Being a physician - and after so many years, if I can call myself a seasoned physician, I have seen many familiar and uncommon diseases. But this case was unique. I am unsure if it ever got published as I could not follow it later due to privacy reasons - but this case, even after so many years, is hard to explain.
The patient was a physician in his mid-fifties - and was blessed with fortune, fame, family, and all stabilities. But he was addicted to sneaking into people's houses (like a thief) when they were not home to use the bathrooms. If he cannot quickly get into a place, he will check into any hotel/motel and sneak into an occupied room when a guest is out during the daytime. He will take nothing - just visit and use the bathroom - and leave. He managed to avail master key or machine to duplicate cards for the hotel rooms. Eventually, he was caught by a guest and later arrested due to hotel cameras. I don't know if he could practice later, but as far as I know, he was let go without pressing charges from a particular guest and hotel. On the same day, shaken from arrest, he checked himself into ER to seek professional help - and our service was consulted for an unrelated issue.
I asked many psychiatrist friends, but no one ever heard of any such case. Each shrink has his theory to explain his behavior - but nothing concrete ever came out. This case always comes to mind when I see many successful people around me with odd habits.
Indeed, even after 25 years of everyday work as a physician - humans continue to boggle my intelligence - and every day, I get my 'humility pie' of wrong judgment or presumed diagnosis.
Insaan is kaainat ki sab se bari kitab hai
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