The fellow laughed aggressively and said, “Wadaya want, Rabbi? You trying to save his soul?”
My new patient Yonasan Goldberg, an adult male with treatment-resistant chronic schizophrenia, believes that I’m Eliyahu Hanavi. He spends his days at the local aquarium talking to the cuttlefish, yet he feels threatened by an alleged neighbor he’s convinced is wicked King Achav — Eliyahu Hanavi’s nemesis. With Yonasan so clearly and totally delusional, it’s hard to decipher the parts of his life that are real. Actually, it’s often a fine line for all of us. PART II
I was considering various therapy protocols for Yonasan, wondering if he’d respond to any of them, when he swept into my office and handed me a business card. It said “Yonasan Wilkes Sleuth: Gumshoe and First-Rate Mensch.”
“I thought you would want proof that it’s me,” he said. “It’s not like I’m in the witness protection program or anything like that.”
I was having a hard time following his train of thought, but hey, as long as he wasn’t dangerous….”
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