The One with the Paranoid Legal Eagle

Paranoid schizophrenia is characterized by delusions of a persecutory and grandiose nature, as well as suspiciousness. A patient with this diagnosis would probably receive a poor prognosis.

T wears a puzzled smile on his face 24/7. He is short and slender, with big, round eyes. He looks like Fred Armisen. An attorney, T believes Nebraska's legal system is corrupt. He just might be right.

T is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He was previously arrested for, no joke, stalking judges here in Lincoln. I assume T is in Building 10 because the LRC is the alternative to jail. T is proof that people with a college degree and a decent head on their shoulders can wind up in a psychiatric hospital, if only for a short period of time.

R, also diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, believes that he is working for the U.S. government. According to his chart, R spends hours on end in his room, where he "prepares documents." But R is "sworn to secrecy," so the content of his writing remains a mystery. I imagine R to be obsessed with the Vietnam War and combat, but that's just me.

R likes pitch. The card game. When R and another patient, Filbert, taught me how to play pitch last week, the two of them received kudos from staff because they had participated in a leisure activity.

Shifting gears...

After several grueling weeks in Building 10, Rudorf is a new man. He even got a haircut. Recently, I told Rudorf he looks like Tim Allen, and this remark brought an unlikely smile to his face, which made me feel good about myself.

Rudorf wrote a love letter the other night. He then submitted it to a female staff member. Eventually, I read what we wrote.

wasn't crude nor grossly self-indulgent; he confessed his female social worker made him horny, that he was attracted to her. He also confessed he thought he might be gay and that a sound relationship between himself and this social worker would never, could never, materialize. I found the letter insightful. Never before had I actually read anything a patient had written.

Is Rudorf depressed because his sexuality is unclear at such an advanced age in life? He is over 50 after all. Or is it the constipation? I hope all is well for Rudorf in the future.