Mental Illness http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745 N.L. LeBlanc I started this thread last year, and since I'm working on the same novel this year (I'm a rebel!), I figured I might as well put this back up! Who has mental health/mental illness as a main/major theme in their novel this year? Does your main character or another important character in your story suffer from a mental disorder? If so, which one, and is the disorder an important part of your novel? Or is it just a part of your character that isn't focused on much? Tell me a bit about the other mental-illness-related NaNo novels out there! :) BONUS QUESTION (only if you feel comfortable sharing!): Do you yourself suffer from a mental disorder, whether it's the same as your character's or a different one? Did this drive you to write a novel featuring mental illness? How do you think your own disorder will help and/or challenge you while writing your NaNo novel? For anyone who's curious, my novel (which I was writing last year and am now editing, which is why I'm a rebel) is the second book in a two-part psychological drama series revolving entirely around mental illness. The series is essentially the life story of my protagonist over a 17-year period, including his diagnosis and entire recovery process. He primarily suffers from a severe case of borderline personality disorder, but is also later diagnosed with comorbid major depressive disorder. Other characters in the series also have psychiatric conditions, most prominently sociopathy (one of the major characters is a psychopath). I do not have any of these disorders, so writing this series was a bit of a challenge for me and still is. The fact that I'm fascinated by abnormal psych as well as an aspiring psychiatrist definitely made the three and a half years of research I did for these books fun, though! Can't wait to see who else out there is writing a mental-illness-themed novel. :) Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:42:04 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_64067 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_64067 Legolobotomy One of my main characters, Owen, has a sister with schizophrenia. Their father is schizophrenic as well, but he won't feature in the book as much as the sister does. Owen's story isn't the main plot, but I've been playing around with the idea of having his sister involved with the book's resolution in a big way. Owen and his friends are being hunted by some kind of paranormal beastie (I'm a little behind on my planning lol), and I'm thinking that her altered consciousness will help her track it, run from it, fight it, or some combination of the three. I don't have a very interesting answer to your bonus question as I've never been diagnosed with any kind of disorder, but I do have a bit of a family history (I have an uncle that swears he was abducted by aliens, and more of my family than not is being treated for depression or similar disorders), so I've always had a morbid curiosity on the subject. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:16:10 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_66311 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_66311 FluffySilver On the project I'm working on, at least three people appear to have mental illnesses but it turns out the voices are real. I have mental illnesses myself. It's sort of my way of venting about it, but if I actually wrote about mental illness I think I'd get pretty depressed so I tend to only brush the tip of the iceberg. Though I do have another character with depression, but I barely go into it. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:30:39 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_67539 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_67539 DemiReb My story is about two very creative people who were the target of emotionally/psychologically abuse in childhood. I can't give you a 'diagnosis' for what they experience, neither could the psychiatrists I've consulted. Emotional/psychological abuse, especially if it is covert, often isn't recognized by mental health workers. Both suffer from a variety of symptoms, the most important ones being addiction, anxiety and depression. In the story, they renovate a dilapitated castle and the surrounding grounds (overgrown with <= dog rose), which symbolizes dealing with /overcoming the psychological devastation of their youth. Bonus question: the main female character is me. She's the only flesh and blood person in the story. All the others are archetypes 'come to life' in one form or another. (This sounds more contrived than I mean, see explanation below). I wasn't helped by regular therapies, and in some cases even got worse. In the end I helped myself by reading works of C.G. Jung and other Jungian psycho-analists. Jungian psychology is difficult to define and I can't say something like 'I analyzed myself'. It wasn't such a systematic thing. I just followed my intuition. For me, writing is a form of what Jung callled 'active imagination'. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 09:34:28 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_69079 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_69079 N.L. LeBlanc This sounds really intriguing! I especially like the aspect of not giving them a diagnosis, because it's very true that while a lot of people with mental illness can and do fit into specific labels, a lot of people are harder to categorize. Many people don't realize that while the DSM is a helpful guideline, it is still a guideline, and not everyone fits into strict categories (and even if they do, they shouldn't be defined solely by their diagnosis). Also, Carl Jung is awesome! I'm currently in my third year of a psychology Bachelor's and we just studied Jung. That guy had some very interesting ideas and an original approach; fascinating. I can definitely see how his approach would help people for whom other therapies have failed, if only because it's so different. