, and we're not even noticing it." - Doctor █████ Lim

Addendum 2: SCP-XXXX - Close On 3/24/20██, what is believed to be the first instance of SCP-XXXX-1 was recovered in a house in ██████, ██████. Instance belonged to a teenage boy named Ken ████, who was reported to have been a social outcast in school with a history of being a victim of hazing and physical assault. Not much is known about Ken ████ as he was reported to have not spoken to anyone in his campus and lived alone in an apartment. Searches for ████'s parents were proven unsuccessful. The possibility of Ken ████ being an orphan is considered. Students claimed Ken ████ was always seen alone during and after class hours and was constantly being victimized by other students. The instance is no longer active, but was discovered, drenched, in a bucket full of the same substance that leaks out of an active instance. Ken ████ may have written multiple instances of SCP-XXXX-1 to be sent to other students as well as his family, with the recovered inactive instance kept in his room for an unknown reason. Beneath is the message of Ken ████'s inactive SCP-XXXX-1 instance I have lost my battle with hatred. I yearn for the deaths of those who hurt me, but I do not wish to think such thoughts. Kind. That's all I ever wanted to be. Kind. I want to be kind. Every single day and every single moment, nobody sees me, nobody notices me. Nobody looks up to me, nobody greets me. What I am instead is a mockery of what a person should be and I suffer for it every day, even though it's not my fault. Hatred is the only thing I received throughout my life, and I think it's going to end with it as well. This feeling of hatred, it's something I can never forgive myself for feeling. There are good people out there, I just can't see them anymore.

Addendum 3: SCP-XXXX - Close Agent Christian █████ was exposed to the contents of an early SCP-XXXX-1 instance during the recovery of the original four (4) instances. Agent █████ was reported to have become an alcoholic and reckless during dangerous tasks. Agent █████ taunted SCP-173 during a containment breach until other agents apprehended him and returned SCP-173 into containment. Agent █████ was later found roaming Site-██ after arguing with a female partner, drunken and irritable. He walked past SCP-999's pen, which caused the said SCP to sense Agent █████'s condition. SCP-999 followed Agent █████ to the cafeteria where it gently clung onto his leg and looked up to him while producing cooing noises. Agent █████ yelled at SCP-999 to get away from him, but it gently climbed up to his torso and poked his cheek with a pseudopod similar to a kiss, which it then used to caress his cheek. Agent █████ broke down and fell onto his knees, letting SCP-999 hold him. Agent █████ was later sent to therapy and is now once again in working condition with a healthy mental health. Agent █████ later proposed to his partner. This incident led to the discovery of the effectiveness of SCP-999 in countering the effects of SCP-XXXX-1 Who would've thought an SCP that causes sadness would lead to a man marrying the love of his life? -Researcher Jake ████