One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

I recently started a new job and part of that job is representing people who have been civilly Committed. Basically someone goes off their meds and goes a bit "nuts" (yes, we use very technical terms) and they get put into a hospital where they refuse to take the meds and want to be released. Enter Jack, Esq., Defender of Freedom. (Yeah, it scares me too). So there they are being held in the loony bin (actually, it's the "Behavioral Health Center", because it's the behavior that's wrong with them, not that their off their fucking rocker) and it is up to me to tell their story. And boy can they tell a story (except for the ones that are catatonic and drooling (no they are not on meds, that's their normal state)).

This gets me to tell you about something I learned today reading the DSM-IV (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition, for those of you not cool enough to be in the know). Apparently, there is a difference between a "nonbizarre delusion" and a "bizarre delusion", you would figure that all delusions would be bizarre but not true, not true! Nonbizarre delusions, are your boring, run-of-the-mill delusions, like the police have bugged my house, basically they could happen (and are more likely under this Administration). Your bizarre delusions are the really fun ones as the DSM gives an example "a person's belief that a stranger has removed his or her internal organs and has replaced them with someone else's organs without leaving any wounds or scars."

So basically what I'm saying is that I need to get a badge issued to me cause they could so lock me up with me protesting that "I'm an attorney! I'm not crazy!" and I would completely fit the bill of someone meant for a padded room.