Read Online Dead Roots (The Analyst) by Brian Geoffrey Wood - Free Book Online
Authors: Brian Geoffrey Wood
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to be put away.
Thomas and I spoke about his recent difficulties in his studies and he put to me that his mind was “somewhere else”. He added that he could not concentrate in school when he was getting so little sleep. When inquired about his trouble sleeping, Thomas described to me what I can only call a “monster in the closet”. Thomas complained of a recurring image in vivid detail. In his closet he says he sees what he calls a “devil tree”, which displays the face of his mother and often attempts to trick him into thinking it is her.
Thomas was very adamant that these were real images, and that there is in fact a creature living in his bedroom closet; suggestions that he was suffering a recurring nightmare were swiftly rebuked. At this point I attempted to inquire about Tom's home life and what the images meant to him. He quickly diverted the topic back to the tree, explaining that he was “losing his mind” because no one would believe him and he could not call the police. He accused me of not believing him either.
He asked me directly for help, begging me to believe him. I attempted to console him and explained to him that these things he described were impossible; that his complaints matched the symptoms of night terrors, in which an individual, especially a young child, may experience extremely vivid nightmares that are difficult to differentiate from reality. At this point he used profanity towards me and attempted to end the session prematurely. I explained to him that a regimen of medication may assist in regulating his sleep cycle and went on to elaborate on some techniques his parents could employ to help him, but at this point I had regretfully lost his attention and was forced to allow him to leave.
Summary
In my professional opinion, Thomas' psychological development shows signs of being several years behind the expected age level. While his communication and reasoning skills are above average, he regrettably seems to have trouble differentiating between fantasy and reality, shown by his adamancy to prove the existence of his monster, and frequent insistence that he could no longer tell what “was real” or not. He is also showing signs of depression; his speech regarding most topics was uninterested and bleak and parents describe withdrawal from social situations and schoolwork.
In layman's terms, Tommy is a very bright young man but he still seems to suffer from very early childhood fears. Many children describe monsters under the bed or in the closet, but these fears are usually resolved by the time the child reaches early adolescence. Should this emotional immaturity be affecting other areas of his life, it could severely impair his social and academic development in the future if he does not receive proper assistance.
It is difficult to pinpoint whether these issues arise from a hindrance in his neural development or from difficulties in his upbringing. His unwillingness to speak about his home life left me to go on the word of his parents, from which I gleaned no abnormalities.
I recommend a referral to Dr. Isaac Bale's clinic for an electroencephalogram and polysomnography to gather further information. I have enclosed his details in the parents' copy of my evaluation. I have also prescribed Tommy a low amount of the SSRI Fluoxetine, to be taken once daily, and a script of Alprazolam for the parents to give him in case he has any emergencies; however, I stress that these are to be short-term solutions and I strongly recommend that another appointment be made for Thomas to assess his needs and tailor for him a therapy program.
As a side note, I took the liberty of examining the Rorschach cards and located the one which seemed to cause Thomas some amount of distress. In retrospect (and personal opinion), the problem card mentioned in the analysis bore a resemblance to a tree or shrub, though Thomas did not confirm this interpretation.
********
The world was
Thomas and I spoke about his recent difficulties in his studies and he put to me that his mind was “somewhere else”. He added that he could not concentrate in school when he was getting so little sleep. When inquired about his trouble sleeping, Thomas described to me what I can only call a “monster in the closet”. Thomas complained of a recurring image in vivid detail. In his closet he says he sees what he calls a “devil tree”, which displays the face of his mother and often attempts to trick him into thinking it is her.
Thomas was very adamant that these were real images, and that there is in fact a creature living in his bedroom closet; suggestions that he was suffering a recurring nightmare were swiftly rebuked. At this point I attempted to inquire about Tom's home life and what the images meant to him. He quickly diverted the topic back to the tree, explaining that he was “losing his mind” because no one would believe him and he could not call the police. He accused me of not believing him either.
He asked me directly for help, begging me to believe him. I attempted to console him and explained to him that these things he described were impossible; that his complaints matched the symptoms of night terrors, in which an individual, especially a young child, may experience extremely vivid nightmares that are difficult to differentiate from reality. At this point he used profanity towards me and attempted to end the session prematurely. I explained to him that a regimen of medication may assist in regulating his sleep cycle and went on to elaborate on some techniques his parents could employ to help him, but at this point I had regretfully lost his attention and was forced to allow him to leave.
Summary
In my professional opinion, Thomas' psychological development shows signs of being several years behind the expected age level. While his communication and reasoning skills are above average, he regrettably seems to have trouble differentiating between fantasy and reality, shown by his adamancy to prove the existence of his monster, and frequent insistence that he could no longer tell what “was real” or not. He is also showing signs of depression; his speech regarding most topics was uninterested and bleak and parents describe withdrawal from social situations and schoolwork.
In layman's terms, Tommy is a very bright young man but he still seems to suffer from very early childhood fears. Many children describe monsters under the bed or in the closet, but these fears are usually resolved by the time the child reaches early adolescence. Should this emotional immaturity be affecting other areas of his life, it could severely impair his social and academic development in the future if he does not receive proper assistance.
It is difficult to pinpoint whether these issues arise from a hindrance in his neural development or from difficulties in his upbringing. His unwillingness to speak about his home life left me to go on the word of his parents, from which I gleaned no abnormalities.
I recommend a referral to Dr. Isaac Bale's clinic for an electroencephalogram and polysomnography to gather further information. I have enclosed his details in the parents' copy of my evaluation. I have also prescribed Tommy a low amount of the SSRI Fluoxetine, to be taken once daily, and a script of Alprazolam for the parents to give him in case he has any emergencies; however, I stress that these are to be short-term solutions and I strongly recommend that another appointment be made for Thomas to assess his needs and tailor for him a therapy program.
As a side note, I took the liberty of examining the Rorschach cards and located the one which seemed to cause Thomas some amount of distress. In retrospect (and personal opinion), the problem card mentioned in the analysis bore a resemblance to a tree or shrub, though Thomas did not confirm this interpretation.
********
The world was
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