Hysteria

Hysteria

"Doctor Li, what exactly is wrong with my daughter?"

Chairman Cao hesitated for a moment. Li Bai's unexpected display had given him considerable confidence, rekindling the flame of hope in his heart.

"It may be hysteria caused by visual suggestion."

Li Bai examined the Cao Family's Youngest Daughter's room, his gaze settling on an African-style statue. He immediately walked over.

After reviewing a great deal of diagnostic material and waking the Cao family's daughter to observe her for a while, he had basically confirmed a few clues.

"Hysteria? Could this thing have caused it?"

Chairman Cao watched in confusion as Li Bai helped himself to a decorative statue from the bookshelf. It was merely a pillar carving covered in several strange-looking faces, resembling an African tribal totem handicraft.

He remembered that his youngest daughter had bought it half a year ago from a handicraft store at a tourist attraction in the south. The sales clerk had even spun her a tale about an African tribal warrior's soul being hidden inside.

Yet the packaging label exposed its true origin: a genuine domestic product from some little workshop in Wuyi City, right here in the province. An African tribe? That absurdly fake story was only meant to squeeze an extra twenty or thirty yuan out of her.

"Not just that. The entire bookshelf too. Chairman Cao, don't you think this bookshelf, together with this statue, looks like a creepy skull face?"

As he spoke, Li Bai returned the face-totem pillar to its original spot on the bookshelf.

The bookshelf stood directly opposite the bed. As soon as Cao Qiuqing opened her eyes while lying in bed, she would see the shelves full of books.

Prompted by Li Bai, Chairman Cao and Madam Cao looked toward the bookshelf. After a brief moment of stunned silence, they both sucked in a cold breath.

It really was as he said. Books with differently colored covers, some ornaments, and that totem pillar statue together looked exactly like a creepy skull face.

"Could this bookshelf be what caused my daughter's hysteria?"

Madam Cao looked utterly incredulous, unable to believe that a bookshelf full of books and a single decorative item could frighten her youngest daughter into such a state.

"Hysteria has many causes, both physiological and psychological. It is generally divided into dissociative symptoms and conversion symptoms. Life events, inner conflicts, suggestion, and self-suggestion can all trigger hysteria. With conversion symptoms like your daughter's, it is easy for her to imagine many things as terrifying objects, provoking uncontrollable fear deep in her heart. The bookshelf and this statue are triggers that formed the suggestion. There may be other factors as well, but here, they are the prime suspects."

Li Bai explained the causes and effects of hysteria to Chairman Cao and his wife.

Sometimes doctors needed not only to treat patients, but also to guide their families. Treating the illness and treating the person had to go hand in hand. After all, hospitals were never meant to be profit-making institutions. They always hoped patients would leave healthy, not return for another visit.

"How could my daughter have hysteria?"

Chairman Cao still could not believe that his youngest daughter had developed such a strange illness.

"Mental illness is like the common cold. It is actually a common condition. Life moves fast in modern society, and social pressure is immense. Many people are often not only in a state of physical subhealth, but also in a state of psychological subhealth. The causes differ from person to person. Some are lucky and recover without medication. Others suffer for a long time and do nothing about it themselves, until it gradually worsens and leaves behind a root cause that is difficult to treat. According to professional statistics, one in four people who enjoy playing with their phones has social depression. Craving likes or responses from others is one of its symptomatic traits."

Li Bai gave an in-depth analysis of the current state of mental illness in society. Clearly, it could not be ignored. In his view, the Cao family's daughter's sudden hysteria had been entirely accidental, caused both by her own factors and outside influences. By a strange twist of fate, self-suggestion had triggered such a severe hysterical visual impairment.

Madam Cao was startled. Somewhat disbelieving, she said, "I see so many young people clutching their phones all day long. Are they all mentally ill?"

To her surprise, Li Bai nodded. "Mild symptoms are widespread. They are just not that severe. Besides, there is plenty of soothing information in daily life. Jokes, funny stories, beautiful and heartwarming things can all reduce negative symptoms and help people return to normal. People themselves possess a certain degree of adaptability and self-regulation. Even if someone remains in a state of psychological subhealth for a long time, unless circumstances align or they have suppressed things for too long, it will not erupt violently without warning."

The human body was constantly at war. Once its immune system and self-repair system could no longer resist internal disorder and external invasion, illness would arise, whether physical or psychological.

"Doctor Li, how should my daughter be treated? Whatever you need, I'll do everything I can to provide it."

After Li Bai's explanation, Chairman Cao no longer felt completely lost regarding his daughter's strange illness. At last, he had some confidence.

"Since we have found the suspected cause, we only need to prescribe the proper treatment."

Li Bai stood before the bookshelf and rearranged many of the books. He then moved the totem pillar ornament, eliminating the skull face on the shelf. After carefully examining the entire room, he moved or removed anything that might serve as a visual suggestion.

Finally, he asked Madam Cao for a silk handkerchief. After covering Cao Qiuqing's eyes with it, he tied a dead knot behind her head.

"Chairman Cao, Madam Cao, this handkerchief will cover your daughter's eyes for the time being. No matter what happens, you cannot let it come loose. I still need to prepare one more thing so I can gradually treat this hysteria."

Li Bai snapped his fingers, and the Cao family's daughter lying on the bed stirred again.

This time, Cao Qiuqing's reaction was not as fearful and restless as before. Though she was somewhat confused, her condition was visibly much better.

Without administering a needle or a single dose of medicine, he had brought their daughter's condition under control, leaving Chairman Cao and Madam Cao both astonished and delighted.

"How long will it take to cure her?"

Madam Cao was clearly being a little greedy. Having seen hope, she wanted her daughter to recover immediately.

"Don't worry."

Chairman Cao remained composed. He continued, "Doctor Li, is there anything I can do to help with what you need to prepare?"

With the Cao family's wealth, they would not even blink at spending several million or ten million. If they gritted their teeth, they could even scrape together over a hundred million yuan in cash.

That was not to say the Cao family was all appearance and no substance. For a real-economy enterprise like Yuantian Hotel, its assets might amount to more than a billion yuan, but its liquid funds would not necessarily be substantial.

"It's nothing much. I only need a pair of plain glasses. I need someone to modify them so they carry a certain suggestive effect and correct your daughter's hysteria."

Li Bai's method was simple and effective. The one who tied the knot had to untie it. However the visual impairment had been twisted, it would be twisted back.

"That's good, that's good!"

Chairman Cao let out a sigh of relief. A pair of plain glasses was worth practically nothing.

"If possible, I suggest your daughter learn some painting in the future. On one hand, it can prevent the hysteria from recurring. On the other, it may turn misfortune into a blessing and become a talent. Everything has its pros and cons. If used properly, this visual impairment involving self-suggestion is very suitable for developing exceptionally keen observational skills for painting."

Li Bai's words left Chairman Cao and Madam Cao looking utterly stunned.

"That can work too?"

The couple exchanged glances, then spoke in unison, their faces full of disbelief.

Li Bai smiled. "The scope of mental illness does not only include mental disorder and abnormal behavior. It also includes certain talents and extraordinary intelligence."

Some people who suddenly changed from fools into geniuses might not have simply become enlightened. Perhaps mental illness was the cause.

Chairman Cao and Madam Cao, however, were somewhat unconvinced.