Reply #1: I wish I'd seen it. I always welcomed the challenge they presented

[Warpy]

in the hospital. I got one who was convinced the food was poisoned to sneak cans of tube feeding out of the supply room because if nobody on tube feeding was dying, it was probably safe. After a couple of weeks of drinking that horrible stuff he felt better physically and we could talk to him about going to the psych ward because living in that kind of fear was a terrible way to live. He went. He did well on medication and eventually went home.

Another one had bottomed her potassium to an emergency level and was convinced all drugs were poison. The Socratic method worked with her and we identified high potassium foods and I sent somebody to the kitchen at 1 AM to prepare a big plate of them for her. Her level had returned to normal by the next afternoon. Unfortunately, she was quite adamant about not needing help, as so many of them are. She went home as crazy as when she arrived.

I found that most of them could be reasoned with if one did it creatively and with respect.

However, this isn't the place for it. I hope people on that thread weren't too unkind. Living in fear is horrible whether it's rational or irrational.