The Personal Craziness Index
The Personal Craziness Index (PCI) was developed by Dr. Patrick Carnes, Ph.D. The method and the term are his work. Seven Tells is an independent app built on the idea, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Dr. Carnes or his publishers. For the original material, read his books.
What It Is
The Personal Craziness Index is a simple self-monitoring practice for recovery. The premise is that big setbacks rarely come out of nowhere. Before a hard day becomes a hard week, the small things tend to slip first: routines get skipped, sleep gets short, you pull away from people, the ordinary maintenance of a life quietly falls off. The PCI makes those early signals visible by asking you to notice them on a regular basis, so you can respond while the cost is still small.
Where It Comes From
The PCI was created by Dr. Patrick Carnes, a pioneering researcher and clinician in the field of addiction and recovery. He introduced it as part of his recovery writing, where it is presented as a daily inventory of personal signs that a person is drifting away from balance. If you want the method in full, and the context it was designed for, his books are the source. Seven Tells does not reproduce his materials; it provides a private place to practice the underlying idea.
How It Works
The practice has three parts:
- Choose your signs. You identify the specific behaviors that, for you, tend to show up first when things start to slide. They are personal. What is a warning sign for one person is unremarkable for another.
- Check in regularly. Each day you note which of those signs were true. The act of looking is most of the value.
- Watch the count, not the day. A single rough day is just a day. A rising count over several days is the signal worth acting on.
What Your Score Means
In Seven Tells you choose seven signs, so a daily score runs from 0 to 7. Lower is calmer. A low and steady line over time suggests your maintenance is holding. A climbing line is an early, gentle prompt to slow down, reach out, and tend to the basics before the pressure builds. The number is information, not a grade. There is no streak to protect and nothing to win.
How Seven Tells Uses It
Seven Tells adapts the PCI into a thirty-second daily habit: pick seven signs, tap the ones that came up, and watch the trend. It adds an optional gut rating of the day, a journal, life-event logging, and gentle reminders, while keeping everything private to your device. See the guide for how each part works.
Seven Tells is a self-awareness tool, not a medical device, and nothing here is medical advice. The PCI supports recovery; it does not replace treatment, a sponsor, or a clinician. If you are in crisis, please contact a qualified professional or your local emergency line.