The patient was far more talkative this morning. It seems he was energized by recent plans his protest group has made for a demonstration outside the courthouse. He said when he first came to Boston, he hoped things would be “different” and society would be “fixed.” But except for his friends at the protest and the co-op, he said he’d seen nothing but abuse by the wealthy and sorrow among the poor. He said that no one sees it – the torture that goes into our fast-food meals, the struggles of the people at the bottom of society, the abuses by the rich and powerful. He hopes this protest will “make people see” what is going on. He hopes it will “wake them up” and cause them to take action.
When I asked “what kind of action?” he began to choose his words more carefully. “Whatever it takes,” he answered. “People will never live the lives they are meant to unless they wake up to the world as it really is.” And if they can’t live the lives they’re meant to? He responded that it’s not really living anyway.
I returned to the topic of his travels, hoping to learn more about his background and family. He was again guarded, but he answered that he was born in London. His family and friends were all dead, he said. Dead a long time ago. His memory of his journey to the US seems to be muddled. Perhaps he has a history of drugs or alcohol abuse? He said “nothing like that” is allowed at the co-op, but I cannot rule out the possibility.
When I asked about his parents specifically, he was more or less indifferent, not hostile or withdrawn as I would expect if there had been some form of child abuse that was causing his current condition. Perhaps it was some other form of authority that hurt him? That would make sense, considering his current interest in protesting.
I am reluctant to recommend medication until I understand his history more fully and the cause of his reticence. I suspect that with time to adjust to his life at the halfway house, he will be able to turn his anger at whatever injustice was committed against him in the past to more constructive ends. His participation in an outlet like protesting suggests that he is willing to work through the pain or guilt of his past by engaging in positive movements for wider social change.
Thoughts?
Dryunya says:
To be honest, he sounds like a generic anti-hero.
Wysp says:
Interesting…I find myself skeptical that he’s using drugs–perhaps his arrival wasn’t entirely voluntary.
Have you asked him what specific activities he’s done aside from attending protests? I’ve heard that getting people to express themselves artistically might help, but I could be wrong.
Lordxana0 says:
I think you might be going about this the wrong way. He seems extremely closed off to other people and obviously has no doubt in his mind that other people are worthless. Try attending his protest. You don’t have to believe what he is doing is right, but you are his psychologist and you should probably get a better idea of what he does in his everyday life. They say that knowing what someone is behind closed doors doesn’t really help know what the person is outside of them.
MindsAndMatters says:
Well, I don’t think anybody is really generic… and anti-hero isn’t exactly a psychiatric diagnosis…
MikeCharlie says:
I don’t think he’s an anti hero. Call me crazy, but I think he reminds me of a certain protagonist from a certain post-apicalyptic science fiction book that I am certain was not written by Dr. Huxley.
In fact, some people following this blog may have even been born on this “date.”
Adell says:
You are not worried by his…comments. I appreciate his passion for changing some of the bad parts of society, but this guy sounds like he could be dangerous. Do you think he could potentially follow through with his ‘whatever it takes’ attitude? What does that even mean?
Slender says:
@MikeCharlie, Are you saying you think he’s Winston Smith?
Wysp says:
If you all would kindly refrain from attempting to identify the patient, as Ms. Matters has expressed her desire to keep his identity from getting out.
That being said, I agree with Adell–his “whatever it takes” attitude could prove to eventually be dangerous, though admittedly not yet.
MindsAndMatters says:
Hi again everyone! It definitely might be worth meeting up with him at one of the protests or at another outside activity to try to connect better, but there are some privacy laws that come into play. We’ll see how his next session goes.
Some of his rhetoric is certainly concerning, but I’ve definitely heard worse – and I’ve heard much more specific threats being made by people who have no intention of carrying them out. It’s possible this passion for change is an outworking of his internal struggle to come to terms with the injustice he mentioned in his past.
And… uh… I don’t read much science fiction, but thanks for commenting!