Chapter 33

“Have you been using for the whole of your time together?” Greg typed some more information in his computer then closed the lid.

“Yes and no. I always used recreationally, but John didn’t like it. We got a new head of the department at Harvard. He didn’t like gays and targeted me. I didn’t cope well and started to use heavily.” Patrick wrung his hands and looked down.

“What were you using?”

“Coke, booze, crystal meth, I even tried skin popping heroin.” Patrick’s eyes blazed with defiance as if he dared Greg to scold him. The mercurial changes of mood worried Greg. Patrick showed symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. In the first fifteen minutes of their session he’d exhibited six of the nine indicators: frantic effort to avoid abandonment, substance abuse, severe mood shifts, stress related feelings of paranoia, and intense and unstable interpersonal relationships. Greg was sure that if he pushed, the other three would pop out soon enough.