One day he handed her a sheet of paper with writing all over it and signed “Arthur. ” He seemed quite frightened, saying, “I don’t know anybody named Arthur, and I don’t understand what’s written on the paper.”

Soon the staff was complaining to Dr. George that they found it increasingly difficult to deal with someone who constantly said, “I didn’t do that, someone else did,” when they had seen it happen with their own eyes. Milligan, they said, was undermining the treatment of other patients, manipulating the staff by going from one to the other to get what he wanted. He constantly hinted that Ragen might come out and handle matters, and the staff saw this as a veiled threat.

Dr. George suggested that he be the one to deal with Milligan’s alter personalities, and then only in therapy sessions. The staff should not mention or discuss the other names on the unit, especially not in front of the other patients.

Helen Yaeger, the nurse who had spoken to Arthur on the first day, now entered this treatment plan on the nursing-goal sheet dated March 28:

Within one month Mr. Milligan will accept responsibility for acts which he denies as evidenced by no statements of denial of these behaviors.

Plan:

(1) When denies ability to play piano—staff replies they saw or heard him play—maintain a matter of fact attitude.

(2) When observed writing notes that he denies knowledge of—staff should tell him he was seen writing notes.

(3) When patient refers to himself as another personality—staff should remind him his name is Billy.

Dr. George explained his approach to Allen during the therapy session by pointing out that the other patients on the unit became confused when they heard the various names of the personalities.

“Some people call themselves Napoleon or Jesus Christ,” Allen said.

“But its different if I and the staff do it—call you Danny one day and Arthur or Ragen or Tommy or Allen another time. I suggest that to the staff and to the patients, all your personalities answer to the name of Billy, while in—”

“They’re not ‘personalities,’ Dr. George. They’re people.” “Why do you make the distinction?”

“When you call them personalities, it’s as if you don’t think they’re real.”

(3)

On April 8, several days after Dorothy Turner had begun a program of psychological testing, Donna Egar saw Milligan walking back and forth in his room angrily. When she asked him what was wrong, he answered in his British accent, “No ope understands.”

Then she saw his face change again and then his whole posture, walk and speech, and she knew it was Danny. At that point, seeing how consistent he was, how real these different personalities were, she no longer assumed he was faking. She had to admit that she, alone of the nursing staff, had come around to being a believer.

A few days later, he came to her, very upset. She could tell quickly that it was Danny. He stared at her and said pathetically, “Why am I here?”