Case 35: Entry 1

Today I received a rather unusual client. For one thing, he had no idea who I am. Elijah Hewlett was referred to me by Dr. Vasquez, a psychiatrist whom I've helped out a few times. I've also played the client for him on several occasions after various disturbing encounters. In fact, if the strange man knocking on my door hadn't mentioned Dr. Vasquez I probably would have slammed the door in his face. I have an office in the front of my house, but I hardly ever meet clients there and this is the first time I have ever sat with one who hadn't contacted me online or by phone beforehand. When Mr. Hewlett mentioned the good doctor, I stopped trying to get rid of him and decided to indulge my curiosity.

"What exactly did Dr. Vasquez tell you about me?" I asked.

"Nothing, really," said Mr. Hewlett. "Just your address, that you're some kind of specialist, and that I should go in with an open mind."

"That..." I said. "That's some good advice."

After that, we sat down in my office and I asked him why exactly Dr. Vasquez referred him to me. Mr. Hewlett explained that he has struggled with schizophrenia since he was a child. He hears voices,  has panic attacks, has various physical ticks, endures a myriad of other small and sporadic symptoms, and has seen a small tormenter in a handful of impish forms. Apparently whenever the creature appears to him it speaks with the same voice regardless of whether its shape is avian, insectile, or a dwarfed version of some loved one or associate. Once we had finished with the overview of his symptoms, we talked about Dr. Vasquez's most recent course of treatment and the results. In fact, the doctor had given Mr. Hewlett some notes to pass onto me containing specific details such as the name of the prescription.

"Mr. Hewlett," I said after I had double checked all the information. "This prescription is a placebo. Moreover, the exercises you've been doing--the walks and the meditative routines--are all about relieving stress. They're not about managing the way you think or examining your experiences and ideas or grounding your sense of self in place and time. In other words, I believe that for the last few months, Dr. Vasquez has been treating your treatment."

I chuckled at my own wording, but Mr. Hewlett just stared at me blankly.

"What I mean," I added. "Is that Dr. Vasquez has been treating the stress and biochemical chaos of all the medication and haphazard therapy you've experienced. And it looks like it was working. Virtually all your symptoms have gone down, apart from the hallucinations that is."

"The hallucinations are kind of the bigger deal," said Mr. Hewlett in the sort of voice he might use with a child. "I mean, they're what make me schizophrenic."

"About that," I said. "I've got some good news and bad news. The good news is that you are completely sane. The bad news is that the voices are real."

There were several moments of silence as I let that sink in. I was starting to think that I'd done the big reveal exactly right, and then Mr. Hewlett got up and wordlessly and quickly strode out of my office.

I might need to work on my people skills.