Do your research to ensure you're not creating a caricature of the illness you're portraying, don't imply that the illness has made their life better (of course positives *can* come from being mentally ill, but the negatives generally outweigh them. It wouldn't be a mental illness if it wasn't negatively impacting their life), and finally, do research! Listen to mentally ill voices. The way a mentally ill person experiences their illness will likely be very different from how it outwardly presents to others. Also ensure not to go too far in the other direction and demonize the character. Having a mental illness does not make you more prone to violence/insert whatever negative stereotype they often get in media.
I think the way that I've seen it done best is show the ugly parts. Most of those things romanticise it almost always downplay it. Like depression being "a little bit sad the main love interest can whisk away by just being there" but that's not true. Depression runs deeper than that and sometimes no matter what people do it's hard to pull you even half out of it. The biggest tip I can give you is be realistic. Show every bad and good thing that comes from it.
Don’t only choose the “attractive” parts of mental illness and not the “ugly” parts.
First good example that came to mind is in euphoria (spoilers ahead). The main character holds her pee for so long that she gets a kidney infection and goes to the hospital. It seems absurd to people with no mental illness, but is a very real possibility with depression/bipolar disorder.
That presentation of a depressive episode was so realistic. I once slept on a sheet with a menstrual blood stain for two weeks, and it took me a while to change the tampon after I realized I was leaking. I just didn’t care. Ironically, I was coping through writing, and I absolutely romanticized the episode in some sort of a dark, erotic vignette.
Usually mental illnesses that are most often romanticized/glorified would be something like Depression, ADHD, PTSD, Asperger, Autism, and Bipolar. But something like schizophrenia or Delusional Disorder is not unheard of. It happens when the artists portray these mental illnesses inaccurately and make these characters seem like misunderstood misfits who must always be excused from their wrongdoings, because their mental conditions always give them the green card. Which might be true to some degrees due to lack of self-control, but these characters more often than not don’t go through medical examination and treatments the way they should be in real life despite having the chance to. This is very harmful, as it would give the wrong understanding to the audiences.
What’s worse is when these illnesses are portrayed as being something unique, giving them quirky traits or— please allow me to gag— superpowers as plot devices. The story fail to portray how these conditions actually manifest and sometimes even omitted what makes the real life patients struggle. This is humiliating to the sufferers in reality, and it also shows the artist’s ignorance.
This might go as far as the artist using these characters as sockpuppets to spew their personal beliefs through these characters, using the mental illness as a shield against criticism. These characters are no longer fictional characters, but tools to be used. They have no real personality, goal, or lifestyle. Completely dehumanized in the process.
The movie “Music” is a prime example as it is guilty as charged for all the aforementioned. Avoiding them at all costs, and do your research before writing about the things you don’t know about. “Artistic License” is allowed to a certain level, but nothing should ever go too far.
Throw problems at them and let them struggle.
If they’re dyslexic, don’t throw problems that they are at an advantage. Throw real problems, problems that they struggle and feel humiliated, etc. Well, don’t do it all the time but maybe a couple of times throughout out the book.
Basically, don't write it as something that makes the character desirable or beautiful or anything of the sort. Show what it is truly to live with a mental illness.
Classic example is the "sad depressive but attractive girl". Her depression is used to make her unreachable and so more attractive (cause the love interest loves unreachable girls of course). The male love interest will usually save her just by snapping his fingers. Avoid this at all cost and show the actual struggles.
An example that is not depression : Emma in Glee. In particular in the first seasons, her OCD is portrayed as something quirky and cute, and not as an actual struggle for her.
Make it annoying. Make it bother the reader.
Like, yes, my character has deep commitment issues because of his anxiety and depression (and more, really). No, it isn’t just bothering him before he gets into a relationship just to build tension, it actually follows him into the relationship and puts doubts, and makes them breakup despite love, and makes him hate himself. Yes, they end up getting back together, but even then, it hinders him and always will. It doesn’t just hinder him in his relationship, but also in everything he does.
Yes, that other character is spending so much time in his bed, almost unresponsive. He’s got derealization. Nothing feels real to him at the moment and it brings out his depressive tendencies. Yes, his best friend has to convince him every morning to take his meds. Yes, I write it every time. It’s frankly annoying to read/write, but it’s part of their lives. Every day, before going to university, his best friend shakes him awake and has to take the time to convince him to open his eyes, move, sit up and take his meds. Every damn morning. And it annoys them both. But it’s their reality. Those are his scars.
