karen covered herself with a blanket and refused to take the blanket off until everyone else left the room. as soon as the others were gone, she indeed removed the blanket but still hid her face by covering it with her long, wavy, unkempt hair, looking pretty much like sadako from the movie "the ring." nevertheless, she started loosening up and answering my queries.
i diagnosed karen to have schizophrenia, which is a neuro-chemical (dopamine) imbalance in the brain. she manifested paranoid thoughts and would be seen talking to herself and laughing alone. furthermore, she isolated herself and stopped attending to her personal hygiene.
many people with schizophrenia are easily treated with dopamine-balancing medications. unfortunately, around 20% deteriorate in their condition and will need long term-care. for karen however, the prayer and goal for her is to have a speedy recovery so that she can live a productive and happy life.
by the way, underneath all that hair, sadako is a beautiful japanese actress in the person of yukie nakama:
here is what sadako's dog looks like:
