Writing About Mental Disorders

I attempted a Multiple Personalites disorder story, but it was so complicated. I wasn't sure if I could handle such a demanding peice of work. It really does take a skilled, talented writer to actually prepare and contemplate all of the thoughts of one character, with a numerous amount of personalities. It takes a lot of backround knowledge of the disorder, and good writing technique to properly explain and write the story. Esactly why I had trouble ...

I'm one of the writers apart of The E.D. Diaries which is clearly about eating disorders, my own character deals with bluemia. And he's a unqiue case since he is both male and straight and they tend to be some of fewest diagnosed.

And then I have Heaven Help You which is ALL in a mental hospital. So I get to touch on various different disorders which means sometimes it takes me a bit cuz I have to go and check and see what the different symptoms and actions are.

My story, Tights, is about my own experiences with Dermatillomania and my idea of self-esteem. It was difficult to write, trying to translate things that have happened to me onto paper, but in terms of accuracy, I knew it was correct as it's written about myself, therefore it was all true for me.

I would like to attempt some more disorder stories, as it's a subject that I have a great deal of interest in. However, I'm always very unsure as to how to portray everything sensitively, so I'm hesitant to start one until I'm certain I can spend the time thouroughly researching what I'm trying to write about.

I write about a lot of disorders, but mainly multiple personality disorder/ disociative identity disorder. It helps us deal with what happens in our own life. I also tend to write in depression and OCD.

In my newest story I will save you the main character Jamie has depression and he suffers from night terrors and anxiety.

In a lot of my stories Ryan has bipolar, but it's never stated. I just write him as having bipolar. It doesn't always come up because that's how it works in real life.

I'm attempting to write a story about Brendon and his ADHD, but it's actually proving more difficult than I thought.

In An Impasse of Feathers, I didn't have a particular disorder in mind but Ryan is definitely suffering from a mental break, including hallucinations and blackouts.

A lot of my characters have depression/social anxiety because I frequently use writing as an outlet for my own problems. A Skeleton's Prisoner involves depression-induced hallucinations. Korinne in Bite Your Tongue refuses to talk for part of the story because of something traumatic in her past (I know there's a term for it; I just can't remember) and exhibits numerous depressive behaviors. In To The Death, Lennox is suicidal and struggles with issues relating to that throughout the story.

I'd definitely like to write more disorder stories, but I need to find time to research. Writing about depression is like second nature to me, so I'd like to challenge myself and focus on something different.

I don't know if this is the right board for this put I really need someone's help for a mental disorder. I'll post the general plot of my story

The story is Take Me Awayand the gist of it is she's an abused addicted teenage prostitute and he is depressed and trying to find himself again while touring with his band. He is driving around town and finds her in the streets walking to the hospital to get some medical help. Anyways they barely talked for more than ten minuets and now he is obsessed with her, he even asks her to join his band on a world tour. That is just what I have so far and the rest of the story is in my head. I know where it is going and stuff but I just need your help figuring out what is wrong with my guy character.

I know for a fact that he is depressed and trying to find himself in the story. He is just trying to find out his life and what he really needs in his life. But I can't figure out if depression can cause you to latch onto someone like he did in the story or if I might have created another mental disorder without even trying too. I've googled this to no end and I haven't found anything about this but maybe someone reading this has some sort of idea?

HisBeautifulDisaster:

I know for a fact that he is depressed and trying to find himself in the story. He is just trying to find out his life and what he really needs in his life. But I can't figure out if depression can cause you to latch onto someone like he did in the story or if I might have created another mental disorder without even trying too. I've googled this to no end and I haven't found anything about this but maybe someone reading this has some sort of idea?

If you don't need an answer immediately, I'll PM you tomorrow. I know that it sounds familiar to me but I'll need to ask my mom who's a genius about this stuff. I think they'd call it "unhealthy attachments" or something. I'll PM you.

dru is drinking.:

If you don't need an answer immediately, I'll PM you tomorrow. I know that it sounds familiar to me but I'll need to ask my mom who's a genius about this stuff. I think they'd call it "unhealthy attachments" or something. I'll PM you.

Ahhh thank you :D

In My Beating Heart... and Asleep or Dead, Bree's fiancée Finn is implied to have bipolar disorder, which explains his constant cycle between highs and lows.

I also always pictured him as having short-term memory loss, since he always seems to forget what he's just done.

Ryan did not have DD in S/he, I realized today rereading the criteria. I just thought he did 'cause I'm a moron.

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I have a story right now where Ryan has Bipolar though it isn't explicitly stated. It's not up yet.

I'd quite like to write a story about a charater with multiple personalities, in which each chapter is told by a different side of him/her. A little bit like Les Bohèmes in structure, but I might make each chapter slightly longer than a drabble.

I would also love to write Disassociative Identity Disorder, but I don't want to write a chaptered and it's a little difficult to do the storyline I want to in a oneshot.

dru's aching head.:

I would also love to write Disassociative Identity Disorder, but I don't want to write a chaptered and it's a little difficult to do the storyline I want to in a oneshot.

I've read two Green Day stories where Billie Joe had DID, and his alter was Fink in one, and Twitch in another.

I really want to write a story in which one of the character has schizophrenia and it has absolutely no bearing to the plot or to who they are as a person because 99.99% of times writers transform people with mental disorders in the wikipedia description of the disease(s) they have, but I haven't managed to come up with a deserving plot yet.

these bright lights.:

I've read two Green Day stories where Billie Joe had DID, and his alter was Fink in one, and Twitch in another.

I read one where Ryan had it and his alters were George and Ross (George Ryan Ross).

I actually met a girl with DID, so I know a few things about it, but I'd need to do more research for sure.

Mad Like Me is about a girl named Cat suffering from the early stages of schizophrenia. The... panic sequences, I guess you could call them, are based on my own experiences with the disease. When I was twelve I was diagnosed as schizotypal. I'm on medication now, and luckily was never sent to a hospital, but Cat isn't so lucky. As a result of the living hell that is her disease, she has also toyed with suicide, as I have.

Her friend, and later lover, Jay, is severely depressed and in the hospital after attempting suicide. He is secretly a transwoman, which I guess can be classified as a disorder, since last time I checked, you need to be diagnosed for surgery.

I started Asylum because I was drunk and somehow it just came to me. Something that happens a lot I must say. Bless alcohol. The conditions were already there too. I mean, I didn't have names for them or anything, but I already knew what I wanted the characters to be like. So I nailed out their behaviour and researched to find what fit.