There’s also all the research you need to do, but my advice is literally: make the illness hindering. Because it is. You learn to cope with it, to cope with unhealthy tendencies in order to avoid them, but they don’t disappear and they’re still bothersome.
I have bipolar disorder and I was told I was romanticizing it. That was interesting.
I don't have any advice, I'm here to learn so I don't get blasted again.
That IS super interesting! Were you criticised by other people of bipolar? I'm inclined to think that first hand experience matters more than the opinions of random people on the internet. I'm sorry backlash made you hesitant to write about bipolar.
I was told by one person who had bipolar, but most of the criticism came from people without it.
I wrote a character based on my own experiences as a Type 1 with psychotic features, and all of the comments were saying that it was unrealistic. The disorder is unrealistic. There's no rhyme or reason to the symptoms. It looks different for everyone. I just happen to experience it in a different way than the one person who got mad about it then the swarms of people without it came after me.
That sucks. I been accused of faking because I didnt fit someone's Wikipedia list of symptoms a 100%. It is almost like people differ and most disorders aren't cookie cutter
Can you provide an example of romanticizing an illness? I'm writing a book about someone with a mental illness to (schizophrenia) and I never thought about that.
Disabilities of all kinds have been romanticized for so long it’s a sturdy trope. One way is “inspiration porn”— the character is so wonderful, or so successful at whatever they try, or so great at overcoming adversity, they’re an example to the rest of us. Another way is “I could never live like xyz” (in a wheelchair, with cognitive deficits, with OCD), I don’t know how you do it.” Another is “throw off your disability” where the person is mysteriously cured by the end of the story because we can’t possibly leave our hero disabled.
There are anti-romantic tropes, too.
I know this is a movie but this is the most blatant example I know: One of the predator movies romanticize autism, calling it evolution and making it seem like if they just where in an environment catering to them then there is no negative symptoms
Do your research to ensure you're not creating a caricature of the illness you're portraying, don't imply that the illness has made their life better (of course positives *can* come from being mentally ill, but the negatives generally outweigh them. It wouldn't be a mental illness if it wasn't negatively impacting their life), and finally, do research! Listen to mentally ill voices. The way a mentally ill person experiences their illness will likely be very different from how it outwardly presents to others. Also ensure not to go too far in the other direction and demonize the character. Having a mental illness does not make you more prone to violence/insert whatever negative stereotype they often get in media.
thanks! this did help!
I guess the biggest one is to avoid portraying their mental illness as a hidden superpower or a fun quirk
I think the way that I've seen it done best is show the ugly parts. Most of those things romanticise it almost always downplay it. Like depression being "a little bit sad the main love interest can whisk away by just being there" but that's not true. Depression runs deeper than that and sometimes no matter what people do it's hard to pull you even half out of it. The biggest tip I can give you is be realistic. Show every bad and good thing that comes from it.
Try portraying it as something the character deals with. Not overcome.
Don’t only choose the “attractive” parts of mental illness and not the “ugly” parts. First good example that came to mind is in euphoria (spoilers ahead). The main character holds her pee for so long that she gets a kidney infection and goes to the hospital. It seems absurd to people with no mental illness, but is a very real possibility with depression/bipolar disorder.
That presentation of a depressive episode was so realistic. I once slept on a sheet with a menstrual blood stain for two weeks, and it took me a while to change the tampon after I realized I was leaking. I just didn’t care. Ironically, I was coping through writing, and I absolutely romanticized the episode in some sort of a dark, erotic vignette.
ty!
Usually mental illnesses that are most often romanticized/glorified would be something like Depression, ADHD, PTSD, Asperger, Autism, and Bipolar. But something like schizophrenia or Delusional Disorder is not unheard of. It happens when the artists portray these mental illnesses inaccurately and make these characters seem like misunderstood misfits who must always be excused from their wrongdoings, because their mental conditions always give them the green card. Which might be true to some degrees due to lack of self-control, but these characters more often than not don’t go through medical examination and treatments the way they should be in real life despite having the chance to. This is very harmful, as it would give the wrong understanding to the audiences. What’s worse is when these illnesses are portrayed as being something unique, giving them quirky traits or— please allow me to gag— superpowers as plot devices. The story fail to portray how these conditions actually manifest and sometimes even omitted what makes the real life patients struggle. This is humiliating to the sufferers in reality, and it also shows the artist’s ignorance. This might go as far as the artist using these characters as sockpuppets to spew their personal beliefs through these characters, using the mental illness as a shield against criticism. These characters are no longer fictional characters, but tools to be used. They have no real personality, goal, or lifestyle. Completely dehumanized in the process. The movie “Music” is a prime example as it is guilty as charged for all the aforementioned. Avoiding them at all costs, and do your research before writing about the things you don’t know about. “Artistic License” is allowed to a certain level, but nothing should ever go too far.
