Mental Illness is Calling- Shall I Answer?

A couple weeks ago I was sitting at my desk when my co-worker exclaimed, "Hey, Schizophrenia is calling me." Then abruptly she started laughing, "Should I answer a call from Schizophrenia?" I peeked around our cubicle divider and a quick glance confirmed that the caller ID did indeed simply read, "Schizophrenia." She picked it up, bless her. But ever since then, the question has been drumming through my mind like a military band: "Mental illness is calling me: shall I answer?" There's no one answer, really. Just like when people call 2-1-1 and ask for "the" number for "Alberta Health" when there is, in fact, something like 800 different numbers that belong to that agency, more information is needed before an answer can be given. Is it my mental illness, or someone else's? Why is it calling me? Is it calling me at home, or while I'm at work? Supposing it's my own mental illness, I would be tempted to say that I wouldn't answer: "Just say 'no'" and all that jazz. However, my knowledge of Freudian psychology suggests that if I have a mental illness that has built enough strength to call me on a phone, perhaps I ought to at least listen to what it has to say, because it probably needs attention. And if it's my own mental illness calling, having it call me at work or home would probably be equally disturbing. If my mental illness called me at work, I would probably need to go on some sort of sick leave or change of occupation. If my mental illness called me at home, then I'd have to ask how it obtained my unlisted phone number and/or address and it's probably bothering my husband and family as well as stalking me. Paranoia, paranoia, everybody's out to get meeee, you told them all I was crazy, and I don't even own a t.v... (though Dan does. Still, we don't get cable, after all). Conversely, supposing it's someone else's mental illness calling, I would be very tempted to say, "Of course I'll answer! I'm always happy to help!" But again, the problem contains more complexity than it first appears to. What kind of mental illness is it? And how severe? Whose is it? Does it just want to talk, need directions elsewhere, or does it expect me to resolve it? I only have a BA in behavioural science, so I'm really not qualified to treat anyone. Even if I had a full PhD and license to practice, I would be bound by the ethical code of conduct of Registered Psychologists in Canada, so I also can't treat anyone I have a dual relationship with (ie. family, friends, coworkers, archenemies, etc) and I must only work within my areas of specialized training. So, for example, if I specialize in using body mindfulness techniques and dialectical behaviour therapy to treat dissociative disorders and emotional trauma, but don't have any training in prescribing anti-psychotics or using cognitive behaviour treatment, I can't accept schizophrenic patients as my clients because I'm not competent in that area. I really don't want to bring my work home with me, either, as I suspect this would have adverse effects on my marriage and family. Repeat after me, self: "I can't be everything to everyone," and the newer mantra, "I can't be everywhere and available to everyone all the time." Sorry, they're not very catchy mantras. And whether at home or work, if the mental illness calling is Psychopathy, and it belongs to the very angry psyche of a controlling/abusive ex of a client, friend, or family member, it might be wiser to allow it to leave a message and then possibly make an out-call to 9-1-1. Then again, maybe it'd be a good idea to answer so I could conduct a risk assessment. I don't know how to record live calls, though, and damn is it ever important to maintain physical evidence to show to police and judges when seeking justice for or protection in domestic abuse cases. Maybe if it was a really clingy/dependent mental illness I would just allow it to leave a message, or if I did pick up, perhaps I would have to give it a time limit. I always find that really hard though- most often, it seems as though I gain much more insight into a person's life/views if I just allow them to tell their stories in their own time and in their own way. I don't think I ever want to go into "Solutions focused therapy". Not that I believe therapy shouldn't be about finding solutions- it should. I believe God can heal anything, and people were meant to live abundantly, so a therapy that doesn't bring healing is an unethical waste of time, money, and emotion. But solutions-focused therapy is generally short-term therapy devised to appease insurance companies with their lower cost and fix surface-level problems for clients in a hurry. And despite all my insecurities, I still believe I was meant to seek bigger challenges than that. Alas, I digress, and I'm speaking with unpolitically correct terms. Correction: a person is not the same thing as the mental illness that plagues them. How's that for decisive decision making? My answer is, "Maybe."