Tales from the Nuthouse: Lest You Think I have a Really Suck Job

[HungLikeJesus]

In the movie Conspiracy Theory, Mel Gibson's character is always compelled to buy Catcher in the Rye when ever he sees it.

Also,

Mark David Chapman who murdered John Lennon, and John Hinkley the man who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan but failed were both found with copies of The Catcher in the Rye.

After killing John Lennon on December 8th, 1980, Chapman dropped the gun and proceeded to take out a copy The Catcher in the Rye, and calmly started reading, while waiting for the police to arrive. When police entered the apartment of John Hinkley, they found a copy of the book on his coffee table.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, Chapman told police, "If you want to know why I murdered John Lennon, read The Catcher in the Rye."

[Shawnee123]

In The Good Girl (a wonderful indie film) Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Thomas "Holden" Worther, thinks himself the incarnation of Holden Caulfield. He's about a half bubble off plumb, as well.

[TheMercenary]

He's about a half bubble off plumb, as well.

[glatt]

It was so long ago, I don't remember much of what he said, but Will Smith has a really long scene talking about Catcher in the Rye in the movie Six Degrees of Separation. I remember that it was interesting.

[SteveDallas]

The movie "Field of Dreams" featured a reclusive author (played by James Earl Jones). The movie was based on a book called "Shoeless Joe" by W. P. Kinsella. In the book, the narrator/author has always been struck by the fact that a character with his name has a cameo in Catcher In The Rye. In the book, the reclusive author is actually J. D. Salinger. I understand it was changed in the movie due to legal issues.

[Trilby]

I thought I hated Catcher when I first read it (I was far too young to read it) and then, when I was old enough to read it, it just sounded dated. THEN I read Frannie and Zooey and loved that....then I read Raise High the roof beams and threw the book across the room by page four. Whaddya gonna do?

I like Esther Greenwood as a Catcher type person---but she's dated as hell, too. At least she goes really crazy, though. I always got the feeling Holden was laughing at me as a reader....but, that's just me and my cocaine induced paranoia talking.

[wolf]

So, I was dealing with this teenager and her parents. I don't even remember at this point what was wrong with her. It really wasn't that spectacular. Relatively normal teenage stupidity, with some minor drug use for flavoring, probably. The specifics aren't important. I was talking to her insurance company, trying to convince them why my hospital should get paid for dealing with her. I found myself saying to the insurance company care manager, "Well, what it comes down to, really, is that these people do not need Dr. Tim (our shrink d'jour). They need Dr. Phil."

~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~

Phone call from last night

wolf: Emergency Service.

caller: Oh, I have a wrong number. Is Jeffery Smith there?

wolf: (*transfers obvious blonde without further comment*)

[richlevy]

OK, I was an English major who read Catcher in high school and liked it. Send the nut wagon.

Seriously, back then there wasn't a lot of good fiction about teen angst.

Plus, any book that so many people want to burn or ban must be good.

[wolf]

It is 2326 hours on 10-23-2008.

One of my patients has just walked in the door.

Why, you may wonder?

Because she is upset over the Phillies' performance in Game #2 of the World Series.

Yes, really.

She started crying uncontrollably, and also realized that her medications aren't working.

All because of the Phillies.

The Curse of Billy Penn reaches all the way out here to the suburbs.

[Clodfobble]

You have a patient who is self-aware enough to accurately realize when her medications aren't working? And calmly brings herself into the building?

I didn't know those existed in your line of work.

[wolf]

I would say calmly exactly.

We do have a couple of folks who do know when they are not doing well and show up on their own.

Most of them get dragged in screaming and kicking.

And then there's a bunch who come in when they are doing well, but they're just looking for three hots and a cot.

Frankly the "I'm upset over the Phillies losing" lady is one of the latter, but I have to applaud her creativity tonight.

[Treasenuak]

-sighs- I usually get taken in when I know I'm not doing too well but am too stubborn to admit it and go myself. But fortunately that necessity is rather rare... maybe once a year...

[wolf]

Tomorrow (Thursday) morning, I am going to get to take a tour of the Forensic building that is down the street from my hospital. It's a specialty prison unit for the Criminally Insane.

I did take a tour there 15 or so years ago, but at that time we weren't permitted on any of the occupied units. They just put us all in a ward room that was part of an unoccupied unit that was being renovated.

I don't think they have anybody notable there right now, but a few years ago they housed John DuPont while he was awaiting trial (he was considered too high security for us ... ordinarily we get Delaware County Prisoners who are mentally ill), and I believe that Sylvia Segrist ended up there after the Springfield Mall Shooting in the 1980s.

I wasn't even aware that they were going to allow a tour ... one of my cow orkers who moved into our Criminal Justice Department called me the other night because he thought I'd be interested and he saved me a slot. They're only letting ten people in, apparently.

[Shawnee123]

That will be very interesting, wolf. Please submit a report afterward. I toured a place in Lima OH in college (psych major) but I don't remember what it was...I do remember thinking I didn't think I had what it takes to do the kind of job you do...I'm too wimpy. But I still find it all fascinating, how the mind can work.

[wolf]

Christmas brings families together.

Sometimes it doesn't go well.

Especially when the identified family psycho clocks her retarded cousin with a snow globe.

This is how you get to meet Sanity Clause.