Many writers will create characters who suffer from various mental health disorders. They may wish to explore heavier topics such as suicide, but they want to approach it from the right angle. They might wonder whether writing characters with a particular mental illness they don’t have is ethical, or even worth it. Since there is no such thing as creative writing ethics, such that a writer must legally abide by them, we must decide the best way to deal with certain themes, topics, and characters. This blog will discuss how you can cover these topics the right way without potentially treating mental illness unfairly or inaccurately.
Why Should I Learn How to Write Mental Health in Fiction?
If you write a character with depression, let’s say, and it becomes an important aspect of the character and story, you will want to handle it with care. That is to say, you should at least know a little bit about what the illness looks like and how it affects someone. If you don’t take the time to plan and research, you risk depicting depression inaccurately, which doesn't bode well for the success of your novel, not to mention it can potentially bother anyone who struggles with depression.
Should I Even Bother?
Some will argue that you shouldn't write about a mental illness you don’t have any experience with. This, in my view, is too extreme. As writers, we create worlds and characters with traits we don’t possess ourselves. Our goal is always to achieve at least some level of believable authenticity, which means although we might not know what it’s like to be a cowboy in the Wild West for instance, we can still design a character that feels real—which is often a function of how accurate the character appears. And readers are good at calling our BS. They will detect phoniness from a mile away.
This means if you want to write a character who has OCD, and you plan on writing about what that experience is like for them, you should do some research. Unless you have it yourself, it’s hard to know what it’s like. You can ask people you know about it if they’re comfortable answering questions, or you can visit online communities or support groups where people talk openly about their experiences.
How to Avoid Stereotyping
1. Don’t make it the center of attention
If a protagonist has OCD let’s say, you don’t have to make the story all about OCD, unless that’s your main plot. If your story is about an astronaut, writing scenes in which the character describes their OCD or performs some kind of ritual may not be relevant; it certainly wouldn’t take precedence over other, more imperative plot elements. It can hover in the background but don’t give it the spotlight unless you think it’s essential. Not to mention saturating your story with these experiences can overwhelm the reader and distract from what’s really entertaining them.
2. Do the research
There’s really no way around it. If you want to write about mental illness, you have to know some background. Don’t assume that you know what it’s like to have OCD or bipolar disorder or anxiety etc. because you know someone who has it. It’s a different story if you suffer from a disorder yourself because then it becomes easier to draw from your own experience. But really delve into what the inner experience is like for these people. That might mean asking people you know about what it’s like, looking at the DSM or other psychological research, exploring online communities, and so on.
3. Define how mental illness fits into your story
You have to ask yourself why you’re writing about mental illness to begin with. Why does it make sense for your character and story? Why is it important for your character’s journey? Defining this before you start writing will help you design a narrative that depicts mental illness accurately and authentically.
4. Don’t use it to depict someone as an antagonist
If you’re thinking of creating an antagonist who suffers from mental illness for you to exploit as a motivation for their antagonism, this will likely do more harm than good. Your antagonist might exhibit negative psychological characteristics, but to portray it as a side effect of a disorder will likely lead down a rabbit hole of stereotypes. Get familiar with what the stereotypes are for different disorders so you can avoid them. For example, it’s commonly thought that people with OCD are just “clean freaks”, which really has nothing to do with the disorder in most cases. The language you use to describe these traits will be important. Referring to a character with schizophrenia as a “psycho” or “crazy person” is insensitive and demeaning.
5. Make them relatable
Your characters should have relatable qualities outside of their mental illness. Not all of your readers will have that particular experience, but they might, for example, have problems being assertive and avoiding confrontation. That is a quality many people can relate to, and it doesn’t have to relate to their experience with mental illness. Consider how most people don’t want their mental illness to define them. So don’t define your characters by it either.
Conclusion
Can you write about mental health in fiction without getting into trouble? Of course you can. There’s no rule that says you can’t write about a particular topic. Mental health is no exception. The key is to depict it accurately and authentically. You don’t need to make it front and center. With the right planning and research, you can design a compelling narrative and character journey that resonates with almost anyone.