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I agree that the character, Paul may have some OCD or anxiety presentation exhibited by his attention on maintaining control as he internally wrestles with rage. Heightened anxiety is not unusual for someone suffering with Tourette's Disorder. We are all unique and not the sum of our symptoms. Paul's violent episodes point to a whole other possible group of labels such as Bipolar or Psychotic Disorders. Throw in something along the Autism Spectrum and you have a sinkful. The link to Tourette's Disorder were fleeting yet included for some reason. The three I already mentioned--the disorder's name, the tic and possible genetic factor. All three are linked to Tourette's Disorder. Human beings are complex and we may suffer with multiple diagnosis. I'll assume that Koch had some sort of dual diagnosis in mind for Paul. The unnamed and vague diagnosis cluster hinted at in The Dinner was bothersome for me as Koch seemed to stir the pot yet be unwilling to label his creation. That may be for the best since we are left guessing.
I'm intimately acquainted with Tourette's Disorder and the only common I can see is that the author called "disorder". Having a tic is not having Tourette's as a rule tics could just be a reaction to stressful situation. I thought it was most likely some form schizophrenia.
Maya, I agree with you that the clues in The Dinner are vague and could point to a whole plateful of disorders. There may be other disorders where the name of the disorder comes from the name of the Neurologist who initially defined the disorder, yet it is also the unique history of Tourette's Disorder. That clue plus the possible genetic factor used as a device in the book, vaguely point to Tourette's Disorder. I thought the short piece about Paul's facial tic (pg. 260) was a third vague link. I agree that simply exhibiting a tic does not equate to someone suffering with Tourette's Disorder. I did not intend to imply that. The character, Paul suffers with violent episodes that may primarily indicate a Psychotic Disorder as I state in previous comment. Please know I am not attempting to stir up misconceptions about Tourette's Disorder. My Book Club will discuss The Dinner on Saturday and they will likely turn to me for a validation of some sort on Paul's possible diagnosis. I don't have one. Author Herman Koch creates Paul's diagnosis as vague yet leaves pointed clues. Schizophrenia in it's various forms, falls under the general grouping of Psychotic Disorders. Leaving it at that may be what Koch had in mind.
Can any of those disorders be diagnosed in utero? I assumed he made up the whole disorder so he could throw in the question about whether the world would be better off if he had been aborted or if his son had been.
I believe the test would have been for PKU. Which can cause the problems listed below.
I also believe that Claire and Paul were actually brother and sister (see last chapter when Claire said "No, I just suddenly heard myself talking,"she said, still laughing."About brothers and sisters. And listen to who I'm talking to."" And when he went on about the special bond, and how the son looked like a copy and the decision box marked: Parents.
I think the "good' he mentioned from the report meant there was a good chance the child had the genetic disorder as well.
I also believe that Claire was in the hospital for an abortion or miscarriage.
And remember, Michael didn't get great grades.
"However, it is now known that stopping treatment can result in a variety of serious problems, especially for those with “classic” PKU, the most serious type.
These include:
drops in IQ,
learning disabilities,
behavior problems such as hyperactivity and irritability,
neurological problems such as tremors, eczema (a skin disorder)
personality disorders (including schizophrenia, panic attacks and agoraphobia).
PKU is carried through an "autosomal recessive" gene. This means that two people who conceive a child must both be "silent carriers" of the gene in order for there to be a chance that the baby will have PKU. When two carriers conceive a child, there is a one in four (or 25%) chance for each pregnancy that the baby will have PKU. The incidence of carriers in the general population is approximately one in fifty people, but the chance that two carriers will mate is only one in 2500. " (they would if they were brother and sister)
Katherine, I also thought Paul's disorder might be some sort of anxiety disorder, although I don't think it's OCD exactly. However, his violent tendicies could also indicate some degree of pschoysis to me.
...what about the disorder's German sounding name? Thoughts?
