The inability to distinguish between reality and imagination is called Delusional Disorder. There are different classifications. The Erotomanic type presents as delusions of love; a person with this type believes that another person is in love with him or her. The Persecutory type presents as delusions of imminent threats or harm; a person with this type believes that they are being mistreated or spied on.
It is easy to give into delusions. When things happen, no matter how small, that reinforce the things we believe to be true, it is easy to accept it as reality. We all give into delusion and self deception because it is so easy. It becomes a disorder when the delusion interferes with a person’s ability to function normally (whatever that word means to the individual). Delusions can be a symptom of something more serious, but the Delusional disorder classification lacks the bizarre element; they are realistic or believable delusions that don’t involve monsters or something fantastical.
I wonder if the appearance of Delusional disorder is a consequence of a person’s life experience. If a person lives in a heightened state of anxiety, maybe in war or in prison, they are trained to look out for threats that could lead to a fatal outcome. If a person is ever removed from that environment, it is possible that they could retain the edginess that they had previously honed and then become afflicted with delusions of threats in a safe environment. But this is sounding more like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Maybe there is overlap. Or maybe some people just see life differently and as a result they interpret things in the wrong way which leads to misunderstandings.
Dr. Eakran’s office in the IBF basement is an impressive space. His desk is almost regal and when he sits behind it, he is an imposing figure. The door to the office has a series of complicated locks that are only engaged when he is alone inside. The two big windows of the office have blinds for privacy, but when the locks on the door are engaged, heavy duty metal sheets drop down to seal them completely. It is a sort of panic room that has never been used for that purpose, though Eakran insisted on these measures for that reason. His office is the most secure part of the basement, which requires strict security protocols to access.
Eakran’s two assistant doctors use his office frequently in his absence and it isn’t until recently that Dr. Cousins noticed the complex system of locks on the inside of Eakran’s door. Cousins never sees it closed, he never closes it when he is inside, and he only happened to notice it recently when the cap to his pen rolled behind it. It was curious. Of course the doctor had very sensitive material to protect, but the sheer number of the locks seemed excessive.
He asked Moss if she had ever noticed it.
“Umm, yeah, I guess so.” She said.
“Why do you think he has so many? His door is never closed.”
“I don’t know,” she said shrugging. “Can’t be too safe.”
It was a strained conversation and left Cousins even more suspicious of his coworker.
Today, the two are planning to administer tests to both Nebuchad and the new female patient to see if they are susceptible to mind control. For the test, Cousins reasoned that it was best to avoid verbal cues. He plans to sit with Nebuchad and simply think of a physical command rather than tell him what to do on the off chance that Nebuchad is susceptible to direct commands made verbally, though he has never demonstrated such susceptibility. Maria had demonstrated the ability to elicit action in a person from mental command alone but had to make eye contact for this to be successful.
They set up their test in Eakran’s office and Cousins sits opposite Nebuchad while Moss observes. The room is quiet. Nebuchad is moving his mouth slightly, but he is not making any sounds and he doesn’t seem to be looking at anything in particular. Cousins is focusing on Nebuchad’s eyes and he repeats the same command in his mind, “Say apple”. After about a minute of silence and very focused concentration from Cousins, Nebuchad stops moving his mouth. His eyes are still unfocused, but then he starts to mouth the word apple. After mouthing the word a couple times, he says it aloud.
Cousins smiles, “I think that’s it. I think we figured out what this drug was designed for.”
“Try something else.” Moss says.
Cousins focuses again and has Nebuchad stand. He tries to have Nebuchad tell him about his life before his ordeal, but Cousins is only able to make Nebuchad parrot words and sentences exactly as he thinks them, and to perform simple actions. The results are mirrored in the female patient.
“Why?” Cousins says it aloud, but he isn’t expecting an answer from Moss. The two are sitting in Eakran’s office after completion of the experiments. “I just don’t get it. It has to be intentional, to create something like that by accident? What are the odds that this is just a weird side effect?”
“Why is a good question. This could be a side effect in certain people. Maybe people react to it differently. There could be other people who have tried it but had a completely different response.”
“We know that this isn’t something that just anyone could manufacture. This has to be some super secret government project, a cell of super geniuses.” Cousins is very worried about the implications of the discovery. Who knows what secret havoc people had unleashed upon the world?
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Moss says. “We can’t make any sense of the compound itself, we can only identify certain characteristics that mirror other substances. The best that we can do is prepare a report with the information we know and pass it along.”
“What about Nebuchad though? What about this new patient?”
“There was never any expectation of curing Nebuchad, Rick. We did our best for him. What more can they ask us for?”
Cousins shakes his head. This really wasn’t the Moss that he was used to. The old Moss would put her career on the line for a patient. She wouldn’t just give up so easily.
“If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll prepare the findings and discuss it with Dr. Eakran myself. That way you can focus on the Maria question. She must be Aliarum right?”
Cousins nods absently. “Yeah, sure.”
Moss squeezes Cousins shoulders. “It’s alright buddy. We can’t win ‘em all. And I don’t think you should consider this a loss. We know a lot more now than we ever did before. We should celebrate that. I’m gonna go start that report.” She leaves Cousins whose mind is racing at all the possibilities.
A high stress work environment can really get the adrenaline flowing, the heart racing, on edge and waiting for something to do well, afraid of the possibility of dismissal, it can be a lot. Add cutting edge, mind bending science to that and you’ve got a situation that’s primed for misunderstandings and misinterpretations. The stalwart scientists in the IBF basement are privy to secrets that would change a person’s worldview, and they are sworn to secrecy as they perform miracles. Dr. Cousins would take issue with my use of the word miracles, he would say that an opportunity or chance to make the medically impossible a reality doesn’t always necessitate immediate action, definitely curiosity and study, but not necessarily implementation on patients. Testing medical theory on patients is a tightrope to walk, the side effects can seem like torture or even mean death for some, but it is hope for those who want it. I would imagine that a doctor is always second guessing themselves, thinking about the possibility of killing a person as you go to work everyday. They must always be reviewing something in their heads to be sure they haven’t forgotten something important. And if the unfortunate happens and they lose a patient, they could be plagued by doubts about their ability to do their jobs well.
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