The Ultimate Guide to Harry Potter Fanfiction

Depression

-voidslytherins asked me to do this chapter on depression. This is a very serious topic, and one I'm not going to take lightly. Just like my chapter on abuse, I'm going to focus on what giving a character depression entails for your story, and why your choices are either "do it right" or "don't do it."

Side note: If you struggle with depression or have struggled with it in the past, and feel like this chapter might trigger you, please don't read it. This chapter is going to be about depression, and mention suicide and self-harm. Don't hurt yourself just to read my chapter, okay? I love you and I'm proud of you for fighting this battle.

Writing depressed characters is a challenge, especially if you've never dealt with depression. This topic is so easy to mess up, and gets messed up so much. The hallmark of horrible fanfiction, My Immortal, is a pretty good example of how to do it all wrong, but that's an obvious one. There are many more subtle ways to mess up, give off wrong ideas and stereotypes. That's not just annoying to people who actually understand depression, but could be potentially harmful for readers who don't.

I found a few articles and I'm going to share parts of them here with you. I definitely would encourage all of you, if you're wanting to write about depression, to do your own research and make sure that what you're writing is accurate.

The Writer's Cookbook has an article about depression by Kristina Adams. It covers the general symptoms, feelings, and thoughts that go along with depression pretty well. For one thing, it's important to remember that:

There are different kinds

This is imperative to remember before we begin. Different types of depression can manifest differently and be triggered by different things. Some examples are:

• Reactive depression
• Clinical depression
• Bipolar disorder (used to be known as manic depression)
• Major depressive disorder
• SADs
• Post natal depression
• Prenatal depression
• Dysthymia

This is a general guide. The symptoms vary in extremity depending on the type of depression the person experiences.

Another thing to remember is that:

Triggers can be big or small

A death of a loved one can trigger depression as can losing your job. However, so can a build up of smaller, seemingly inconsequential things.

Mental health is a tricky thing. It's not all black and white, no matter how much we may want it to be.

It has physical side effects, too

The longer depression goes on, the more likely it is to be tied to physical pain. Yes, pain. Pain that makes you think you've pulled a muscle, or have a brain tumour, or are dying. Pain that your oversensitive mind jumps to conclusions about.

It can also manifest as aching all over the body; like your body is made of lead and standing takes all of your energy.

You're not always suicidal

Most people assume those that are depressed are suicidal. That's not always the case. You can feel down and hate yourself but not want to take your own life. You can still strive to be better and to be fixed, just not know which direction to turn in. You may even be scared to take your own life, or worry how those that depend on you would cope without you. That makes you hate yourself more, doubt yourself more, and feel like even more of a failure.