This story happened long ago when we were still students. Usually the class was structured in this way: the teacher asked a few questions on the subject, then, rubbing, as if from a tooth pain, listened to the nonsense that he was carried by the students, then honestly tried to do something to us, and then the whole group went to the department. Since theory is a theory, but in medicine it is impossible to learn from textbooks and references, you have to see everything yourself (pest and cholera are not included).

Dmitry (let us call him so) has long been a permanent resident of the regional psychiatric hospital. Hallucinations and nonsense, which once bloomed lush, bright and bold, over the years fled, giving way to the monotonous apathy of the defect, and from all the wealth of symptoms only one remained. A knock in... mm... the fifth point. Just a knock. and all. But the permanent. And no medicines — old or newly invented — were able to stifle him.

Putting my hand on the heart, not so much this knock Dmitry and hindered. In the meantime, he became a subject of his pride. A brand, I can say. Especially when it began to be regularly shown to students - say, here is a vivid example of residual symptoms. The living example raised his shoulders, looked with a trickle, eagerly answered — yes, say, knocks. He is constantly knocking. How is? It is very simple: “Here.” This is the ass knock. The girls-students were red, embarrassed, the guys jumped in the fist, Dmitry mysteriously smiled - in general, everyone had fun.

The theme of the class, after which Dmitry was shown to our group, were hallucinations. True and pseudo-hallucinations How to distinguish them? Very simple, the teacher said. Let’s say hearing. If you, comrades students, hear someone call you a goat, and the source of the insults, by sensation, is somewhere in the external environment, but actually is absent, as an object (or little, suddenly someone actually revealed to you a disgraceful truth, but embarrassed to appear in the eyes) - these are true auditory hallucinations. If you were called a goat inside your own head, but so clearly as if loudly - then, most likely, it is not a voice of conscience and not a scream of self-criticism, but auditory pseudo-hallucinations.

Then the group went to the department to question Dmitry. What disturbs? It’s not to bother, it’s just present. In the ass knock. Hears or feels? It is heard. “Here and here.” Yes it constantly. “Here-here” is like someone is knocking. As in the door.

And then one of our quiet-excellent, innocently blinking eyes, asked a question. Fully in accordance with the subject of the class.

“Say, Dmitry, and this knock is in yours...” she turned red, but gathered her strength and continued, “So, this knock, where did it come from?
What does “from where”? I did not understand Dmitry. I do not know where he came from.
“No, you didn’t understand it,” added the student in a hurry and turned red again, “I wanted to ask, are they knocking on you from the inside or from the inside?”

Dmitry was so overwhelmed by this question that he did not notice how the group, already red on the head, rubbing tears, quietly withdrew from the department.

I have to! In an effort to preserve the stone face, the teacher spoke. Such an innocent question, but with what subtext! I congratulate you girl. Have you ever thought about a career as a psychotherapist?