Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 9 True Face

"How did you figure that out?" Chen Ting asked, her emotions having calmed down a bit, as she took the initiative to ask the question that concerned her.

Because even though you're putting on a convincing act, you still don't seem like someone with depression.

Nan Zhuren thought to himself.

For anything ending with the word "symptom," including various psychiatric manuals such as the DSM-V (Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), the diagnostic criteria are quite cautious. They require the client to meet multiple symptoms listed in their catalog before a diagnosis of "depression" can be made.

But regardless of the version of the manual or the standard, there will always be a core concept.

That is [depressive mood].

“You can understand the so-called ‘state of mind’ as a persistent, pervasive emotion that affects your perception of everything around you,” Nan Zhuren said. “You will be unable to share the joy of others, feel the happiness in games, or even perceive ‘beauty’ in things.”

“In the short time we’ve just met, your emotions have fluctuated several times, which is the first thing that puzzles me.”

"So I then gave you a projective test. You praised beautiful things and expressed joy—and it was genuine joy."

Listening to Nan Zhuren's series of analyses, Chen Ting's mouth dropped open slightly.

“None of my previous therapists have ever treated me like this.”

Nan Zhuren shrugged: "So they all misdiagnosed you."

"Let me see their diagnosis of you... Ha, how do you guide them?"

Chen Ting watched as Nan Zhuren flipped through her file while speaking, and said helplessly, "In order to obtain a certificate for depression, I searched online beforehand for some symptoms of depression, such as decreased appetite, decreased energy, and insomnia. Then I showed them during the consultation..."

"Didn't they give you a scale test? A more rigorous scale would have a specific score to reflect your situation."

"I get a headache just looking at those forms with hundreds of questions. I only do questionnaires with a dozen or so questions; those are easier to control the results of..."

Nan Zhuren nodded knowingly: "No matter what, you managed to fool several counselors with your disguise, and you've even taught yourself a lot of professional knowledge. Don't you really want to consider studying psychology in the future?"

Chen Ting smiled, but it was a very unpleasant smile.

Although Nan Zhuren expressed the same stance to her, the young girl remained reserved and embarrassed.

If we were to measure it by levels, her feelings towards Nan Zhuren have probably gone from "warning" at 30 to "indifferent" at 50, but there's still a long way to go before reaching "familiarity" at 60.

Although she sat down again and relaxed, her attitude towards Nan Zhuren entered into a new form of confrontation.

"Teacher Nan, since you can tell that I don't have depression, can you tell why I'm faking it?"

You know what, it really works.

However, Nan Zhuren did not choose to let the visitor control the conversation. He said softly, "If possible, I would still prefer that you tell me."

Chen Ting immediately retorted, "Can't you do it?"

According to standard procedure, at this point, the counselor should explain to the client how important it is for the counseling to have the client express their problems. If the client continues to avoid the issue, the counselor should change the subject and look for another direction for counseling.

However, this is not absolute. Many senior counselors develop their own counseling style in the later stages of their careers. As far as Nan Zhuren knows, there is a well-known senior counselor who is very good at confronting, and even scolding, clients.

He often berates his visitors until they cry their eyes out, but after crying, the visitors all say they feel reborn.

Nan Zhuren glanced at the wall clock and estimated the time.

Let's push the consultation process forward a bit more.

During the initial consultation, Nan Zhuren astutely noticed a subtle difference in Chen Ting's body language that closely resembled, yet was subtly different from, "nervousness." This was a significant signal.

This signal appeared and fluctuated in the following three situations: after seeing Nan Zhuren, after Nan Zhuren spoke, when she mentioned her mother, and when she mentioned school.

Basic micro-expression observation can detect these signals, but it cannot interpret their meaning. Nan Zhuren later used projective tests not only to verify that "Chen Ting's depression was faked," but also to find the emotions corresponding to these physical signals.

Ultimately, he discovered that Chen Ting exhibited the same emotion when faced with two emotion cards: a bear and a spider.

The corresponding emotion is fear!
Connecting the dots, Nan Zhuren had a plan in mind. He began to analyze the logic, connecting the dots at each point. Seeing the continued tension and wariness on Chen Ting's face, he started to organize his thoughts.

Currently, a kind of "confrontational" relationship has been established between Nan Zhuren and Chen Ting. In this situation, if Nan Zhuren independently discovers the purpose of the "confrontation," he can easily push the counseling process forward by a big step.

However, the method of investigation needs to be more sophisticated; he cannot directly say that the information was obtained through "micro-expression interpretation".

In this case, the visitor may become more inclined to hide themselves.

“I have received several visitors who pretended to be mentally ill. Their purposes can be summarized into two categories: first, to gain attention; second, to escape certain things.”

“Although you started going to psychological counseling with your mother after you became ‘sick,’ you have always been resistant to it. In other words, you do not enjoy being taken care of after you became ‘sick.’ So I rule out the first possibility: you are not trying to get attention.”

That's escapism.

Nan Zhuren watched Chen Ting's expression change little by little: "You just finished the college entrance examination and entered university. The school is of a very high level and the major is also very good. But you chose 'depression,' which is a disease that makes all relevant personnel on high alert whenever it occurs in universities today."

"So something must have happened at school that made you want to leave that environment."

"Perhaps it's the dormitory relationship, perhaps it's the romantic relationship, or perhaps you realized after moving on to a higher education that this wasn't what you wanted at all. In any case, you want to leave that environment."

Chen Ting's expression continued to crumble.

Nan Zhuren continued: "But you have a domineering mother. Perhaps you are disappointed in her, or perhaps you are too afraid of her. In any case, you did not tell her about the difficulties you encountered. You could only use the 'methods' you thought of to protect yourself from harm. So after thinking it over, you finally chose 'depression' as your shield."

In this series of "reasoning," Nan Zhuren used a lot of "guesses" and "experience summaries" to sort out a general outline.

Compared to "micro-expression analysis," "experience" is a more convincing reason that makes people lower their guard.

As Chen Ting listened, her eyes widened, and eventually she seemed to forget her nervousness, gradually relaxing her body.

"You're amazing." Chen Ting pursed her lips, finally admitting it as if she had given up on herself.

Nan Zhuren was certain that, based on this reaction, his relationship with Chen Ting should have a 60% or even 70% positive impression.

"Then... what happens next? What do we do?" Chen Ting asked weakly.

"After that, I will continue to explain my judgment to you, and then you can make the decision yourself."

Chen Ting was taken aback: "There's a judgment? There's a choice?"

Nan Zhuren nodded, recalling the anomalies that had occurred during the consultation—anomalies that he wouldn't have been able to observe without his [Micro-expression Analysis - Beginner] skill.

"Even if your depression is faked, it doesn't mean you're completely without problems."

"For example, the situation you're facing now, which is enough for you to fake 'depression,' is what we need to address. And..."

Nan Zhuren thought about the fear that Chen Ting showed, and realized that it wasn't normal.

"Next, I'll discuss my diagnosis with you, then we can talk about any follow-up consultations we might have, and how to explain things to your guardian..."

(End of this chapter)