The case of "Applesauce" (Schizophrenia)

Casebook of Biblical Psychiatry © Version 7

Based upon Real Mental Illnesses Real Cases Real People Real Causes Real Solutions

Casebook of Biblical Psychiatry© brings the principles of Biblical Psychiatry to life based upon real-world cases and familiarizes Christians with different types of situations. This practical companion volume to Biblical Psychiatry© includes not only diagnosis, but also in-depth discussions by experienced Christians for Biblical approaches to treatment. This meticulously detailed volume of dynamic real-life case studies is simply a "must read" for all clinical Psychiatrists, mental health care professionals and Christians interested in expert opinion on today's treatment approaches. Psychiatric students, educators, and practitioners—as well as social workers, nurses, medical physicians, and interested laypersons—will find this unique volume of inestimable value in their day-to-day work.

The case of "Applesauce" (Schizophrenia)
	The case of "Applesauce"
	Biopsychiatric labels DSM-5	Schizophrenia, delusion, paranoia
	Checklist Behaviours DSM-7	Adultery, Deception, lying, violence, uncontrolled anger, rage
	Insights MMPI-7
	Quick Pick EDS-7.1	Insanity
	Self-disablement EDS-7.2	Employment: Time off work in asylum
	Chemical imbalance EDS-7.3	Yes, during the week when psychiatrist prescribed drugs, but such a short period of psychiatric drug use shouldn't cause brain damage.
	Benefits EDS-7.4	Escape duty or life situation: EDS-7.4.4 Smokescreen for secret sin that is soon to be discovered: EDS-7.4.10 Self-punishment for personal failures or to ease a guilty conscience: EDS-7.4.11
	Monetary EDS-7.5	-
	Annoyance Scale EDS-7.6	High
	Diagnostic Laws EDS-7.7	Law of Narcissistic Behaviour Choice (NBC) EDS-7.7.1.NBC Law of Derivative Personal Benefit (DPB) EDS-7.7.2.DPB Law of Habitual Smokescreen Decoy (HSD) EDS-7.7.10.HSD Law of Anticipatory Warthog Psychosis (AWP) EDS-7.7.13.AWP
	Determine the Problem	Secret sin of adultery soon to be discovered
	Ask a Child	He is crying because he doesn't want a spanking. EDS-7.7.12.PMO
	5 years later EDS-7.7.LPT	Repented, restored

The case of "Applesauce"

A 28 year old preacher's son "Doug" was active in the preaching, children's classes, serving communion and leading singing in a local church. He was happily married with three young children.

He began to exhibit bizarre behavior; He became paranoid and thought that a Russian spy network was following him and plotting to kill him. He was throwing things out the window of his car as he drove over 120 miles per hour inside city limits. These items included a bag of apples (making apple sauce, one apple at a time), the car mats, the contents of the glove box and everything in the back seat. He then drove his car into a ditch. He was locked up in the psychiatric hospital and drugged into submission.

The psychiatrists said he had a chemical imbalance and diagnosed Doug with schizophrenia and delusional disorder. They said there is nothing you can do. They told him that is was a chemical imbalance in the brain and he will need to remain on drugs for the rest of his life.

A Christian named "James" told the family to bring the 28 year Doug out of the mental hospital and have the doctors take him off the drugs under their supervision. Doug was told that in about one week, he was going to meet with James.

When they met privately, James told Doug that his bizarre psychotic behaviour had been seen in several other cases. James also told Doug that his psychotic behaviour was a smoke screen for serious immorality. Doug denied this outright and started getting angry. James told Doug to sit down and tell him what sin he had committed. After several protests by Doug and several demands by James for Doug to confess, Doug finally came clean.

Cause: (Etiology) Doug works as a computer network technician for a major internet company. About a year prior to his mental illness, he was required to temporarily work in a city over 1200 miles from his home. He was required to live out of hotel for a period of about 6 months, flying home only twice during the period.

While away from home, Doug began having an affair with a woman named "Samantha" he met. The affair ended when Doug was reassigned in his home town. All was well for about 2 months... and then Samantha showed up at his car after work in the parking lot. She wanted to continue the relationship and was 5 months pregnant!

Once Doug confessed the whole affair, his mental illness was instantly cured! He returned to his "sanity." He also confessed the sin to the Lord before the local church in tears. His wife forgave him and things are the way they should have been all along.

He continued to be active in the local church as he was before with no sign of mental illness for over a year.

However Doug again became sexually involved with another woman, and the mental illness set in again. Like before he repented, corrected is actions and the mental illness was cured.