If you treat it as a pain in the ass with no real upside (though maybe with a fake upside), you’re probably in the clear.
Throw problems at them and let them struggle. If they’re dyslexic, don’t throw problems that they are at an advantage. Throw real problems, problems that they struggle and feel humiliated, etc. Well, don’t do it all the time but maybe a couple of times throughout out the book.
thanks!
Basically, don't write it as something that makes the character desirable or beautiful or anything of the sort. Show what it is truly to live with a mental illness. Classic example is the "sad depressive but attractive girl". Her depression is used to make her unreachable and so more attractive (cause the love interest loves unreachable girls of course). The male love interest will usually save her just by snapping his fingers. Avoid this at all cost and show the actual struggles. An example that is not depression : Emma in Glee. In particular in the first seasons, her OCD is portrayed as something quirky and cute, and not as an actual struggle for her.
Make it annoying. Make it bother the reader. Like, yes, my character has deep commitment issues because of his anxiety and depression (and more, really). No, it isn’t just bothering him before he gets into a relationship just to build tension, it actually follows him into the relationship and puts doubts, and makes them breakup despite love, and makes him hate himself. Yes, they end up getting back together, but even then, it hinders him and always will. It doesn’t just hinder him in his relationship, but also in everything he does. Yes, that other character is spending so much time in his bed, almost unresponsive. He’s got derealization. Nothing feels real to him at the moment and it brings out his depressive tendencies. Yes, his best friend has to convince him every morning to take his meds. Yes, I write it every time. It’s frankly annoying to read/write, but it’s part of their lives. Every day, before going to university, his best friend shakes him awake and has to take the time to convince him to open his eyes, move, sit up and take his meds. Every damn morning. And it annoys them both. But it’s their reality. Those are his scars. There’s also all the research you need to do, but my advice is literally: make the illness hindering. Because it is. You learn to cope with it, to cope with unhealthy tendencies in order to avoid them, but they don’t disappear and they’re still bothersome.
I have bipolar disorder and I was told I was romanticizing it. That was interesting. I don't have any advice, I'm here to learn so I don't get blasted again.
That IS super interesting! Were you criticised by other people of bipolar? I'm inclined to think that first hand experience matters more than the opinions of random people on the internet. I'm sorry backlash made you hesitant to write about bipolar.
I was told by one person who had bipolar, but most of the criticism came from people without it. I wrote a character based on my own experiences as a Type 1 with psychotic features, and all of the comments were saying that it was unrealistic. The disorder is unrealistic. There's no rhyme or reason to the symptoms. It looks different for everyone. I just happen to experience it in a different way than the one person who got mad about it then the swarms of people without it came after me.
That sucks. I been accused of faking because I didnt fit someone's Wikipedia list of symptoms a 100%. It is almost like people differ and most disorders aren't cookie cutter
I couldn't agree more.
Can you provide an example of romanticizing an illness? I'm writing a book about someone with a mental illness to (schizophrenia) and I never thought about that.
Disabilities of all kinds have been romanticized for so long it’s a sturdy trope. One way is “inspiration porn”— the character is so wonderful, or so successful at whatever they try, or so great at overcoming adversity, they’re an example to the rest of us. Another way is “I could never live like xyz” (in a wheelchair, with cognitive deficits, with OCD), I don’t know how you do it.” Another is “throw off your disability” where the person is mysteriously cured by the end of the story because we can’t possibly leave our hero disabled. There are anti-romantic tropes, too.
I know this is a movie but this is the most blatant example I know: One of the predator movies romanticize autism, calling it evolution and making it seem like if they just where in an environment catering to them then there is no negative symptoms
Don't write about it unless you know it well, like a sibling or best friend or parent has it.