I'm a psychotherapist with a new client who was referred to me by an institution I don't quite trust: their staff is all-white and my client's black. He does seem shy and cold, but I'm skeptical of their diagnosis: paranoia. I'm black too and I've seen snap judgments of black patients too often...

So I check first for physical causes, and find the man has good reason to be a bit cold. He's part reptile! A snake. Scaly skin, forked tonge, slit-pupil eyes...

He was raised among good Christians, naturally. He says "I know I'm evil, because I'm part snake." Their ophidiophobia (love that word!) has messed with his self-image.

Suddenly I see that paranoia is not a disease. Paranoia is a role--a SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP. You can't be paranoid without people to mistrust. And here, THEY mistrusted HIM. His problem is just the opposite. He trusted them too much--their ophidiophobic judgments.

This guy isn't crazy. Just scaly.

In a world of fundamentalist mammals who freak at the sight of him.

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