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:37:42 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_74199 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_74199 Valerian I don't know if I'm going to do this for my NaNo yet, but one of my novels, Parasitos, has three characters with disorders (thus far). They're arguably the main characters, although the third character, Alex, gets thrown to the side a lot because he's not as a developed as the other two. I usually don't ever explicitly state what's their specific disorder, but their traits are describing mostly anxiety and personality disorders. The first character, Erik, has both anxiety disorders (GAD, Phobias) and at least one personality disorder (leaning Schizoid/Avoidant). The second character, Tom, has Panic Disorder, and is leaning Borderline/Histrionic mostly. The third, Alex, has no anxiety disorders (and doesn't seem to experience fear at all), and is Narcissistic/Antisocial. Erik and Tom describe my two basic responses to my anxiety disorders: either give up (Erik; ie. to give up everything and withdraw), or give in (Tom; ie. to give in to the rapid emotional changes, etc). Alex is sort of what I imagine I might be like if I was totally devoid of fear; there are obviously good and bad things to it, but Alex tends to exemplify the bad more thus far. Myself, I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, and may have a personality disorder (most likely Avoidant or OCPD). So I try not to set anything in stone since I don't have definite experiences as having Antisocial Personality Disorder, for example. I do read a lot of the diagnostic lists for it, just so I can be somewhat on track, and recently did a personality disorder quiz for all three just to make sure that they're leaning to the appropriate traits. The only real trouble I have is their specific styles of speech as it relates to their disorders, especially Tom and Alex. I write too much like an essayist, which is great for Erik's schizoid traits, but is sorta strange looking for Tom's borderline/histrionic traits, or Alex's narcissism. They just end up too long winded, I guess. I haven't really decided what importance their specific disorders will have on the plot, other than Tom's histrionic outbursts get him into a shit load of trouble, and that Erik indirectly drives the plot along by poking at Tom's weak spots. I haven't found where Alex is supposed to go yet. It's more a me-venting-in-the-background-of-the-story sort of thing. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:08:24 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_76508 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_76508 DemiReb My thoughts are that Jungian therapy works better for me because it addresses the unconscious directly. The problem with emotional abuse is that it entangles the 'ego' (concious emotions and thoughts) in a web of lies and deceit it can't make heads or tails of anymore. A covert manipulator appears to the outside world as a perfectly nice and normal person, who never yells or is otherwise overtly abusive. I often link to this video to show what covert psychological abuse looks like and how emotionally and cognitively devastating an insidous manipulative tactic like 'gaslighting' is in a matter of minutes. Imagine what happens to a person's self-esteem if such deception occurs regularly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTqBP-x3yR0 The victim can lose all sense of 'self' in this manner. Letting the unconscious 'speak' through creative expression, can dig up the self again, or as Jung so beautifully said: "by painting ourselves, we give shape to ourselves". Good luck with your studies and your novel. The human psyche is indeed infinitely fascinating! Sun, 16 Oct 2011 05:32:13 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_80145 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_80145 Blue Lily My FMC has depression and possibly is OCD as well, although I'm still debating as to whether or not I will put that in there. Sun, 16 Oct 2011 07:47:46 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_80817 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_80817 anachronisma Everyone in my NaNo has PTSD (some of it combat-related, which I class as a special category due to its particular resistance to treatment). You would too, the multiverse is a traumatic place. The narrator walks through a door into someone else's mind, which contains an entire universe, which, if you want to try and use the medical model, probably indicates some non-disordered aspects of the plural spectrum. Myself, I have a sizeable chunk of PTSD symptoms, exacerbated by depressive tendencies and manifesting in spates of hypomania during high-stress periods. I also have some OCD symptoms that are probably the PTSD speaking. Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:44:24 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_82038 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_82038 jbu Last year the main character had a total amnesia. I don't know if this is classified as a mental illness, but it opened many way for the story. This year two of the main characters think they aren't who they are, at least they have a strong doubt. The Idea came from the "Dedale" movie (http://www.answers.com/topic/dedales), but the novel will go into another direction, with a slight scifi base. One of the two may suffer of agoraphobia too, but I haven't decided yet. Sun, 16 Oct 2011 11:13:03 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_82303 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_82303 Quinnahlynne Aw, the project I'm doing this year doesn't have a char with MI. Dang. But, from Camp NaNo, I have a character who's 6 hand has childhood onset schizophrenia. Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:14:04 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_84123 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_84123 Unoriginality Not this year, but in years past, I've dealt with mental illnesses in a roundabout way with my characters. I never specifically addressed what they had, but their symptoms are fairly prominent. Mostly PTSD in both cases. One day, though, I would like to try to write a story where the main character has schizophrenia or schizoaffective. This would be very personal to me, as I have bipolar-type schizoaffective. I just haven't found a plot for this idea. :|a Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:00:16 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_86232 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_86232 manic ragdoll I'm considering making each of my three protagonists personify the three stages of my bipolar disorder...may be interesting. Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:59:02 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_89234 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_89234 Maug I was diagnosed with OCD about eight years ago, and I think my having it gives me some insight into what it feels like to have other thoughts and impulses that you know are irrational but can't ignore anyway. (I, for a long time, would wash my hands after simply pouring myself a glass of milk. People in high school, boys mostly, have called me stupid and told me to just stop having OCD. A lot of my friends thought it was a source of amusement and were happy to enable me.) Social and general anxiety show up a lot in my writing, as well, and I have several sociopaths, some relatively harmless and others not so much. Also, abnormal psychology is a prominent theme in my story The Self Phenomenon, which I was going to write for last year's NaNo, but might do this year instead... or the other thing... but that's beside the point. In SP, the main characters all have some mental illness or another, accompanied by varying powers that an obscure institute is trying to research and harness. Then a member of the staff is murdered and two of the subjects go missing and supernatural hijinks ensue. ANYWAY, I'm intrigued by mental illness and how people react to things in given situations, so I probably overthink all of my characters, and tear apart my stories looking for the psychological motivations of characters. But I'm character-obsessed, so thinking about my babies is just about the best thing in my life. I'M STILL NOT DONE, your books sound very interesting. Is the first one available to buy? Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:28:00 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_101461 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_101461 Ayako I'm writing a dystopia novel, where one of the more important characters suffers from mental illness. I'm bipolar and have anxiety problems, and that's overall what really drove me to the dystopia genre (imperfect things that can exist in a "perfect" world). I'm really excited to pull mental illness into other characters, especially depression caused from events that occur. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:09:00 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_111617 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_111617 N.L. LeBlanc Assuming I'm the one you're asking (I don't think anyone else mentioned having more than one novel in this thread), neither of my books are published yet, unfortunately. I'm hopefully finishing the first edit of this one during NaNo this year, after which I'm embarking on the long editing/revising journey I call the "Reworking", which is where I revamp the entire series with three main goals: shortening it (the first book is still almost 2k words long), making sure everything is factually accurate and that the story themes are well-represented, and making sure it does not contain any big agent no-nos. :P After the Reworking process, I will slowly but surely begin looking for agents. I hope to get some of my shorter works published before these, though, so that they at least have a chance at selling (plus, no one accepts a series from a first-time author these days). Sigh - long process, but I do PLAN on getting them out there someday in the hopefully kind-of-near-future. :) Thanks so much for your interest, though! Your novel sounds like it has quite a bit of potential as well, all of the ideas in this thread sound great for that matter! I am also very character-obsessed. You should see the freaking size of the character profiles I have for my majors thus far, lol! Some days I'll think about one of my characters almost all day (usually my protagonist or my current novel's antagonist, as weird as that is) - it's quite distracting! But I wouldn't change it! Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:49:34 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_112220 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_112220 N.L. LeBlanc Wow, awesome - I would read this in a heartbeat! Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:50:59 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_112249 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_112249 N.L. LeBlanc Schizoaffective disorder is one of my top interests in abnormal psych, so I personally would probably jump all over that if you wrote it/got it published. :) Also, at one point in the first book in my current series, my protagonist (though he was never legitimately diagnosed with the disorder as he's generally the bottle-things-up type of person when it comes to acute bad situations in his life) was dealing with quite a few PTSD traits, so I feel you on that one. It's funny, because I never planned for him to get PTSD to any degree - it's almost like Situation X happened and he was like, "cool, this is waaaaaay beyond my regular dealing capacity." It was interesting to write, though, if a little sad. