My How You Have Changed...

One of my favorite clients was a woman who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. It had taken a bit for us to actually connect. Remember, she was paranoid.  The first time we ‘met’, I had to stand outside (or sit in my car) on a chilly and gray afternoon while she decided whether I was safe for her to open the door to.  She called the crisis center and asked them. I was already on the phone with them also because I knew that she was probably talking to them. (I knew that she had somewhat of a relationship with the crisis team.  I expected her to give them a call.)  It took a couple of hours (I think) for her to decide that I could hand her the medicine, which was in a blister pack and not something I could have done anything to anyway. I would also like to point out that I was not the most intimidating person in the world.  I am short and female.  And I looked like a ‘Mom’.  I was even wearing casual wear: T-shirt, tennis shoes and jeans.  With most folks, I wouldn’t be all that frightening. Certainly not two hours of reassurance worth. Sigh. But that is mental illness. It takes a great deal of effort to make the smallest amount of progress.

I was able to get to know her family during the time I worked with her.  Her Mom, who was over 80 years old at the time, was worried about how she would be taken care of once she (the Mom) passed away. I am mentioning this because I got to know more about the progression of this woman’s illness than I did with most of my clients. Her Mom told me all about it. It was truly sad. And probably very typical. When my client was in her late teens and very early 20’s, she was an intelligent and accomplished young woman. She was a championship tennis player. (In local championships.) She was dating. And she was starting business school. Sounds like a young woman living an ideal life, yes?  It was. I once saw a picture of my client from that time. And she was very pretty.  She was slender, blonde and with an almost classic kind of beauty. The kind of young woman people might envy. She was intelligent and talented.  And she had a great personality. (Even mentally ill she was pretty nice, once you got past the doorkeeper of the paranoia.)

So, what happened? She began to experience the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia.  It seemed to her Mother that it happened over just a few weeks.  And she turned into what I found when I began to work with her. She didn’t dress well. Basically, she had no personal hygiene. And she lived in a condo that was as filthy as she usually was. I truly recognized this woman the minute I met her...


To be continued...