call me," the internist advised. "And forget the psychiatrist for now."
"Are you sure?"
He delivered a blistering statement regarding the readiness of the general public to recognize psychosomatic illness, while failing to recognize the reverse: that illness of the body was often the cause of seeming illness of the mind.
"Now what would you say," he proposed as an instance, "if you were my internist, God forbid, and I told you I had headaches, recurring nightmares, nausea, insomnia and blurring of the vision; and also that I generally felt unglued and was worried to death about my job? Would you say I was neurotic?"
"I'm a bad one to ask, Marc; I know that you're crazy."
"Those symptoms I gave you are the same as for brain tumor, Chris. Check the body. That's first. Then well see."
Chris telephoned the internist and made an appointment for that afternoon. Her time was her own now. The filming was over, at least for her. Burke Dennings continued, loosely supervising the work of the "second unit;" a generally less expensive crew that was filming scenes of lesser importance, mostly helicopter shots of various exteriors around the city; also stunt work; scenes without any of the principal actors.
But he wanted each foot of film to be perfect.
**********
The doctor was in Arlington. Samuel Klein. While Regan sat crossly in an examining room, Klein seated her mother in his office and took a brief case history. She told him the trouble. He listened; nodded; made copious notes. When she mentioned the shaking of the bed, he appears to frown. But Chris continued:
"Marc seemed to think it was kind of significant that Regan's doing poorly with her math. Now why was that?"
"You mean schoolwork?"
"Yes, schoolwork, but math in particular, though. What's it mean?"
"Well, let's wait until I've looked at her, Mrs. MacNeil."
He then excused himself and gave Regan a complete examination that included taking samples of urine and her blood. The urine was for testing of her liver and kidney functions; the blood for a number of checks: diabetes; thyroid function; red-cell blood count looking for possible anemia, White-cell blood count looking for exotic diseases of the blood.
After he finished, he sat for a while and talked to Regan, observing her demeanor, and then returned to Chris and started writing a prescription.
"She appears to have a hyperkinetic behavior disorder."
"A what?"
"A disorder of the nerves. At least We think it is. We don't know yet exactly hgw it works, but its often seen in early adolescence. She shows all the symptoms: the hyperactivity; the temper; her performance in math."
"Yeah, the math. Why the math?"
"It affects concentration." He ripped the prescription from the small blue pad and handed it over, "Now this is for Ritalin."
"What?"
"Methylphenidate."
"Oh."
"Ten milligrams, twice a day, I'd recommend one at eight A.M., and the other at two in the afternoon."
She was eyeing the prescription.
"What is it? A tranquilizer?"
"A stimulant."
"Stimulant? She's higher'n a kite right now."
"Her condition isn't quite what it seems," explained Klein. "It's a form of overcompensation. An overreaction to depression."
"Depression?"
Klein nodded.
"Depression..." Chris murmured. She was thoughtful.
"Well, you mentioned her father," said Klein.
Chris looked up. "Do you think I should take her to see a psychiatrist?"
"Oh, no. I'd wait and see what happens with the Ritalin. I think that's the answer. Wait two or three weeks."
"So you think it's all nerves."
"I suspect so."
"And those lies she's been telling? This'll stop it?"
His answer puzzled her. He askedd her if she'd ever known Regan to swear or use obscenities.
"Never," Chris answered.
"Well, you see, that's quite similar to things like her lying--- uncharacteristic, from what you tell
"Are you sure?"
He delivered a blistering statement regarding the readiness of the general public to recognize psychosomatic illness, while failing to recognize the reverse: that illness of the body was often the cause of seeming illness of the mind.
"Now what would you say," he proposed as an instance, "if you were my internist, God forbid, and I told you I had headaches, recurring nightmares, nausea, insomnia and blurring of the vision; and also that I generally felt unglued and was worried to death about my job? Would you say I was neurotic?"
"I'm a bad one to ask, Marc; I know that you're crazy."
"Those symptoms I gave you are the same as for brain tumor, Chris. Check the body. That's first. Then well see."
Chris telephoned the internist and made an appointment for that afternoon. Her time was her own now. The filming was over, at least for her. Burke Dennings continued, loosely supervising the work of the "second unit;" a generally less expensive crew that was filming scenes of lesser importance, mostly helicopter shots of various exteriors around the city; also stunt work; scenes without any of the principal actors.
But he wanted each foot of film to be perfect.
**********
The doctor was in Arlington. Samuel Klein. While Regan sat crossly in an examining room, Klein seated her mother in his office and took a brief case history. She told him the trouble. He listened; nodded; made copious notes. When she mentioned the shaking of the bed, he appears to frown. But Chris continued:
"Marc seemed to think it was kind of significant that Regan's doing poorly with her math. Now why was that?"
"You mean schoolwork?"
"Yes, schoolwork, but math in particular, though. What's it mean?"
"Well, let's wait until I've looked at her, Mrs. MacNeil."
He then excused himself and gave Regan a complete examination that included taking samples of urine and her blood. The urine was for testing of her liver and kidney functions; the blood for a number of checks: diabetes; thyroid function; red-cell blood count looking for possible anemia, White-cell blood count looking for exotic diseases of the blood.
After he finished, he sat for a while and talked to Regan, observing her demeanor, and then returned to Chris and started writing a prescription.
"She appears to have a hyperkinetic behavior disorder."
"A what?"
"A disorder of the nerves. At least We think it is. We don't know yet exactly hgw it works, but its often seen in early adolescence. She shows all the symptoms: the hyperactivity; the temper; her performance in math."
"Yeah, the math. Why the math?"
"It affects concentration." He ripped the prescription from the small blue pad and handed it over, "Now this is for Ritalin."
"What?"
"Methylphenidate."
"Oh."
"Ten milligrams, twice a day, I'd recommend one at eight A.M., and the other at two in the afternoon."
She was eyeing the prescription.
"What is it? A tranquilizer?"
"A stimulant."
"Stimulant? She's higher'n a kite right now."
"Her condition isn't quite what it seems," explained Klein. "It's a form of overcompensation. An overreaction to depression."
"Depression?"
Klein nodded.
"Depression..." Chris murmured. She was thoughtful.
"Well, you mentioned her father," said Klein.
Chris looked up. "Do you think I should take her to see a psychiatrist?"
"Oh, no. I'd wait and see what happens with the Ritalin. I think that's the answer. Wait two or three weeks."
"So you think it's all nerves."
"I suspect so."
"And those lies she's been telling? This'll stop it?"
His answer puzzled her. He askedd her if she'd ever known Regan to swear or use obscenities.
"Never," Chris answered.
"Well, you see, that's quite similar to things like her lying--- uncharacteristic, from what you tell
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