What was the name you said? Severus Sn... Ah, *yes.* Yes, I remember him. I remember him very well. He was a patient of mine. That's right. I'm a doctor. Oh, not the sort who prescribes antibiotics and nags you about your cholesterol. No, I'm a psychiatrist. Severus was referred to me by another doctor. You see, I'm the resident specialist in delusional cases, and there has been a veritable *epidemic* of those lately. Severus was very, very far gone when he came to me. His last doctor must have been rather fond of drugs, because he was barely conscious...
I don't approve of those methods *myself.* Pumping a man full of chemicals isn't going to do him any good. It's not real *treatment.* It's incapacitation rather than rehabilitation -- but now isn't the time for the disabling vs. enabling chemical debate, is it? You wanted to know about Severus. Well, I've been in this profession for years now, and so it wasn't the first time that I'd come across a patient who was suffering from a chemical overdose. He didn't even know where he was. He was very irate, during our first consultation. He demanded to know what had happened, why he was brought here, what was planned for him -- It was all very typical of severe paranoia, and he was very, very paranoid during those early stages. I explained his situation to him, of course. Calmly, rationally -- did you know, I've been told that my therapeutic techniques are *impeccable?* But there was no reasoning with him, at first. His mind was locked deep into its own world. He was convinced that this hospital was a prison or dungeon of sorts. He believed that he was a prisoner, not a patient, and he even went so far as to include me in his fantasy; arguing that I was not a doctor at all, but a prisoner just as he was.
Yes, he cooked up quite an elaborate story, but that sort of thing is really more common than you'd guess. These people are simply terrified of authority figures. They cannot allow themselves to trust others. But deep down they truly *desire* my help. So their minds try to reconcile these inconsistencies by convincing them that I am on the same level as they are. It makes them feel more sane, that way, and it makes me less of a threat in their eyes. Severus turned out to exhibit an almost textbook-worthy example of this kind of defense tactic. He was so *convinced* that his world was the true reality ... I was almost tempted to humor him.
Well, I admit that I *did* initially humor him to some degree. How? Well, I didn't force him to give up his make-believe words, right away. He had several of them. If you could wait just a moment, I could find you the list I made from our taped sessions . . . I know that you're in a hurry, it'll only take a minute. Here we are. "Muggle" came up the most often. At first I thought that it meant "doctor," because he used it in reference to me and "my kind." But it was actually a term which meant anyone who was not like him. You see, many of those suffering from this sort of delusional disorder tend to disassociate themselves from the rest of humanity. They feel "different," so they must *be* different. Often they believe that they are aliens, or occasionally angels. Creatures from some other plane of existence. Over the past few years there has been an increase in people who believe that they are capable of superhuman powers. Severus was one of these. He insisted that he was able to do magic.
What? Well, of course I gave him the opportunity to prove it. I asked him to several times. But, of course, he never could demonstrate. None of them ever can. Oh, it doesn't bother them in the least. They come up with "conditions" that must be met before they can prove their stories. "I can only read your mind on a full moon while Venus and Neptune are aligned with Saturn," for example. Or they must be in a particular location, or they can only do it when no one else is watching . . . that sort of thing. I don't remember the catch that Severus gave . . . would you like me to look for it in my notes? No? All right. Anyway, the illusion he had surrounded himself with was truly remarkable. All of it is very common . . . even down to making up nonsense words! But it was so real to him, so very difficult to break . . . Hm? Oh, yes, I'm happy to report that he is completely cured. I'm about to get into all of that. But I shouldn't rush ahead of myself! Now, where was I? . . . ah, yes. As I said, diagnosing him was terribly easy. Run-of-the-mill paranoid hebephrenic schizophrenic, with delusions of . . . an interesting nature, to be sure.
Not only was he a wizard -- that is his term, not mine -- but he was also being punished and watched by a more powerful entity. I suspect that it was his own interpretation of the Devil Himself, from the way he described the creature. There were many references to serpents, which indicates that this particular fantasy might have sprung from biblical origins. I speculate that his family was rather religious. Perhaps his mother instilled a deep and long-lasting fear of the "Dark Lord" into him as a child. He believed that this . . . Devil . . . was the one who had placed him here, as a prisoner. And, according to him, I was also under Satan's power.
Who *is* my employer? Why, the government, of course! This hospital is public domain. Oh, yes, it's always been here. We have a very good staff on hand . . . What bars? Oh. Yes. Well, those are to keep the patients from escaping, of course. They're here for a reason, after all! Didn't you want to hear about Severus? The treatment that cured him? I'm quite proud -- Oh, yes, of course I'll take you to visit him. He'd probably be delighted to have company. I think that he gets lonely sometimes, even with me taking care of him . . . after all, I'm only one man, and I have other obligations to attend to during the day . . . Do I? Well, yes, I suppose I would sound attached. I have grown very fond of Severus, you see . . . We've gotten close.
