One area that many fiction writers struggle with is accurately portraying mental illness in their characters. This difficulty often stems from the writer not truly understanding what mental illness actually is. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, (2018) mental illness is defined as “any of a broad range of medical conditions (such as major depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, or panic disorder) that are marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions to impair normal psychological functioning and cause marked distress or disability.” This is a rather broad definition, but mental illness is a broad category that can encompass everything from depression and panic attacks to schizophrenia.

Choosing Mental Illness

The first step in creating a character with a mental illness is for the writer to select what mental illness to give their character. The best way to approach this step is for the writer to consider why the character needs to have the mental illness and what effect the writer wants it to have on the character. For instance, if the writer wants their character with mental illness to be a successful superhero, then they would want to avoid giving their character a mental illness that could cause the character to freeze during a battle; this would mean that the writer should avoid panic disorders and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Instead, the character could be given depression or an obsessive compulsive disorder.

Research Mental Illness

The second step to creating a character with mental illness is when the writer will need to research the mental illness. During this step, the writer needs to gain a true understanding of the mental illness they have chosen, how it affects the person diagnosed with it, how it could affect the other characters, how it is managed successfully, how it is managed unsuccessfully, and how the public sees the mental illness. These are all very important aspects that the writer needs to understand as the writer will need to take these factors into account not only when creating the character, but also in creating the plot, setting, and other characters.

Consider the Impact

The third and final step in creating a character with mental illness in fiction is for the writer to consider the impact of their story. The story could easily end up getting negative publicity if the writer mocks or incorrectly portrays mental illness in their story. In addition, it is likely that people with the mental illness that is used in the story may also read the book. For this reason, it is important that the writer takes care in how they portray the mental illness to their readers so that their story gets the reaction that they want.

Another Way

Some writers choose to create their own fictional mental illness for their characters in order to avoid having to research, understand, and worry about the impact of a non-fiction mental illness. This option is generally most effective in stories that take place in completely fictional settings or with characters that are not human as it allows for a greater level of flexibility and plausibility.

References: "Mental Illness." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2018.