ABSTRACT
Daphne psychiatrist of twenty years was retiring and transferring her to therapist care. As she would tell, she revealed to her previous psychiatrist that she had a friend named “Mary” and he had asked her to express “Mary”. Daphne did, and proceeded to pummel him. The following history of “Mary” was gleaned from Daphne and from “Mary”. Obviously it came only from Daphne, but it is strategic to treat an emerging delusional personality as if it were an existing entity. It is a simple enough thing to do: merely inquire about the imaginary person and his or her life history, habits and relationships. If stressed or overwhelmed by real life experiences, she is aware that Daphne might go off to “Mary”. She is forewarned, and hence armed with her own rational perspective to understand “Mary” and the destructive aspects of delusional life.