Discussion:

"Hit dogs howl!" and "Warthogs that know they are about to be hit fabricate schizophrenia". Doug's Mental illness and Warthogs: It is an amazing thing to witness warthogs cross through an electric fence in the Elephants Valley of Botswana. They tend to rev themselves up well before the event, hopping around on one little spot while they squeal and squeal and generally psych themselves up for the crossover. And then they let fly—straight for the nearest hole beneath the fence. Of course, the transition would be perfectly safe if it wasn't for the famous fact that warthogs can't run without holding their tails straight up in the air, like CB antennas on a techno-hippi's Ford Cortina in the 1970's. Seeing a warthog cross an electric fence really is funny, if you're the kind who likes to see animals act stupidly. Even more so if you like studying the Doppler effect being applied to the animal kingdom. You know? The well-known physical effect of sound as it changes pitch when, for instance, an ambulance with its siren on passes you on a long straight road. The sound keeps changing as the source nears and the sound waves are compressed. And then it becomes a long stretched-out wail as the vehicle passes and screams past you into the distance. A kind of "weeu-weeu-weeu-waa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-u-u-uh-h-h-h-h..." sound. It is the same with warthogs. They start with a high-pitched squeal which becomes a long, distorted wail, until they hit the fence. But that's where the similarity ends and the Doppler effect ceases to apply. The moment the tail hits the bottom wire and grounds the current, the steady wail turns into a brief, but most hysterical shriek. But however terrible, the shock is brief, and a moment later the pig clears the fence and emerges on the other side in a cloud of orange dust and snorts of indignation, before dribbling away as if nothing had happened. Now, to my mind, a warthog crossing an electric fence is not the really funny part. The truly perplexing part of the whole story is why the pigs invariably decide an hour or two later that they simply have to return to where they had original come from. And then they go through the whole charging up ritual all over again—but this time in reverse. Pigs are said to be intelligent creatures, but I have my doubts. At any rate, there will be those who will obviously doubt the truthfulness of my observation. And all I can say to them is that I respect their skepticism. A lot of things in Africa sound like pure fantasy until you've lived here a few years yourself. Only then can you start to appreciate the fact that pigs will keep crossing electric fences with their tails raised for a million years if you let them, and they won't ever learn. It is in the nature of things and it defies explanation. Africa is full of such examples. (African travel log, 27 July 2004)

"The doctor who says his neurotic patient is being ill on purpose is very near the truth. ... Of all the possibilities which they recognize as being open to them, their illness appears to them to be the least evil it has been created with extraordinary skill to protect them from an even more terrible situation which seems to them to be the only alternative. It enables them to carry on somehow. ... Psychogenic illness is a piece of behavior as purposive as putting a hand up to ward off a blow." (Karin Stephen, 1889-1953, The Wish to Fall Ill: A Study of Psychoanalysis and Medicine, p 4, 27)

Now Doug's bout of mental illness is exactly like what warthogs do before they cross the electric fence. When Samantha came knocking at his door 5 months pregnant, he instantly knew that he would soon have to cross a very painful electric fence in his life. Pigs want to cross the electric fence, but they know it is going to hurt. So they walk up to a safe 15 feet away and stop. Then they fix their eyes on the fence and start squealing. Then they start running, squealing the whole way like a madman, until they feel the shock and get to the safe side. Then they stop squealing. Pigs squeal. Doug went crazy. Actually his mind was functioning perfectly. Given the consequences to his soon to be revealed sin, it is perfectly understandable why Doug became schizophrenic. Once he actually confesses and endured the pain of the shock, he stopped squealing like that smart old warthog! This is an excellent example of cognitive dissonance at work... known in the Bible as "a bad conscience". A bad conscience is a bad feeling we get when we do that which we know is wrong.

It is also a typical example of avoidance, denial and smoke screen. Several times Doug was asked to confess his sin of adultery and he denied and then acted insulted and angry. This went on until it was clear that James was not buying his denials. Full discussion of reactions of the person being counseled to your advice and deny, get angry then confess sin.

Benefits from behaviour: This illustrates the Law of Narcissistic Behaviour Choice (NBC) EDS-7.7.1.NBC

1. Escape duty or life situation: EDS-7.4.4 He was attempting to avoid the fact that there was a pregnant woman in town who wanted to continue a relationship with him.
2. Smokescreen for secret sin that is soon to be discovered: EDS-7.4.10 He knew sooner or later, he was going to be caught.
3. Escape rebuke, criticism, shame and a method of giving up that garners sympathy rather than rebuke: EDS-7.4.11. When he was labeled as "sick" he got sympathy and no one knew the real truth behind his deceptive behavior.

Diagnostic laws that are seen illustrated in the case of "Applesauce":

1. Doug had calculated that the cost of being labeled insane was worth it if he escaped the trouble he was in. This illustrates the Law of Derivative Personal Benefit (DPB) EDS-7.7.2.DPB
2. Doug's psychotic behaviour was a decoy to attract attention away from his adultery which would appear to be a smaller problem to be overlooked compared to his schizophrenia. This illustrates the Law of Habitual Smokescreen Decoy (HSD) EDS-7.7.10.HSD

3. He knew the shame and rebuke that was coming just like an electric fence and he started squealing in advance of being exposed. This illustrates the Law of Anticipatory Warthog Psychosis (AWP) EDS-7.7.13.AWP

Note: Although these are based upon real case stories, the names and details have been changed to hide the identities of the people. This practice follows the standards of medical case history publication.

By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.

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