Help Help Help.
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1994 Jan / Feb Vol III No 1.
Parinaz Humranwala.
Cases.
` Anac.

"I need help social, religious and medical" said the boy aged 15, as he seated himself between his parents and before me. The only child of working parents, his words signalled the degree of despair. His problem began when he was in the seventh standard (in a boarding school), where he got enraged on his teacher and beat him up. The next morning he walked into the same teachers cabin with flowers to say he was sorry, though he was unable to recall his bad behaviour the previous day. But, such acts kept on repeating and the boy was suspended from school. He was admitted to the eighth standard in another school.

He had a mild thyroid problem which affected his physical appearance, for which he was ridiculed by his peers, a fact which distressed him to a great extent. The boy was unable to concentrate on his studies and failed in the ninth standard. This episode has been very disturbing and traumatic to both the patient and his parents. The boy felt distressed that he could not reach upto their expectations. The parents grumbled that even three tuitions did not suffice to make him scrape through. Ever since he refuses to go to school.

The mother complained that he was a voracious eater, which contributed to his obesity. On 30th June 93 the boy suddenly complained of inability to walk independently and myoclonic jerks of the right upper limb. He was hospitalized and found to be neurologically normal and hence a psychometric assessment was advised, to rule out attention seeking behaviour. On 11th July he had become very violent in the hospital and at that time was running about, belying all evidence of weakness in the lower limbs. Personality test and repeated interrogation by the psychologist revealed underlying Schizophrenia.

I requested the parents to wait outside. His face twitched as he began to speak "Please, I am scared of school, exams and everything about it. I shiver at the thought of exams" saying this he burst into tears. "Aunty, that man torments me, he teaches me all that evil." Perplexed, I asked him what he meant. He tore a page of his notebook and drew a picture of man with red eyes, letter D for death written on his chest, a bamboo hat, a whip in one hand and a skull in the other. This man compelled him to do acts of violence, which included hitting his own parents or abusing them, knocking his head on the cupboard or drinking up a litre of milk. When his actions were explained to him, he would have no recollection of the episodes.

Now, all he wants is to be left alone; he even walks with eyes towards the ground to avoid contact. "The world has been mean to him". He trusts nobody but would love to have a pet animal which at least would not bite him. Hates people who have done wrong to him, (including his father who has been very strict). He tries to be someone else to make others happy but is still unable to live upto their expectations. Felt he did everything wrongly. He contemplated on suicide and often told his parents he would jump out of the window to end their agony. His sixth sense told him that his future was grim.

The boy seemed intelligent for his age as he described his mental agony in detail. I requested him to call his parents and noticed as he walked that he wore knee caps on both his knees to prevent them from buckling up.

The remedy selected was Anacardium-o which is being administered infrequently to the boy ever since. Immediately on the first follow-up he told me "that man came out and got burnt in front of my eyes." The parents further emphasized this idea by burning a picture of a similar figure in front of him. He cooled down and his acts of violence reduced over a period of time. He has appeared for his ninth standard exams and is awaiting results.

Remedy Discussion:

Anacardium-orientale is the marking nut found on the mountains of eastern India. This nut has externally an oil which is strong, black, acute, caustic and bad but the heart of the nut is sweet. It is what we call malicious with a good heart. The boy was trying to succeed in the examinations in order to please his parents, but due to lack of concentration, he was unable to perform well. A loving child earlier, was getting separated from himself (Antagonism with himself Kents Rep Pg.4.) Lack of concentration, progressed to lack of self confidence (Confidence want of self KR 13). The boy had separate mental and emotional levels. The first act of hitting the teacher and then carrying flowers portrays the duplicity (Delusion, double of being KR 24). The other rubrics selected for the case are as follows:-

·         Delusion that the is separated from the world (single remedy) (2)

·         Unfeeling (single remedy) (3)

·         Abusive (2)

·         Anger violent (3)

·         Antagonism with himself (2)

·         Estranged from society (1)

·         Clairvoyance (1)

·         Company aversion to (3)

·         Concentration difficult (3)

·         Contrary (3)

·         Defiant (1)

·         Delusion sees devils (2)

·         Delusion that he is a devil (1)

·         Delusion of being double (2)

·         Delusion does nothing right (1)

·         Forsaken feeling, sensation of isolation (2)

·         Hatred (3)

·         Hysteria (2)

·         Jumping, impulse to jump from a height (1)

·         Weakness of memory (1)

·         Moral feeling want of (2)

·         Recognize, does not his relatives (2)

·         Suicidal disposition throwing himself from a height (1)

·         Will, contradiction of (3)

·         Physical symptoms-Eating ameliorates. Sensation of a band around the knees