How To Write And Research Mental IllnessesÂ
Mental illnesses are a large aspect of literature often incorporated into various different genres. However, even with their prevalence, many authors are often unaware of how to write about mental illnesses accurately. If youâre an author writing a character with a mental illness, here are some tips on how to write with mental illnesses.Â
Donât âSelf Diagnoseâ Your CharactersÂ
When writing about mental illnesses itâs important to consider whether or not your character would realistically have this mental illness given their situation and story. Many authors often âself diagnoseâ their characters without actually taking the time to research these illnesses and figure out whether their character would develop this illness if they were a real person.Â
I say âself diagnoseâ because as authors we generally do diagnose our characters based on our own interpretations and plans for them and their story, without looking to real people with these illnesses.Â
Just because your character is going through an unproductive slump doesnât mean they they are depressed. Just because your character is nervous and experiencing stage fright doesnât mean they have anxiety.Â
Take the time to look into these mental illnesses and genuinely consider whether or not your character has a mental illness, or if youâre just self diagnosing and wrongly labelling them.Â
Whenever I blog about such sensitive topics, I always find myself ultimately mentioning this one point. This is because even with so many resources available to us both online and offline, writers still choose to be blissfully unaware of sensitive topics mentioned in their WIPs or stories.Â
I sincerely cannot stress how important it is for a writer to do their due diligence and research the topics they write for, especially if it is something as sensitive as mental illnesses.Â
Once you have established that your character would realistically develop or undergo a mental illness given the situation they are in, it is now time to research what exactly they would go through.Â
A simple google search can tell you everything you need to know about your characterâs mental illness. Or, you could reach out to people you know who suffer from the same illness and ask them questions about it.Â
Researching your characterâs mental illness helps ensure you donât accidentally misrepresent that illness or create symptoms that are inaccurate and insulting to people who do suffer from that mental illness. It will also provide you with a sense of ease as an author, and allow you to work on your WIP without having to worry about accidentally offending an entire community.Â
One of the biggest challenges writers face with writing with mental illnesses is unrealistic representation. Unsure where to start with your research? Here is a simple guide for you to keep in mind.Â
When writing about mental illnesses, you need to recall the three Ss:Â
Every illness or disease has its own symptoms, the same applies to mental illnesses. When writing about a character with mental illnesses, you need to take the time to research the symptoms of this illness and how these symptoms can impact your character on a day-to-day and general level.Â
For example, a character with PTSD would face trouble sleeping and concentrating, would be irritable, angry and face overwhelming guilt or shame. These symptoms can all make it hard for a person to excel at school or the workplace and can lead to delayed deadlines, unfinished work, and a lot of stress and anxious thinking.Â
A character with PTSD would likely not be able to handle being at the top of their class, unless they completely engross themselves in their studies to the point where they canât think of anything except that. However, if that were the case then they would find it very hard to handle ânormalâ situations and wouldnât be getting a lot of sleep.Â
A side effect is a temporary and commonly unwanted effect of a drug or medical condition. Unlike a symptom, a side effect can be harmful or beneficial and most go away on their own over time.Â
They wouldnât be considered as âseriousâ as a symptom, however, they can still significantly impact your character, their story, and their dynamics with the characters they interact with.Â
Following the above example, a character with PTSD would generally suffer from an inability to develop or maintain positive, healthy interpersonal relationships and an inability to trust others. They also often face side effects such as social isolation, chronic feelings of fear, etc.Â
These are all side effects that would make it hard for a character with PTSD to maintain emotional relationships. You can use this to portray their sudden lack of connection with friends and family, and how they find themselves only associating with people who have either been through or understand their situation.Â
A person with cancer, or other such physical illnesses, doesnât suddenly hit a chronic level overnight. The same logic applies to mental illnesses. Mental illnesses donât just develop overnight. Your character wonât suddenly wake up one day in chapter ten and have a full-blown panic attack because they developed a panic disorder.Â
Yes, people can face symptoms or side effects pertaining to a mental illness after facing a traumatic event. However, when writing about such events, itâs very important to do your research and consider whether or not a person would realistically undergo such serious symptoms in such a small timeframe given the circumstances.Â
Outside of incidents that are a direct result of a traumatic event, itâs important to consider the stages your character would experience as a result of their mental illness.Â
For example, a person with PTSD goes through five stages, the first being the impact or emergency stage, during which they struggle to process or deal with the situation they have gone through. Then comes the denial or numbing stage.Â
Following the above example, a numbing stage would be akin to when a character pretends the traumatic event never occurred and throws themselves into their work or school. Then comes a rescue stage, which would be when other characters begin to intervene or when the character comes to terms with the events and starts to better themselves.Â
Knowing the stages of your characterâs mental illness allows you to accurately plan out what happens in your story and create a realistic portrayal of their suffrage. It also helps flesh out your story for your readers and allows you to seamlessly incorporate your characterâs illness into the story.Â
Donât Define Them By Their Mental Illness
Now that you have a general idea of how to write and research mental illnesses, I would like to end this blog post with a small reminder. People with mental illnesses are human. They have personalities, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and other such traits that often have nothing to do with their mental illness.Â
When writing with a mental illness, itâs important to take this into account and ensure you donât constantly define your character by their mental illness, or even worse, reduce them to their mental illness.Â
I hope this blog on how to write and research mental illnesses will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday. Â
Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks?Â
Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Hayaâs book blog where I post writing and marketing tools for authors every Monday and Thursday.Â
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