Cameron and the Girls (18 page)

But sometimes it helps me to make my family wonder just a little.

The disease that Cameron has is a real disease called schizophreniform disorder. It is one of the subgroups of schizophrenia, a serious affliction of the mind. What sets schizophreniform disorder apart from other schizophrenic diagnoses is that the duration and intensity of the episodes can be less severe. While schizophrenia is seen as a disease with a generally chronic course, those afflicted with schizophreniform disorder can sometimes be disease-free for significant periods of time and in some cases for the rest of their lives.

Cameron hallucinated by hearing voices, but other sufferers can have both visual and auditory hallucinations, as well as delusions. A few have even reported tactile hallucinations, like the ones Cameron experienced with The Girl. It is possible to have symptoms of this disease as early as age five. And yes, there are documented cases where individuals have carried on conversations, unafraid, with the voices in their heads.

Of all the schizophrenic diagnoses, schizophreniform disorder has the most hopeful prognosis, especially with a case like Cameron's where the sufferer functions well when he is not afflicted with symptoms. Normally, a patient like Cameron would be put on a medication regimen for one year, and then he might be slowly weaned from the medicine to see if he can function, symptom-free, without it. And so, one day Cameron might very well be free of the disease forever, which is his fondest hope.

E
DWARD
A
VERETT
was born in the Pacific Northwest and, except for four years in the wilds of Spain, has lived in the state of Washington all his life. He is the author of
Homing
and
The Rhyming Season,
and he is the proud grandfather of three beautiful girls. Visit him at
www.edwardaverett.com
.