Psychology of a Library

Taking courses at a community college can be quite the experience. One of the best things is that the students are incredibly diverse. I have taken classes at a community college as a junior in High School and sat next to a 57 year old in my pre-calc class. Needless to say Skagit Valley College encompasses many different nationalities, age groups, political parties, religions, and its fair share of loonies! This spring quarter I have spent many (almost every) weekday afternoons in the library working away on homework and other endeavors, so I had my fair share of run-ins with many different students. I had been harassed for my vote by every student body representative running for office, mistaken for a student from a lab group, asked for assistance watering the plants, and my favorite sought after for psychiatric help. Apparently taking one quarter of Psychology 101 makes you a psychologist! I wish I would have known that before I wasted all my time on other classes. If I would have known a five credit class could guarantee me a full time occupation, I might have taken it early in my schooling.

Anyway one day I was headed out of the library and I was spotted carrying my psychology book by one of the previously mentioned loonies. This woman, who I’m guessing is around 35 years old walked over looked at my book and asked me, “Are you in a psychology class?” I thought she might be curious about if I liked the teacher I had, how hard the course-work is, and do I plan on further perusing a job in the field of psychology; so I answered yes. A word to the wise, never say you are taking psychology to a 25 year old woman with a scrunchie on top of her head wearing any type of cartoon character shirt! It is a bad idea! Pretend you can’t speak English, run away, hit them in the head with your text book, and do whatever it takes to GET AWAY!!! Make your escape, you’ll thank me later!

So I said yes and that apparently was the signal that I was open for business. Strange, I thought being a psychiatrist would look a little differently… you know a big office full of leather furniture and a chase for the patient to lay down on… or at least like Lucy’s stand in A Charlie Brown Christmas!

 But here I was with a psychology book which must mean trustworthy advice for life altering decisions could be received from me. She then went on to tell me some strange story about her life that resembled what I imagine a days of our lives episode. After about 5 minutes of her going on about how her boyfriend wasn’t really there for her and he isn’t emotionally supportive and all of her self-diagnosed disorders, I was about ready to fling myself off a building. I told her I was sorry about her relationship problems and I hope she is able to work through them and started walking out from the lobby area. Then she followed me. I was slightly disturbed that she was following me and I was afraid if I went to my car she would get in and try to come home with me. She asked me about one of her self-diagnosed problems and I could only bite my tongue. It was so ironic because earlier that day in my psychology class we had talked about psychological disorders and the misdiagnosis that people give themselves when the self-diagnosed. It was too funny. I finally escaped from the crazy and ran to my car.

That was my adventure with a crazy person in the library!