Her new patient, a firefighter named Leo, had been referred by his chief. “He’s safe,” the chief had said. “He pulls people out of burning buildings. But he won’t talk. He just stares at the wall. We need to know if he’s fit for duty.”
Anya leaned back. This was not a “fit for duty” profile. This was a 2-7-8 codetype—the “Despondent Schizoid.” These were people living in a private hell of depression, crushing anxiety, and bizarre thoughts they never share. The high F scale suggested Leo had admitted to things most people would deny: “I have strange thoughts. Things don’t feel real. I feel like I’m being watched.” MMPI-2- Assessing Personality And Psychopathology
Anya walked back to the waiting room. “Leo,” she said gently, “you answered ‘True’ to question 367. ‘I have never had a blackout or seizure.’ That’s fine. But you also answered ‘True’ to question 415: ‘I am afraid of losing my mind.’ And ‘True’ to question 479: ‘I feel isolated even when I am with people.’” Her new patient, a firefighter named Leo, had