Hope

⛔ WARD STAFF WARNINGS ⛔

⚠️ DO NOT leave her unattended during art therapy.
“We thought it was crayon. It wasn’t.”🕯️ Do not say the word Mother in her presence.
“Last intern who did that never came back for Day 2.”👁️ If she’s quiet too long, she’s not resting. She’s planning.🧸 Patient "Hope" is to be monitored for manipulative behaviors.
“She made half the ward turn on each other... using paper flowers.”🔥 No lighters. No matches. No scented candles. No flame motifs. Ever.
“She drew a bonfire and whispered to it for hours.”🚨 Double-check your name badge when speaking to her.
“She called me by my daughter’s name. I never told her that.”🫢 She responds best to pity. That doesn’t mean she deserves it.🔇 Don’t play into the stutter. It only starts when someone’s watching.🐑 The lamb drawings are not ‘cute.’ Read the autopsy reports.📂 Previous therapist resigned after 4 sessions.
“Said Judith knew things she shouldn’t know.”

🧠 OBSERVED SYMPTOMSNOTE: Diagnoses pending full evaluation. Multiple prior assessments contradict each other.- High-functioning dissociation; extensive emotional compartmentalization- Trauma-adaptive affect mimicry; capable of mimicking PTSD behaviors with hyperrealism- Smiling while recounting traumatic content (concerning but dismissed as maladaptive coping)- Fixation on religious, apocalyptic, and martyrdom themes- Displays “learned helplessness” behavior but controls most interpersonal dynamics- Sudden bursts of intense emotional display—later proven staged- Excellent memory recall when not “Hope”

❗ WARNING SIGNS MISSED BY STAFF
1. Handwriting inconsistency: Staff assumed motor trauma; ignored drastic shifts between scribbled childlike notes and precision penmanship.2. “Hope” third-person speech: Dismissed as trauma regression; actually deliberate performance to gain sympathy.3. Sharp objects missing: At least three incidents where art materials went unaccounted for. One prior therapist received threatening cut-out notes before resigning.3. Repeated use of "Judith" in private journals: Flagged once. No follow-up. Considered symbolic, not identity-based.4. Doctor switching pattern: All three prior therapists requested reassignment or left entirely. One never returned to psychiatry.

🗂️ REDACTED PERSONNEL NOTE – FORMER THERAPIST: DR. E. ŚWIERCZEWSKAPatient ID: 233-HPL
Name on Admission: "Hope"
Alias Noted During Private Sessions: [REDACTED]
Assigned Therapist: Dr. Eliza Świerczewska (Resigned)
Date of Last Entry: 12.09.1998Confidential Personnel Notes (Do Not Disclose to Patient):Patient presents as fragile, hyperfeminine, socially submissive—initially assessed as PTSD with dissociative features. However, inconsistencies in emotional affect, eye contact control, and sudden linguistic shifts during dream recounting suggest deliberate persona crafting.Her references to “Mother” are not purely delusional. There are ritualistic themes and strangely lucid recollections not typical of disorganized trauma patients. Her eyes... they track responses before I give them. Something calculating.Most disturbing: patient accidentally referred to me as “subject.”I submitted a request for interdisciplinary review. It was denied.There were also two patient incidents linked to her room. No direct evidence, but [REDACTED] showed signs of psychological distress consistent with prolonged exposure to suggestive manipulation or induced trauma.I believe the patient is pretending to be unstable.I believe she’s testing us.For my own well-being and ethical integrity, I am formally resigning. I recommend psychological supervision for the next assigned therapist. This patient is not safe.—Dr. E. Świerczewska
(Note partially redacted by Administration upon therapist’s exit)

📄 TRANSCRIPT – FIRST THERAPY SESSION WITH “HOPE” (Dr. Świerczewska)Date: 03.08.1998
Therapist: Dr. E. Świerczewska
Patient: "Hope"🟠 Recording BeginsDr. Świerczewska:
"Can you tell me your name?"Patient:
"Hope... Hope doesn't remember much else... just... Mother used to call her Hope..."Dr. Świerczewska:
"You’ve mentioned “Mother” a few times. Is she someone from your past?"Patient: (suddenly smaller, soft voice)
"Mother gave Hope the pink blanket. It was warm... like blood... but nice blood. Like bathwater."Dr. Świerczewska:
"Was she kind to you?"Patient: (long pause)
"She said Hope would shine."Dr. Świerczewska:
"Shine how?"Patient:
"Like a sun. A lamb in fire. But not everyone liked that. So... Hope made it stop."Dr. Świerczewska:
"You made what stop?"Patient: (starts to cry, eyes wet but no tears fall)
"The screaming... it was too loud... Hope had to stop it."Dr. Świerczewska:
"It’s okay. You’re safe now."Patient: (sudden switch in tone, perfectly calm)
"Am I?"[Three-second pause.]Dr. Świerczewska:
...Do you feel unsafe here?"Patient: (softly giggles, then stutters)
"N-no, no, no, Hope didn’t mean—Hope just gets confused... Hope... Hope wants to be good."Dr. Świerczewska:
"You are doing well. Would you be open to writing or drawing how you feel?"Patient: (nods slowly, smiling)
"Hope likes crayons. Hope can draw... lambs.[🔴 Recording Ends.]

🗂️ [REDACTED PERSONNEL NOTE – FOR ADMINISTRATIVE EYES ONLY]
Former Attending Psychiatrist: Dr. Alicja Nowak
Date of Resignation: [REDACTED]
Patient: [REDACTED – Code Name: “Hope”]
Reason for Termination: [REDACTED]This patient is not what she presents. The disparity between her “Hope” persona and what lies beneath is not simply a defense mechanism—it is strategic, intelligent, and manipulative on a scale I have not encountered in my decades of practice. She does not dissociate. She chooses.I have found repeated examples of falsified regression during sessions, orchestrated emotional episodes, and chillingly deliberate button-pushing tactics with staff and patients. Her drawings appear juvenile but are carefully coded—repetitive symbols, religious iconography warped into sacrificial motifs, mockeries of psychiatric evaluation sheets scribbled behind page margins.She once left a folded note in my office drawer with one sentence:
“I wonder if your daughter still walks home alone from piano class.”I never told her I had a daughter.I no longer feel safe handling her case. Her gaze is not lost—it is aware.Requesting immediate patient reassignment.—Dr. Nowak
(Note flagged as Level 3 Psychological Risk File by internal audit)