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I agree that the character, Paul may have some OCD or anxiety presentation exhibited by his attention on maintaining control as he internally wrestles with rage. Heightened anxiety is not unusual for someone suffering with Tourette's Disorder. We are all unique and not the sum of our symptoms. Paul's violent episodes point to a whole other possible group of labels such as Bipolar or Psychotic Disorders. Throw in something along the Autism Spectrum and you have a sinkful. The link to Tourette's Disorder were fleeting yet included for some reason. The three I already mentioned--the disorder's name, the tic and possible genetic factor. All three are linked to Tourette's Disorder. Human beings are complex and we may suffer with multiple diagnosis. I'll assume that Koch had some sort of dual diagnosis in mind for Paul. The unnamed and vague diagnosis cluster hinted at in The Dinner was bothersome for me as Koch seemed to stir the pot yet be unwilling to label his creation. That may be for the best since we are left guessing.
I'm intimately acquainted with Tourette's Disorder and the only common I can see is that the author called "disorder". Having a tic is not having Tourette's as a rule tics could just be a reaction to stressful situation. I thought it was most likely some form schizophrenia.
Maya, I agree with you that the clues in The Dinner are vague and could point to a whole plateful of disorders. There may be other disorders where the name of the disorder comes from the name of the Neurologist who initially defined the disorder, yet it is also the unique history of Tourette's Disorder. That clue plus the possible genetic factor used as a device in the book, vaguely point to Tourette's Disorder. I thought the short piece about Paul's facial tic (pg. 260) was a third vague link. I agree that simply exhibiting a tic does not equate to someone suffering with Tourette's Disorder. I did not intend to imply that. The character, Paul suffers with violent episodes that may primarily indicate a Psychotic Disorder as I state in previous comment. Please know I am not attempting to stir up misconceptions about Tourette's Disorder. My Book Club will discuss The Dinner on Saturday and they will likely turn to me for a validation of some sort on Paul's possible diagnosis. I don't have one. Author Herman Koch creates Paul's diagnosis as vague yet leaves pointed clues. Schizophrenia in it's various forms, falls under the general grouping of Psychotic Disorders. Leaving it at that may be what Koch had in mind.
Can any of those disorders be diagnosed in utero? I assumed he made up the whole disorder so he could throw in the question about whether the world would be better off if he had been aborted or if his son had been.
I believe the test would have been for PKU. Which can cause the problems listed below. I also believe that Claire and Paul were actually brother and sister (see last chapter when Claire said "No, I just suddenly heard myself talking,"she said, still laughing."About brothers and sisters. And listen to who I'm talking to."" And when he went on about the special bond, and how the son looked like a copy and the decision box marked: Parents.
I think the "good' he mentioned from the report meant there was a good chance the child had the genetic disorder as well.
I also believe that Claire was in the hospital for an abortion or miscarriage.
And remember, Michael didn't get great grades.
"However, it is now known that stopping treatment can result in a variety of serious problems, especially for those with “classic” PKU, the most serious type.
These include:
drops in IQ,
learning disabilities,
behavior problems such as hyperactivity and irritability,
neurological problems such as tremors, eczema (a skin disorder)
personality disorders (including schizophrenia, panic attacks and agoraphobia).
PKU is carried through an "autosomal recessive" gene. This means that two people who conceive a child must both be "silent carriers" of the gene in order for there to be a chance that the baby will have PKU. When two carriers conceive a child, there is a one in four (or 25%) chance for each pregnancy that the baby will have PKU. The incidence of carriers in the general population is approximately one in fifty people, but the chance that two carriers will mate is only one in 2500. " (they would if they were brother and sister)
Katherine, I also thought Paul's disorder might be some sort of anxiety disorder, although I don't think it's OCD exactly. However, his violent tendicies could also indicate some degree of pschoysis to me.
...what about the disorder's German sounding name? Thoughts?
I definitely agree that inventing a made-up disorder to explain a character's behaviour undermines the believability of the rest of the book. It brings it from chilling realism to science fiction...and I love science fiction, but that's not what this book is claiming to be.
I really enjoyed all of this book except for that one element.