File #008324: Patient #400, Edward Corney

Birth Name: Edward Corney

Aliases: None Known

Attending Psychiatrist: J. Crane

Reason for Admittance: Sister feared for him and asked for him to have treatment. Behavior has changed notably. Social and work skills lacking since change in behavior.

Diagnosis: Undifferentiated-type Schizophrenia

Treatment: Clozaril, Psychotherapy

Suicide Watch: Yes

Sideeffect Watch: Tardive Dyskinesia, Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

An extreme case of Undifferentiated-type Schizophrenia, Edward has been experiencing symptoms of all five types of schizophrenia. Initial diagnosis was paranoid-type schizophrenia but when other symptoms manifested, diagnosis was changed to a more broad type of the disorder.

Tests to rule out medical issues (CT scan) that would change Edward's behavior came back negative.

Daily symptoms include depersonalization (feels intense anxiety and a feeling of "not being real" during these episodes), auditory hallucinations, delusions, and feels as if he is "being controlled by outside forces". Patient creates neologisms to avoid having those "watching him" from understanding him. Depression is observed in most therapy sessions.

Less common, but observed symptoms of the patient include visual hallucinations and social withdrawal. (Withdrawal has not been observed actively in the patient, as he usually wants to let others know in the recreation room about the "spies" who are watching "each and every one of them".)

Patient was reaching stable condition, but encounter with Patient #436, the Joker, in the recreation room set his treatment back substantially.

Edward sat on the couch in the recreation room, his fingers curling around the edges of the cushion in anxiety. His knuckles were white and his face sweaty. His eyes darted from left to right, searching for the cameras and microphones he knew were all over. The world seemed to become confusing as he tried to calm himself. It was all a jumble of words, sounds, and ideas. He knew they were watching.

But his fears seemed to be, for once, pushed to the background as the newest patient, if that's what they could be called, was pushed into the recreation room. Most of them were allowed free use of their hands and feet, as only patients with good behavior were allowed into the room. But the Joker, even though he had been quiet enough to warrant his own jaunt to the room, was still chained in ankle cuffs.

He shuffled over to the couch where Edward sat and sank into the worn cushion. His make-up was removed, part of his treatment plan. His gaze flicked over to Edward.

"They're always watching you know," the Joker drawled quietly. He had been given sedatives, but all the times he had been injected made him tolerant to the basic dose they always used.

Edward's eyes grew wide at the statement. "Have you seen them too?" He gulped uneasily.

"Oh yeah. They're everywhere-ah. They want to control us. I bet you've got a switch on the back of your neck so they can tell you what to do anytime you want."

"No, no. I would never let them near me!" Edward squeaked.

"How can you be so sure? They can be invisible you know. With all the drugs that give you in this place, maybe you were so far gone you didn't even notice them cutting into your neck to put the chip in," the Joker replied, feigning seriousness.

Without so much as a warning, Edward grabbed the dog tag that all the patients had to identify themselves. It wasn't supposed to be a sharp edge, but he figured with some will power he could still get inside to remove the chip. Yanking the tag from his neck, bruising his scrawny neck, he reached his hands behind his head and began furiously digging for the chip.

The Joker watched with an almost blank expression, the only thing betraying his curiosity and amusement his sparkling eyes.

Edward whimpered as blood started to course down his neck and chest. It was hot and thick, no doubt warmed by the humming of the chip that was controlling him. He would get it out. He wouldn't stop until he removed that damned device from his neck.

It wasn't until one of the other patients began screaming at the sight of Edward's neck bloody and flayed that the caretakers noticed the situation.

Rushing in, one of them grabbed Edward and wrestled his arms to his sides.

"NO, NO GODDAMNIT! DON'T YOU KNOW?! CAN'T YOU SEE THEM?! HE SEES THEM! (Edward points towards the smiling, innocent looking man sitting on the couch.) THEY'RE CONTROLLING ME! WITH THE CHIP! HELP ME! GET IT OUT!"

The screams were muffled by easy and expert injection of a sedative directly into the bloodstream. Edward was carried out, back to his room to wake without the goading stimuli of the Joker.

Speaking of whom, the clown merely sat back and enjoyed the petty and futile interactions of a bunch of patients.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Who expected the Joker to behave when he was in the asylum? I think he would assume that the asylum was one big social and psychological experiment for hiim to play in. I AM planning on this having a sequel when he escapes in story form (not file, story form) if this gets a lot of interest.

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