Path of Lucas

Lucas leans against the door as he grabs his head and then runs his fingers through his hair. He feels the anxiety flowing in every part of his body as his heart pounds in his chest. The pain is so severe that it is tearing him apart. Within seconds, he loses control of his emotions. Lucas weeps like a child who has just lost its mother. He slides down the door, putting his head against his knees as he continues to cry.

A nurse from the nurses’ station sees Lucas falling apart, and she runs toward him as he is trying to pull himself together.

“Mr. Clarkson, are you okay?” questions the nurse.

“No … no … my wife …”says Lucas as he continues to sob. “She doesn’t know me … it is not her in that room.”

“Mr. Clarkson, your wife is very ill. Mental illness is one of the most delicate situations in which it is hard to predict what state of mind a person is in. Right now, Mrs. Clarkson is living in a fantasy world. She must have suppressed so much pain from her past that her mind could not handle it, so it went on overdrive, and now, in order to survive, she is living in another world. Her memory is lost for now, but with the help of Dr. Jones she can recover. It will take time and patience, and you, Mr. Clarkson, cannot give up on your wife. Even though she doesn’t know you right now, you have to help Dr. Jones understand her issues and past pain, so he can find the right prognoses for her and the right medication to help her recover from the delusion she is in,” explains the nurse as she kneels down beside Lucas. “Do you want to go to the lounge? We can talk while waiting for Dr. Jones and have some coffee.”

“That would be good; thanks for your kindness and understanding,” says Lucas as he wipes his tears, slowly gets up, and follows the nurse. “Do you believe my wife will be able to recover from this illness and be herself again?”

“Mr. Clarkson, I’m not a doctor, but I have seen some remarkable recoveries in the past. Dr. Jones will be able to answer your questions better then I,” replies the nurse as she leads Lucas to the lounge.

“How long does it take for a person to recover from depression?” he asks as he enters the lounge.

“Everyone is so different, and it depends on what type of depression they are in,” replies the nurse as she goes toward the coffee machine.

“Let’s say Isabelle, for example. Dr. Jones told me that he thinks Isabelle has psychotic depression, which I think is one of the worst kinds,” says Lucas as he sits down and tries to understand about depressions.

“Psychotic depressions are the worst cases, and the recovery period takes longer, say about a year, and there are some that don’t recover. According to the Mental Health Institute, they are out of touch with reality, and their behavior changes: they may have hallucination or voices in their heads. They don’t want to bathe or change clothes. They want to spend a lot of time in bed during the day and be up all night, and they may get angry for no apparent reason,” explains the nurse as she pours Lucas a coffee. “Any sugar or cream?”

“Two sugars and cream, please,” replies Lucas. “You must see a lot of different behaviors here on this floor.”

“Yes, everyone has a different approach, and we have to learn to understand our patients’ behavior in order to care for them. There have been times when people cannot control their behavior to a point that we have to sedate them because they can hurt themselves or others; there are even times when we are at risk,” says the nurse as she gives Lucas his coffee and sits down.

“I had never heard of psychotic depression until yesterday, with Dr. Jones. He even gave me a pamphlet on it. It is very scary, especially when there are cases that don’t recover. I am very frightened of what might come, and I wonder if I will ever get my wife back,” says Lucas. He takes a sip of his coffee and momentarily appreciates the familiarity of the hot beverage.

“Mrs. Clarkson is under an expert’s care. I believe in Dr. Jones’s work; he is an amazing doctor!” expresses the nurse. “Dr. Jones has helped hundreds of people like Mrs. Clarkson, but you yourself have to help him, by staying strong and focused. Remember what Mrs. Clarkson is going through—whatever she does is not her but the illness.”

“It is hard to understand all that she is going through, but I will stay strong for my wife. Isabelle is a wonderful person. It’s true her childhood was not great, but as a result she has blossomed into a wonderful person. She doesn’t deserve this, and the children surely need their mom. It is hard for me to grasp all of this in such a short time,” says Lucas as he takes another sip of his coffee.

“Yes, this is really hard to handle, but the key right now is for you to stay strong for your wife and your children,” replies the nurse as she pats Lucas on his hand. “You look like a strong-hearted man. With our expertise, we can help you and Mrs. Clarkson through this horrible time in your lives and get you back to what you both had with your children.”

“You are so right. I need to pull through this, for my wife’s sake and our children’s. She would do it for me if I was in her position,” expresses Lucas. He shakes the nurse’s hand. “Thank you so much for this conversation. Thank you!”