If you’ve ever interacted with someone in the midst of paranoid delusions, they don’t all morph into hunch-backed, growling, wild-eyed Mr. Hyde-looking types with poor hygiene and unkempt hair, lurching down dark cobblestone alleys as they finger the fold-out razor in the pocket of their filthy wool coat.
They can obey traffic laws, hire a lawyer, use the bathroom appropriately, have cogent conversations unrelated to their delusion, cook a steak dinner, pay their bills on time, recognize their family, etc., etc.
At the same time, they can also meet the legal definition of being mentally incompetent, which really isn’t an easy standard to meet.
Not sure where I’m going with this, really, except I’ve noticed, generally speaking, there’s a sort of cognitive dissonance about mental illness, what it looks like, what it is, and how to deal with it.
I’m not knocking you at all, Doghairrules, I promise. Just thinking out loud.