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:58:07 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_112389 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_112389 Michael S. Repton I have mental illness as a theme in both my Nano plans and the other novel I've been working on. In the latter, one of the characters is an 8-year-old girl with severe depression who self-harms, but since she is never the viewpoint character, the reader doesn't realise this until late on when the other characters find out. Don't want to sound too high-faluting but part of the idea behind this is to say "you never know whether anyone around you who looks normal might be suffering on the inside". Also, the main character has claustrophobia and is forced into situations where this causes problems. In my Nano -- this is all very shaky as I only decided to do a Nano three days ago and came up with most of this plot only today -- it's a fantasy world so story-internally it's not labelled or discussed as a mental illness, but from the reader's perspective, the princess who is one of the main characters has a learning disability; she is meant to evoke audience sympathy as she is unequipped to deal with the world she has to live in, but is still a likable, even lovable character. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:34:50 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_113908 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_113908 manic ragdoll Nachtmar is a loquacious, amoral, alliterative, manic sack of energy wrapped in a veneer of flesh who believes himself infallible and constantly changes subjects when speaking... Vladimir is a mixed episode...energetic, impulsive, intelligent as well as irritable, lethargic, and suicidal... Rosalynne feels perpetually despondent, worthless, and hopeless... All within a cyberpunk setting...ought to be rather fun to write! Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:46:53 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_115164 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_115164 Unoriginality I would love to write this idea. I just don't have a plot for it. I have a vague idea of a fantasy where the main character has schizoaffective, hears voices, and s/he's the Chosen Hero, so some of those voices are legit, and good luck figuring out which ones are and which ones are hallucinations. I just don't have a true plot for this. :|a Maybe by next year I'll come up with it. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:15:22 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_115574 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_115574 manic ragdoll Interesting...I also have bipolar and anxiety...and am writing within a dysotopic setting,,,,"Science is God and Technology rules all" Fascinating...mine is essentially set in a theocratic technocracy....I'm rather eager to read your work! Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:15:25 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_116345 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_116345 T L Kay My main character is a writer with schizophrenia. She hears the voices of her characters and starts seeing one of them. Eventually, it starts to cause her to lose touch with reality and she basically has to choose between having her characters be her reality, or her sanity and the real world. I've never been diagnosed with a mental illness, but ones like this fascinate me. But it was a very random idea that hit me while I was brushing my teeth. So, yeah. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:39:39 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_116664 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_116664 Josie Cloos One of my main characters brothers has schizophrenia, anger and impulse control issues. He's very volatile even on his good days. And even though it's not a mental illness, he's also deaf and that causes a lot of his anger to surface. He gets really pissed if you don't look directly at him when you speak and preferably sign. He can make out basic things through lip reading. When there is a whole group of people talking at once, forget it. he freaks out because he can't follow any of it. He also get pissed when people can't understand him. Actually his schitzophrenia is the most under control mental illness he has, as long as he takes his meds. But his anger and impulse control is pretty much a daily thing even with meds. It's just not as intense, though he did put someone in the hospital for eating banana pudding in front of him but he didn't like that guy anyway and he was warned about doing that on many occassions. The mc and his mother are the only one's who can nip a fit in the bud, because they can see when it's coming and he has respect for them but once it strikes not even they can stop him. When he's not on his meds, in a weird way, you can get a false sense of security because he's relatively calm. He will spend hours making magical potions out of household items. LIke dish soap and water is very powerful magic. One drop and it burns off the part it touches. Or he'll talk about these fantastic things. Like how Jimmy Stewart is really God and he was trying to tell us this through his movie Harvey, who is also real. He's Jesus. He seems happy and then out of nowhere he's trying to kill you. He's only a minor character. In the screenplay he's talked about in a couple of scenes and show up once. He'll be more prominent in the novel but not as a secondary character, just a bigger minor one. I wrote a short story from the pov of one of three voices in the mc's head. He's much different from the other mc's brother. His illness came from childhood trauma. He's basically a gentle soul and the voices are his friends. (He doesn't have MPD) The pov voice is the 'leader'. He taught the mc about survival. The other two voices serve as guidance in love and fun. The leader isn't crazy about the