**Chapter 17: Darkness and Assessments**

Ashley lay still in her hospital bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling as she replayed the argument with her father over and over in her mind. She just wanted to turn over and crawl into a ball, to let the tears flow and the pain wash over her. But she couldn't move, restrained by the hospital's safety protocols. As she lay there, feeling empty and broken, the psychiatrist entered the room with a kind smile. "Hello, Ashley," he said gently. "I'm Dr. Thompson, and I'm here to help you with your mental health. I'm going to give you some medication to help with your mood, and then we're going to do some assessments to understand where you're at." Dr. Thompson pulled out a few booklets and some other materials from his bag. "These are questionnaires that will help us understand how you're feeling," he explained. "They're about depression, and they'll give us a score to determine the severity of your symptoms. Don't worry, it's all standard procedure." Ashley took the medication from Dr. Thompson and swallowed it with a sip of water. She nodded, feeling a sense of resignation wash over her. She knew she needed help, and if this was what it took, then so be it. Dr. Thompson handed her the booklets and a pen. "Please answer these questions as honestly as you can," he said. "It's okay to feel overwhelmed, and it's okay to not know the answers. This is just a starting point for us to work together." Ashley began to read through the questions, her eyes scanning the pages as she searched for the right words to describe her feelings. The questions were straightforward, but the answers were harder to come by. How did she feel about herself? How did she feel about life? How did she cope with stress and difficult emotions? As she worked through the questionnaires, Ashley felt a sense of detachment wash over her. It was like she was reading about someone else, not herself. But as she answered the questions, she began to realize that she wasn't alone. There were others out there who felt just as broken and empty as she did. Dr. Thompson watched her with a kind eye as she worked through the assessments. "Take your time, Ashley," he said. "There's no rush. Just answer the questions as honestly as you can." As Ashley finished the last question, Dr. Thompson took the booklets back from her. "Thank you, Ashley," he said. "This will help us understand where you're at and what we can do to help you. We'll go over the results together, and we'll talk about a plan to help you feel better." Ashley nodded, feeling a sense of hope that she hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe, just maybe, this was the start of something new. Maybe this was the start of healing.