I was in conversation with a woman yesterday who worked at in a mental ward. I asked her if she had worked with people who had paranoid schizophrenia and she said yes. My ears bent and I pelted her with questions. I didn't want to highlight the case to her, I remained careful.
"In your opinion, would a none violent person suffering from PS pick up a gun a shot someone?" Her reply shocked me. "Oh god yes" she continued. " You see, when someone is under a delusion, they are not aware of what they are doing and if she picked up a gun and shot someone, then she herself would not think that she was violent in anyway, it's the gun that would be violent and not her....Her delusional thoughts would expel her from the crime."
I went on and asked her about the drug Haloperidol and what consequences it would have if suddenly that medication was halved from 200 to 100. " That is a dangerous thing to do, we would normally reduced the drug to 150 first, cutting it by half can be very dangerous."
"How long dies the drug last" was my next question. " It normally lasts about a month, but a few days prior to the drug wearing off we would watch for the full moon episodes" I interrupted here, "what does that mean" Well she said " What do you related to the full moon" I said " wear wolf" "exactly, and this is why we call it that, because the person changes and has more frequent psychotic episodes than probably earlier on in month. The delusions can be severe and the mind takes over"
I asked her if having this illness could result in that person killing members of her family and the answer was yes. Whether she was violent or not, she would be capable" My last question was. Although this drug is administered does it stop a psychotic episode" "Yes of course, even though the drug its self makes them tired and sleepy." I told her that that was not what I had read online....Her reply was heaven to my ears...." well, Joe Bloog down the road was in world war two, but he can tell you a different story because he was there".........