other two especially the one who keeps going on about love. She's always making the mc do stupid things. But the one purpose they all share is to keep thoughts about the mother away. Thoughts about the past blocked. That's when they band together. The story itself is, the mc meets a girl that actually likes him and the pov character isn't liking that. He wants her gone but the mc tells him too bad. They see eachother often and then one days she asks about the mc's past. At first he doesn't want to tell her but then he decides to and that's when the voices band together and all yell at him at once and they don't stop. He ends up in the hospital which means the voices are blocked but they are still there. The pov character really can't stand the girl especially since she told him he had to keep the vocies gone if he wanted to be with her. (she's schizophrenic in the more classic sense and she's a bit loopy by nature but she takes her medication) the mc can't let his friends go so when he leaves the hospital he dumps the pills and the pov character talks him into killing the girl. He's at the gas station filling a can with gasoline when the love character steps in and over rides the pov character. He goes back to the hospital and when he gets out he doesn't throw away his meds and they live happily ever after-all but the pov voice. I'm very fortunate, mild to mid level bouts of depression is the only form of mental illness I live with. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:17:48 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_118106 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_118106 Olivia44 This year's NaNo is going to be a sequel of last year's. Both MCs suffer from mental disorder to some extent. Laura is a student in the last stages of her studies who is bipolar and suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress. Laura is disordered due to multiple emotional/physical/sexual abuse in childhood. The bipolar disorder was only discovered when she hospitalized herself in a mental institution after a suicide attempt. Not to mention that due her mental problems also social life is kind of a challenge. It takes her a lot of energy to pretend to be "normal" so she's not looked weird at or even openly rejected. Many a boyfriend left her already, but funny enough it wasn't so much the mental defect itself that made them do that but learning what's behind it. Vince is with the NYPD again after his several months long pause after his burnout in the previous novel. However, he doesn't work Special Victims any longer but is (temporary for now) assigned to Homicide. Except the burnout (that doesn't really count this year ;)), he also suffers from post-traumatic stress and regularly returning depressive episodes (no full blown depression). In his case, it's rooted in the trauma of 9/11. Then he was on duty and helped evacuated the WTC ... and watched the second plane crasing into the South Tower while still on the phone with his wife whom he tried to convince to run for her life. In last year's NaNo both met when Vince was visiting his oldest sister who lives in Munich, Germany, with her family and one day Laura literally ran into him and showed him with a grande cappucino. After that unpleasant event they run into each other (figuratively now ;-)) at several other occasions and slowly grew closer ... close enough to keep contact first via email then also Skype. In this year's NaNo Laura will visit Vince in New York ... and I'll see where this is going exactly from November 1 on. ;) The Bonus Question: yes, I'm mentally ill. Guess what I suffer from. What? Yeah, right; bipolar disorder (Type II) and post-traumatic stress. Laura is mainly based on my humble Self. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to create such a messed up character. I'm not creative enough to cook someone like her up *lol* Well, the disorders however don't play the main role. However, they run through the story like a red thread nevertheless as they to some extent influence the characters', especially Laura's, thoughts, actions and feelings. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:05:50 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_128192 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_128192 Noelle_Winters The main character of my story (an animorphs fan-fic) develops a mental illness during the course of the story. (If you don't read Animorphs or haven't read the last book, it might not make a lot of sense.) Basically the Andalites have been attacking the Kelbrids because they don't want to stay out of Kelbrid space, and Kelbrid numbers have dwindled to the point that they resort to taking gifted and prodigy children from their race, believing that the only way to ensure that the Andalites die is to train warriors as smart as them, and forcing them into the military, to train then to kill Andalites specifically. The story follows a young girl (around the age of five) that was kidnapped and forced into this military camp. Prior to her kidnapping she was a musical prodigy, and she resists and refuses much of what the camp is trying to make her do, until she is forced to execute an Andalite that was rendered helpless. After that, between her guilt, the physical, and the mental abuse/brainwashing, she spirals into full-blown insanity, and by the time she "graduates" the military camp she is virtually indistinguishable from who she once was. Even her comrades see her as a crazed, dangerous murderer, but the military keeps her in because she does what she was trained to do very well. She suffers from C-PTSD. During her career, she begins to get a little better after they send her on a mission to Earth, to be a standby in case they need to order any executions of Andalites on the planet. (Later in the plot its found that she was sent specifically to execute Visser Three, because they didn't want to take the chance that the Kelbrid Sector