Mental Defect

I suffer from what can only be described as a mental defect. I literally explode mid-tourneys after playing an otherwise decent game. I
don't think I'm the only one, so I am seeking advice from others
who have overcome this same defect.

You know the routine. You play well, or as well as you can play. Then,
for no reason you can explain, you decide to go insane in a hand you
have no business going out in, and blow off half or better of your stack.

That is a mental defect, a serious flaw -- same thing we see in chess
when after an otherwise great game the player looses the thread of the game
and is soon crushed.

I don't think it is necessary to give example hands, if you have suffered
this fate -- and I'm sure you have -- then you know exactly what I am
talking about.

Why do I go insane mid-tourney and blow off my chips? Is it as simple
as an inability to focus for long periods of time? Is it pressure? My ego? What makes me go crazy?

What do you do to help avoid these "blackouts"?

thanks

I find that such things usually spring from boredom/inactivity/frustration after a string of unplayable hands or missed flops.

I keep focus by listening to music and by following the play closely, making notes etc. when I am not myself in the pot.

Trying to put each of the remaining players on a hand, and then checking at showdown to see how close you were, is an interesting little game (as well as developing a useful skill).

Also, I very often play in two tournies at the same time. This helps combat boredom and resist any tendency towards brain fade.