𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘

writing mental illnesses

TIP NUMBER ONE
WRITING MENTAL ILLNESSES

This is probably one of the most important tips I will ever provide you with. Giving a character mental illness seems to be a prominent theme on Wattpad. Though there is nothing wrong with this, it should be done in a realistic and sensitive way. I could probably make this a two part tip because there is so much I could say about writing mental illnesses but instead i've summarized them into short 'do's and dont's.'

DONT romanticize mental illnesses
→ It seems as though it is a pattern to give a character a mental illness and then have it fade throughout the story. Though it isn't unrealistic to recover from a mental illness, it is unrealistic to base a characters recovery on their love interest or just have the entire situation disappear throughout the plot. Having a significant other does not heal a mental illness, though I can see where it can help in some ways, it doesn't not distinguish it. If you are going to give your character a weak mental health, make it a resurfacing issue. Show the characters struggle with their illness and how they are attempting to relieve it.

DO give a reason
→ Giving your character severe anxiety for the hell of it is not okay, and quite frankly disrespectful. It seems as though in today's society, mental illness is seen as a trend or a fad of some sort. If you plan to give your character a mental illness, please give a background on how it was developed and how they plan to overcome their internal struggle.

DO research
→ Though this seems dramatic and a bit far-fetched, if you are inexperienced with mental illness please conduct research on people who suffer with the disorder. Whatever your reasoning may be for wearing the mental state of your character, make their struggle and emotions realistic. Don't write, 'Susan was sad because she was depressed.' The entire sentence shows a lack of knowledge on depression and how its victims live.

DONT make it define your character
→ Though you shouldn't diminish the mental state of your character, it shouldn't be advertised throughout the story. For example, do not write, 'Hi, I'm Karen and I have depression' or 'I didn't feel like going shopping with Jessica because of my anxiety.' (First off make it an indirect characterization, more on that later) But your characters illness should not be mentioned in every sentence of every chapter, we get it Jane your sad.

DO make indirect characterization
→ As I stated before, you should not advertise your characters mental health issues in such a direct way. Instead of, "Hi, I'm sad and I skipped school today because of it' try, 'The thought of facing school became too much for susan too bear.' Ok, that was kind of gross but you get the point. Do not directly state that the reason they did/didn't do something was because they were sad, imply it.

That's all I have for this tip, although there is probably a lot more that could go along with this list, this is all I could think of!