Case Notes No. 316. Shillingford.
Bobby Shillingford was brought, without needing force, more persuasion, into the Secure Unit late this morning. Following a visit by his CPN at his council flat, where she noticed a Valentine Card (It’s not even February!) and upon perusal saw that it was signed ‘with love & devotion, always… your nose’.
This particular patient is fascinating. No signs of mental affliction apart from this strange facial obsession, which seems to come and go of its own accord every six months or so and last 5 to 7 days each time. He has clinical depression and suffers slightly from the varying strands connected to this, insomnia, OCD, anxiety etc. but through personal therapy sessions with him I am inclined to think that this is all to do with living alone rather than a deeper underlying problem. Of course, the ‘nose thing’ is a completely different matter and I freely admit that I am at a loss to figure it out as of yet.
It all seems quite innocent and harmless at first, the Valentine Card for example, he even managed to get a love song dedicated to ‘his nose’ on a local radio station back last summer.
One could almost call it sweet or quaint for the first 3 days but on the 4th day it always takes a darker turn… of course this is always the day that he inevitable decides to take his love out in public.
The first recorded incident of violence was in an Italian restaurant on the High Street 3 years ago, when he gnashed a waiter’s cheek open with his teeth. He claimed on police interview that he refuses to be ridiculed or mocked in front of his sweetheart and that she had actually given him the strength (For he is normally a meek, mild mannered soul!) to stand up for himself and not only encouraged the affray by happily joined in.
He went before the Magistrates Court for this and was given 12 months Probation and ordered to pay £250 Compensation to the waiter (Who now has to permanently sport a beard!).
The second occasion, a year ago, luckily did not quite escalate into violence, merely vocal pandemonium. It would seem that Bobby had entered a Private Sex Shop at the backend of the red light area with the hope of purchasing some kind of device suitable for simultaneously stimulating nasal and anal cavities. The establishment has a panic button under the desk and this button was pushed. He was charged with disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct and was given a 12 month Conditional Discharge and made to pay Court Costs of £80.
Then 6 months ago, things turned very ugly indeed. He accused ‘his nose’ of fancying other people, whilst they were both intoxicated and proceeded to punch himself repeatedly in the face until blacking-out. When he awoke and saw what he had done to ‘his love’ in his jealous rage (He was no oil painting before… now, well, he indeed did some damage, let’s leave it at that!) he cut his left wrist open, not enough to kill himself but enough to be messy and telephoned the three 9’s.
So here we are once more, I am going to proceed with strict 8 hour long therapy sessions for the first 3 days, half sedate on the 4th day, with a mind to strap and secure limbs if need be, the 5th, 6th and 7th day are normally the winding down time, how long depending largely upon the scale of trouble caused upon the 4th day.
I will leave it there for now, but report back in after todays first long therapy stint, I’m hopeful because of the early warning that we can monitor this fully this time and at the very least have a better understanding of what we and Bobby Shillingford are dealing with here.
Doctor Devlin Howsnerhoff, Broadfields Secure Hospital and Managing Facilities.
Paul Tristram is a Welsh writer who has poems, short stories, sketches and photography published in many publications around the world, he yearns to tattoo porcelain bridesmaids instead of digging empty graves for innocence at midnight; this too may pass, yet. Buy his books ‘Scribblings Of A Madman’ (Lit Fest Press) http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1943170096 ‘Poetry From The Nearest Barstool’ at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1326241036 And a split poetry book ‘The Raven And The Vagabond Heart’ with Bethany W Pope at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1326415204 You can also read his poems and stories here! http://paultristram.blogspot.co.uk/
Your One Phone Call 