Portraying mental health disorders in stories

[viviwrites]

I’ll answer the questions I have personal knowledge of. Thanks for being mindful & making this topic.

@thewritingtomato

how much does depression take over ones life?

It 100% takes over your life. Symptoms like:
• Thinking of everything as a chore & not wanting to do them
• Fatigue/not wanting to get out of bed
• Negative outlook on life
Are often regarded by people as ‘lazy’ and ‘pessimistic’.

@thewritingtomato

how might one treat others when suffering from depression?

It’s VERY important to note that people with depression don’t look sad all the time. They can smile, laugh and have fun with others until they’re left alone with their thoughts. You don’t have to look ‘sad’ to be depressed.
People with depression tend to get angry & anxious more easily, as anger issues & anxiety are common manifestations of depression. This doesn’t mean depressed people act like dicks 24/7.

@thewritingtomato

what are ways to handle anger, or outburst?

Meditation is a good way. Also listening to calming vids meant for relaxation on Youtube.

Last but not least:

@thewritingtomato

do you think authors portray people with mental illness well?

My problem with most Episode authors is that they portray depression/trauma/PTSD as something that can be “saved” and “cured” by a hot LI. Needless to say that’s utter BS. Can these illnesses/disorders be alleviated by the character falling in love and surrounded by positivity? Yes. But they don’t just magically disappear, just like that. It takes a lot of time and effort to combat these illnesses/disorders, usually with professional & medicinal help and I’m talking years of treatment.

[yolo.14]

why do you like stories revolving around mental health?
bc it brings more awareness to the disorders that dont get enough attention. also bc it helps the people who are facing disorders feel heard.
why do you dislike them?
sometimes authors display them incorrectly, and use stereotypes.
what can an author do to improve on them?
research properly, dont just use stereotypes as that can obviously be offending
is okay for an author who does not suffer from the illness to write about it?
personally id rather have an author who does suffer from, the illness, bc they know how its like having the disorder
what would you like to see in these stories?
i like seeing stories with ocd and intrusive thoughts representation as i suffer from both. it makes me feel glad that its getting recognized, bc in my opinion no one talks about ocd.
what would you rather not have included in these stories??
idk
do you think authors portray people with mental illness well?
i cant really answer this question, bc i read stories revolving around schizophrenia and anxiety, so it isnt rlly my place to say yes or no.

[thewritingtomato]

@viviwrites

My problem with most Episode authors is that they portray depression/trauma/PTSD as something that can be “saved” and “cured” by a hot LI. Needless to say that’s utter BS. Can these illnesses/disorders be alleviated by the character falling in love and surrounded by positivity? Yes. But they don’t just magically disappear, just like that. It takes a lot of time and effort to combat these illnesses/disorders, usually with professional & medicinal help and I’m talking years of treatment.

Yes! I am 100% taking this into consideration while writing. I don’t want my mc’s to be the magical cure to each other, but rather as two people who can understand one another. Neither one of them is going to be ‘perfect’ or cured by the end of the story, but instead now have someone they know they can fully trust and go to when they need support.
And yes, as you said their disorders are going to be alleviated because of the friendship between them.
(I’m not sure if I want them to fall in love, I find it unrealistic, but I’m just going to go into the story assuming they will be platonic and see where my writing takes me).