The Renfield Syndrome by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 2

His life began with an act of violence when his mother, Claire, was dragged from a bar after being surreptitiously drugged. She was found in an alley a day later, having been repeatedly raped, her face badly bruised from a vicious beating. It was determined by doctors and police that there were two suspects, but neither could be found despite an exhaustive search. Nine months later, Caspian Williams was born, and it was clear to doctors and nurses that Claire was less than ecstatic over his existence. Given the nature of his origin, she considered giving him up for adoption, but a kind-hearted social worker convinced her to keep him and participate in motherhood. Yet, deep down she despised him as if he represented the men who violated her only months before. The social worker and hospital psychiatrist held out hope for a healthy relationship and that Claire would raise Caspian to be a wonderful young man. But this was not to be, as Claire began taking out her hatred of those who assaulted her on the innocent life she was now responsible for. As far as she was concerned, Claire did not love him; she tolerated him—even as an infant.

The beginning of her cruelty occurred when she was nursing him. In the hospital, it was highly recommended that she breastfeed in order to provide special nutrients and stimulate bonding. But the infant, acting on instinct, bit down too hard in its need for food, and this was met by a slap from his mother. The intense pain led to a torrent of screaming as nurses flooded the room. All of them were aware of Claire’s past—the assault that led to her pregnancy. To avoid responsibility and cower from the legal repercussions of her actions, Claire covered the increasing redness spreading over the side of Caspian’s face.

“What happened?” the nurse yelled. She tried taking the baby in order to conduct an inspection, but Claire refused to let go, holding tightly to the newborn life.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I think my nipple just popped out of his mouth. He must be really hungry.” The only time the nurse had heard an infant scream like this was if it was experiencing pain—sometimes after surgery when slightly more medication is needed.

The nurses left the room suspicious that Claire had slapped her baby, having also heard what sounded like a slap. They called the attending physician, and after describing what they heard, a psychiatric consult was ordered. At the same time, the social worker returned to ask a few more questions. Everyone’s attention was focused on Caspian’s safety as well as Claire’s fragile state of mind. Later the next day, a psychiatrist visited the unit where her room was. The first thing he did was to receive a briefing from the nurses as to any changes in her mental status or behavior. The only thing they noticed was that she had become oddly quiet. It had been decided that she should have limited access to her child in order to avoid any further abuse Claire was suspected of. Having been thoroughly briefed by the nursing staff as well as the resident charged with her care. The psychiatrist walked down the hallway and, knocking on the door, entered, closing it behind him. An hour later he walked back out, and approaching the nurse’s desk, asked to speak to the staff. In the quiet privacy of an empty room, the psychiatrist gave his assessment.

“Well,” he began. “This is certainly a complicated case. Here we have a woman in her late thirties who was drugged and raped by at least two men. The assault led to a pregnancy, which produced a live birth. According to the notes, the baby seems perfectly healthy. The mother, however, seems rather emotionally unstable. She’s become detached when asked about the assault and appears to be projecting her anger about the assault onto the baby. I don’t see any signs of any developing psychosis, but trauma of this nature, where during the attack the patient’s sense of control is stripped away, can cause certain issues to arise.”

The nursing staff listened intently as he continued with his

recommendations.

“At this point I see no need for an antipsychotic,” he continued. “But perhaps an antidepressant would be a good start. I would also recommend that she be put in touch with a therapist. It might be good for her to get weekly sessions if she is going to continue as a mother.”

Although some nurses had their reservations all agreed that it was the best course of action for both mother and baby. Of course, if the situation escalated, the baby might have to be taken as a ward of the state while Claire was taken into custody by local authorities. Hopefully, this would not have to happen.