I once again stumbled across a fanfic where they didn’t do their research into mental health issues. They simply took a disorder and plastered it all over a character, basically saying “yay! this is great and a great plot device!”.
I rarely read fan fiction and that’s actually stupid since I’m a fan fiction writer, so when I’m actually daring to read a fic and come across something poorly researched (which is 9/10 times, lbh), I immediately give up. I have better things to read on my ipad, thank you!
So let’s tackle this writing a character with a mental health issue thing, shall we? Other people probably said it better, can say it better, but I’ll give this a shot.
A character with a mental health issue. Your character, let’s call it Bob, is a character – a person – who simply has a mental health issue. There’s more to the story than Bob’s mental health issues so don’t use it as a plot device? Character first, mental health issue is something that influences the character.
Mental health issues don’t only have positive sides! Okay, how to explain this… Bob is a manic-depressive person, off his meds and thus requires constant supervision. In comes the cute nurse/cute girl/cute guy to do that. Bob’s only manic, though. He talks really fast and he keeps on going and doesn’t sleep because why write the negative sides of being a manic-depressive?
With a little bit of research you could have given Bob poor financial choices in his manic state, Bob could physically hurt someone because Bob’s the shit, yo, who cares about people stopping him? And then there’s the depression. No interest in anything. Lethargic, sad, unable to sleep, low-self esteem – Bob’s no longer the shit. He’s an asshole.
Another example would be if Bob would have multiple personalities because multiple personalities is cool! Is it? Is it really? Dissociative Identity Disorder gets used as a plot device so very much and it’s rarely done well. Because it’s cool to be able to switch personalities at a drop of a hat. And to remember it all. And to have it work for you. And to use it as a plot.
People with DID are often agitated, they lose track of time, have “gaps” in their memory, they aren’t aware of their alters taking over, they have hallucinations, mood swings, etc. But people don’t write about that because it’s deemed ‘boring’ and not as exciting as being able to switch personalities and know what’s going on during the switch!
Another flaw I usually find is that authors who write their character with DID is that they got it later in life. If that author had done their research, they would have known that DID is a result of childhood trauma. Yes, it can manifest itself later in life when the child has grown up and becomes aware of some of the issues, but there will always have been issues.
It’s actually off putting to see so many fanfics or see Roleplayers with characters with DID as it’s a rare disorder in real life.
People like reading and writing those things because it’s cool and edgy. And hey, if someone can write a TRILOGY about abuse disguised as BDSM because the writer only took what she wanted from her research – if she’s done her research at all – and become successful with a movie deal, then why can’t YOU?
Your character is not just their mental health. They have a life. They have hobbies. They have a personality of their own. It’s more interesting to read how their mental health issues are impacting Bob’s life than simply Bob having [a disorder].
Bob really needs to do his administration, his bills haven’t been paid in months. But he really can’t be bothered, there bills will be there tomorrow. For now, Bill only wants to hang out in his hammock and put up his feet to stare at the sun and maybe burn so much he’ll actually explode.
Yeah, maybe he should get his ass moving to go to the supermarket to get supplies, the only thing that’s in his fridge right now is a bottle of beer, his last one. He can’t remember the last time he ate. But it’s too much of an effort to go to the supermarket. He’ll go tomorrow when he has more energy.
Write about the struggles, the confusion, the frustration. All the while your plot keeps going. Because it’s a part of your character, not part of the story.
Not a handy dandy plot-device which you can just switch on when you need it. If someone has DID, PTSD, Bi-polar, Autism or whatever your mental illness of choice is, they will always have it. During dinner, during a date, during sex, etc.
How does the disorder affect your character as it moves forward in your story?
This doesn’t just count for writing mental issues, but in general: If you don’t know anything about a subject but want to use it anyway, do your research and read multiple sources. It’s easier now than it used to be, with the whole wide world on your finger tips. Take notes.
I am aware that this post is really thin and I’m pretty sure others have done it way better with more colourful words, but I just needed to get this off my chest.
If you have any questions about this post or you want to talk about something else writing related, leave a comment or chat me up on facebook.