DR. JOHN'S CASE NOTES : BEICHY FINITUS When it comes to having misguided beliefs about things, bridge players are in a league of their own. Take for instance two recent clients of mine, who were brought along to me by concerned friends and family members. Each client had taken up bridge in the belief that it was as a very social and friendly game. So when the reality set in that it wasn't , their delusions moved onto the next level. This more disturbing development involved a misguided notion that heavenly bridge might exist elsewhere, especially in smaller clubs that offered their venues as warm and welcoming. At this point the extent of the victims' delusions had entered the realms of fantasy. With full-blown beichy finitus having set in, victims felt compelled to leave one club after another in search of their dream. Sadly for them, when they at last found a club which excelled in the social niceties of the game, they faced a unexpected challenge. During their initial visits they found themselves having to suppress their own irritations and anger, by having to ignore and overlook the thousands of minor transgressions committed by their opponents. But very quickly, their new found ability to delude themselves came to their rescue. In no time at all, their feigned tolerance and forgiveness became real and genuine, and that all minor transgressions were part and parcel of the game. So for me to get them to accept that their new reality was as hellish as the old one was possibly a bridge too far. Both these clients were so affected by their condition, they were almost at the point of no return. Not surprisingly, when I informed them of their disorder, neither seemed capable of taking it in. Moreover, both recoiled at the prospect of undergoing an intense programme of hypnosis and ECT. Indeed, this was their only hope. To my dismay, they seemed pleased with the diagnosis, knowing that beichy finitus had enabled them to find happiness in a game of duplicate bridge.