The Psychotic Delusion
We all know, or think we know, what being "mad" means.
"Mad" people do "crazy" things, think crazy thoughts.
But I don't think I can emphasize too strongly that the psychotic
delusion, especially in the early stages of psychosis, is often
plausible. When someone like Emma (see previous post)
complains about her flatmates talking about her, or watching her,
she could be right. After all, people are talked about, people are
watched.
She could even be right when she says that her neighbours
threatened her. There are "neighbours from hell", as we all know
— especially if we have watched the television program of that
name. That is why it is so easy to be taken in, to accept what the
person says, to go along with the psychotic delusion.
If someone appears "cool, calm and collected", and tells you that
he is the victim of a vendetta, why shouldn't you believe him?
You might even feel sorry for him, and suggest a legal remedy for
his predicament.
Sometimes a considerable length of time has to pass before one
becomes suspicious. One hears the complaint too often, in too
many situations. Or the allegations become extraordinary, and
start to strain credulity. Or the people they are levelled at are
people you know to be fair and reasonable.
When I was making my assessment of my daughter's mental
condition, I did something that almost no social worker,
psychologist or psychiatrist does: I tracked down as many of
Tessa's former friends and associates as I could, and questioned
them at length.
I even traced a former friend to Western Australia, and was
impressed by what she said. As soon as I introduced myself, she
blurted out: "What on earth happened to Tessa?"
She then explained that she had initially believed Tessa's stories
about her victimization by the members of her sports club. Her
response, she said, had been one of "Poor Tessa. How awful for
her". But she said that when Tessa told her that her (Tessa's)
parents had turned against her, "I knew that something was
wrong, because you were always so close".
The above post was originally written on February 15, 2005.
