ABSTRACT
Schizophrenia is an illness that until the mid-1980s was believed to be caused by poor parenting and faulty family dynamics, even among many professional care providers. Ricky stuck by his story, however, and as she waited for the medical results, Dr. Morgan decided to evaluate the appropriateness of schizophrenia as a diagnosis. This chapter examines Ricky's delusions in more detail. A key feature of Ricky's delusions was their suspicious quality, including 'ideas of reference'. Although Ricky's account of his problems at home and difficult time in New York suggests recent episodes of intense anxiety and agitation, there was no evidence that he experienced major depression, manic episodes, or mixed bipolar symptoms or fluctuating moods. From all of this information, Dr. Morgan arrived at a tentative diagnosis of schizophrenia based on Ricky's frequent auditory hallucinations and his preoccupation with delusions of external control over his thoughts and behavior.
