I think the real, primary qualification for the Psychotic Fan is that they have no realization when they've gone too far. In other words, when they take the thing they're Fanning about so seriously that they are no longer capable of even accepting that other people might think they're weird.

To help with proper Fan identification, we here at the department of extraneous levels and tables have constructed the following Fan-O-Meter to rate how dangerously whacked a given Fan is.

1.	Casual Fan	Acknowledges that anime has it's moments, and will watch if other people are. Would rather knaw off own leg than have anything to do with fringe stuff such as Sailor Moon.
2.	Fan	Occasionally pokes about in "fan material" in 'zines and web pages. Owns a few commercial tapes. Pokes fun at hard-core fans. If local to an anime club, attends meetings whenever they're showing something cool and there's nothing better to do.
3.	Big Fan	Owns a few fan subtitled tapes. Occasionally takes part in "fan politics" discussions such as wether Lopa should be strung up by her toes, wether fan-subbing is 'moral', and on the merits of sub vs. dub. Pokes fun at hard-core fans. Will watch 'fringe stuff' like Sailor Moon and 'Doji, but will be a bit uncomfortable in doing so, and will generally poke fun at it.
4.	Big, big fan	Chibi otaku. Owns many subtitled tapes. If in college, also owns a TV and VCR setup -- and does watch things other than anime on it. Sometimes. Can talk for hours and sometimes days about "fan politics" issues. If local to an anime club, attends every meeting unless there's something utterly cool that takes their attention away from anime. Pokes fun at "hardcore" fans somewhat half-heartedly, as the jokes are starting to get close to home. Will watch 'fringe stuff', and secretly kinda like it. Will generally have a few posters of 'mainstream' anime on their walls. Attends Cons whenever possible.
5.	Big, big, big fan. Otaku	Owns enough anime tapes to stun unprepared observers. Is generally either an officer in the local club, or the President. Gets heated up to the point of violence by "fan politics" issues. Is recognized by name on most anime newsgroups. At this level, may actually have attracted followers of lesser fanboy nature by sheer magnitude of fannitude. Pokes fun at "casual" fans. Openly hostile to anyone who pocks fun at the One True Medium. Has a pocky stick or two on their person whenever possible. Unabashadly a fan of 'fringe stuff'. If female, will often dress as Sailor Moon or other 'fringe' characters. Has large, expensive, full-wall posters of their favorite, generally fairly obscure, show.
6.	Huge fan	Has connections with every fan-subtitler around. Will often subtitle their own tapes. Owns multiple laser disc players and large numbers of subtitled Laser discs. Has a non-trivial amount of people who follow them around because they're such a big fan. Openly scornful of "fanboys", and incapable of realizing that they are one. Maintains at least one or more standing good-natured feuds with people whose tastes in anime run counter to theirs (ie Mecha Fans vs Sentai Fans). Has life-sized wall hangings of the entire cast of their favorite series. Is not only the President of the local club, but the acknowledged authority on anime in the area. Attends so many conventions that they're considering buying a house in California to live at during "Con Season".
7.	Ludicrous Fan. Otaking	Their home anime-watching theatre is so superb that it costs more than their house. Are considering attempting to get THX accredition. Are attempting to subsidize UPS by having daily packages from Japan sent to them. Speaks Japanese fluently, working on learning Zentran. Knows more about the Far East than the people who live there. Has everything -- *everything* that relates in any way to their favorite show, including the $1000-value B-Club Special that went out of print before they had even become a fan, and the complete set of animation cells that were smuggled out of AIC headquarters by a ninja commando team. Is far too cool to get involved in any "lesser" affairs. Feels completely comfortable dressing as a Sailor Senshi (even if male). Owns property near every major con area, and lives off the rent from those places when it's not "Con Season". Considering funding terrorist attacks on dubbing studios. Completely and utterly insanely addicted to anime.
8.	Burned-Out Fan	No longer capable of prying themselves away from the television for more than 10 minutes at a time. Has replaced 50-80% of their body's fluids with caffeine. A living repository of all anime knowledge. Is insane enough to put most 'lesser' fans off of anime forever merely by presence. Possible head of underground religious cult or other such wackiness. Terminal sleep deprivation has convinced them that they are the reincarnation of their favorite character. Spends almost every waking second submerged in a world of anime. Memorizes soundtracks in their sleep.