Hey everyone 
I was just curious on what people thought about mental health issues in stories and how they are portrayed. I personally think it’s a good thing to put mental health out there in stories to get awareness for it but at the same time I feel like it is portrayed wrong sometimes and feels like it’s just stuff being read from the internet As an Severe Anxiety and depression sufferer I struggle with mental health so this is coming from someone who has experience in mental health problems What’s you’re opinion on this topic ? Please leave them down below would love to hear the episode community’s different opinions
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Well for my opinion I created a story about a character with mental health problem, and I can’t say that I portrayed it wrong since I came from the exact same problem. Well that was my opinion 
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Yeh I feel like it’s gold when the person has experienced something they are going to write about. Not saying people who don’t have mental health issues can’t write stories about mental health just saying it’s always a bit better when a person has experienced it there selves
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I think it’s great when any author tries to incorporate mental health awareness into their stories, but I agree that it’s not always the most realistic portrayal. There are a lot of great threads on the forums where authors ask for feedback/advice/tips on how to include diversity into their stories, so I think the forums are always a good resource for anyone who wants to touch on mental health in their stories but aren’t sure how to do so.
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As long as the author portrays it properly and addresses any issues, I think it’s totally fine! You can tell when some people have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to mental problems and it’s horrible.
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As a mentally ill person I think it’s great that this issues are being talked about, as long as they’re being portrayed correctly and NOT romanticized.
I also hate when people claim to give a fuck about mental health, but in reality they’re only adding that to their story to be “edgy” and get people talking - and if someone complains they play the “but we need to talk about these things!!!” card.
A great example of failing at representing mental illness correctly and using it for money and views is 13 Reasons Why.
Anyways, if a person who hasn’t experienced mental illness wants to write about a MI character, go ahead! I’d love to see it, for example, from a friend’s point of view. But first do your research and ask for feedback!
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I think if they are portrayed correctly, they can bring awareness and maybe even have a positive impact on some people’s lives. The problem is that some authors who just want to use it as a subplot or whatever and know little to nothing about real struggles of mental health issues. One of the things that frustrates me the most is the “traumatized damsel” that magically gets over her trauma because of a guy. Sure, love can help you cope, but there is no magical cure.
So, yes, I think mental health, if portrayed accurately, can be good, but can be damaging to those of us with mental health issues if not portrayed correctly. “Why can’t you just get better or be happy just like such and such character from this or that story.”
Just my two cents.
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Well in one of my story’s I just included some mental health problems
Summary
- Cutting problems
- Anxiety
- P.T.S.D
- Depression
Eh I might have come from these problems 
But this is just a story to tell that every single person in this world matters 
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I love Mental health problems being portrayed in Episode stories, as long as it is done correctly. I write about many different MHP in all of my stories and I have to say, it’s a lot easier to write if you have experienced it first hand. I find it much easier to write about the problems I am experiencing than problems I don’t know to much about. In this case, research helps a lot and I like that everyone helps everyone with it on here. If anyone needs help with anything, I would be happy to 
Just a few thoughts 
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As an author that has several mental health issues, and writes about mental health issues, I appreciate when mental health issues are accurately depicted in stories. I also appreciate that Episode has now created a Mental Health Awareness shelf twice in 5 months.
Like stated above, there are some authors that write about mental health issues that do not have either the first hand knowledge or do not take the time to do research. If you are going to write about something you do not know personally, please take the time to research it.
I have received fanmail from people that do not understand some mental health issues, that I feel have certain opinions based on the stigmatization that other stories have created.
- You cannot just get over it.
- There is no miracle cure.
- Love doesn’t fix it all.
- Depression is cyclic sometimes with ups and downs.
- Triggers are REAL.
Many more things I could say, but I won’t, but I think it is all how the mental illness is portrayed in the story. It can be done accurately, romanticised, or stigmatized.
The key is to promote the ones done accurately and humanize mental illness.
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Yeah like in one of my stories some people said that “when you have depression you are just vulnerable saying it, you shouldn’t make impulsive decisions” But… When you have depression, you are actually making excuses and saying you don’t have depression until the person is completely depressed and starts to think differently about themselves
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i love stories that address important topics like mental health, but i hate that they’re usually portrayed wrong… i’ve tried reading many stories involving depression, anxiety, etc, where it’s a romance story with a girl who has a mental illness and suddenly gets over it because she falls in love with a guy… love doesn’t automatically fix all your mental health problems, and it shouldn’t be portrayed that way.
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That’s what I love about Speak by @J.Miley
Even after 70 Episodes, and being married, the MC still struggles with mental health. It also shows how important a good support network is to getting through bad days and that you’re not alone.
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That’s because you don’t “suddenly get over it”. Like @stronglcve and I said, love doesn’t automatically fix mental health problems. It can help you through it, but it’s not just about romantic love. Love of family, Love of Friends, Love of Mental Health providers.
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Eh, some people don’t know about them because they don’t take the time to research anything about this type of problem, They just think that they know about it but really you have to be in the perspective on a person who really does have this problem
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I have many disorders that are severe and i have seen many stories that dont really portray mental health and any kind of disorder well. As long as the author has some experience with what happens for different people and what disorders and stuff are like and have talked to readers who may be experiencing what the author will write about then yh its fine
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