responsible for cleaning up the Yeerks couldn't handle taking him down.) While she is on Earth she takes her little sister with her, who she finds was also about to get kidnapped to take to the camps. This leads her to begin to get better, because she wants to give her little sister a good childhood free from the horrors she experienced (even to the point that she doesn't even tell her what Andalites are.) She lives relatively happily until she witnesses Elfangor murdering her sister. (NO FANGIRL/BOY FREAK OUTS! I promise Elfangor is still awesome, but I don't want to spoil the plot twists. =P) After that she completely relapses, her split personalities re-appearing, she develops phobias, flash-backs, and begins suffering regularly from night terrors and hallucinations. The only thing keeping her from suicide is revenge. She becomes almost completely mentally unhinged while she seeks revenge on Elfangor...but at the last chapter of the book the only Andalite she finds is Ax, whom she is convinced knows where Elfangor is, and she won't take "he's dead" for an answer. (I have books planned to pick up after that one, but that's where this particular NaNo ends.) As for myself, I do suffer from Mathematics disorder, but I guess that's kind of minor...as long as you aren't doing math. -_-' I also suffer from dysthymia, with bouts of double/compounded depression. However, I haven't had an episode of double depression in a long time, so I hope it stays that way. :) Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:35:23 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_129708 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_129708 N.L. LeBlanc Animorphs was actually my favorite series as a teenager, so I know exactly what you're talking about. This sounds awesome! Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:19:50 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_132148 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_132148 Noelle_Winters Thanks. :) I hope to have it posted on Fanfic.net when its done. Though I am living in complete fear she is a "Sue," lol. Oh well, I guess thats what Beta readers are for. XD Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:05:36 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_132780 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_132780 tickyhead I'm sticking eldritch gods into my story, so if the characters don't start with a mental illness they sure will end up with one. The antagonist/secondary character/sidekick (it's complicated...) is an undiagnosed sociopath, and knowing my penchant for driving my characters insane, everyone else will probably be written with some sort of damage. As for the bonus, I have been diagnosed with (and am being medicated for) major depression, social anxiety, and thought disorder. Yes, they actually called it that. Basically I am constantly bombarded with visions of the dead, people dying gruesomely, disfigured and/or evil spirits, and other hellish thoughts, but rather than actual hallucinations they are restricted to "inside" my head--I don't actually see these things in the world around me, but that doesn't stop me from imagining that they might be...unseen, waiting... Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:56:21 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_137095 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_137095 N.L. LeBlanc What do you know? My antagonist is also a sociopath who plays several typically "positive" roles in the story (one of the MC's best friends, among others). Gotta love complicated antagonists! I've also found my sociopath by far the most challenging character to write effectively. Good luck with yours! Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:51:22 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_140380 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_140380 Ayako That sounds cool, I can't wait to read your work either! Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:45:15 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_149113 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_149113 Ayako That sounds like a good plot. An interesting side note, my best friend is dyslexic. He has so much trouble with word spellings that sometimes when he types things spellcheck changes them to totally different things (hence the invention of "sexually transmitted daisies" in a paper), yet for some reason, he wins all our scrabble games. It'd be really cool to see your princess MC have little areas of triumph like that, where even in something her specific disability should effect, she's still good. Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:49:08 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_149166 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_149166 LEHansen With a title like "Lethe: The Amnesians" it's pretty certain I'll have to do a lot with amnesia. In fact it's the core of the whole idea. This is going to be (see-positive attitude here!) the first of three books about missing memories and their recovery with lots of twists along the way. Most of the characters, just like in real life, have symptoms of mental conditions, but only enough to be interesting. Of course in real life, it's not always wise or even desirable to re-capture lost bits of the past. Our minds usually store them away for a reason. My "day job" requires helping people decide if they really want to go in that direction and what the consequences could be. In the book, I plan to set it up so I can go wild and countless people want, and would love, to open the flood gates to the past. And every story needs a anti-hero, right? I've picked a really awful fellow with paranoid schizophrenia. The backstory is much kinder to him. He is manipulated and abused in an effort to use his illness against him. (This disgusting blackguard doesn't show up in person until book 3. . . I think. . . ) Anyway, my anti-hero has all this going on, but it isn't apparant that he's being used. Don't you just love to hate people who prey on others? Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:55:42 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_156758 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_156758 J.Rudder no wonder i've been having constant headaches. you're in my head! though i tend to vacillate between the vladimir & rosalynne states. which btw, are much nicer names than the DSM terms:) & to stay OT, not this year, but last year I tried to write about a woman who was severely depressed & tried to kill herself, but it turned out to be too close to my reality & i didn't finish. though the dream parts where she was in a fantasy realm went well. Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:41:25 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_179227 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_179227 Michael S. Repton Thank you; that's a good point, and I'll keep it in mind :) Sun, 23 Oct 2011 06:28:57 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_181514 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_181514 hadeseus My MC, Sunny (on the left in my picture), is anorexic, his brother (to the right) is a depressive. When I was first developing Sunny, I was struggling with an eating disorder and to cope I unloaded it all into my writing and over time he just seemed to develop the same problems as I had. In the long run, though, it's probably a good thing. I've had him for three and a half years now and I've never seen a character like him. Boo to mental illnesses, yay to originality! :) Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:57:21 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_187781 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_187781 TheFluffyOwl My story deals with a woman who at the age of twelve was abandoned by her bi-polar mother. Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:39:48 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_189327 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_189327 AlariaKitten My novel this year is written from the point of view of the roommate of someone who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. So I get to play around with a whole slew of mental illnesses this year. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:27:31 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_195156 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_195156 N.L. LeBlanc Yay! That will also bring awareness to the apparently little-known fact that men CAN and DO have eating disorders. We're pretty much in the same situation, I created my MC almost four years ago (~January 2008) and I've yet to see a character like him (except in my reference books on his disorder, obviously, but A) that's not fiction and B) he has a lot of his own little quirks!). His primary disorder (borderline personality) also tends to be written about more by and about women. There are probably a few other guys with BPD out in the fictional world, but I've only seen one so far (an episode of Criminal Minds... which obviously was not a typical case, lol). This has been a pretty big challenge for me since the disorder does tend to present a bit differently in men and in women, so I had to find other ways to get examples (that, and it's obviously not good to base oneself entirely on TV/movie portrayals - they glamorize mental illness SO much most of the time). Good luck with your anorexic dude and his depressive brother!! Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:15:31 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_196290 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_196290 Lissien My main character in this story has mild OCD with a side of not-so-mild anxiety disorder so while she's not rocking up the most major of things, it's all definitely there. Not the main focus either, but it's hard to ignore when there are situations she has to avoid and little things she has to do. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:32:44 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_198839 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_198839 Tatsuya My novel is about the relationship between an alcoholic escort and a car mechanic. The mechanic has attention deficit disorder and dependent personality disorder; I based him on my cat. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:01:27 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_200931 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_200931 collective solipsism Of my three main characters, two are certainly not neurotypical. One has a lot of obsessive-compulsive traits and general anxiety. The other is on the autistic spectrum, and goes through periods of anxiety and depression related to the fact that the society where they live Does Not Understand anything close to a mental issue. The third character, interestingly, is basically universally seen as having a mental illness because of his gender-variance and anti-normative beliefs. I do kind of want to address mental illness as a topic in my book. I have a lot of interest in what gets considered to be a "real" mental illness by society, and society's reactions to neuroatypical people. For instance, both the autistic and the obsessive-compulsive characters are basically at the top of their respective fields, and especially in the case of the latter, nobody really considers them "needing help", no matter how much they struggle. They're considered smart enough to "think their way out of it". The third is perfectly content and happy, but is constantly prodded by others to "start acting normal". Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:31:30 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_218691 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_218691 Dj_Tigeress My FMC suffers from Depression after she woke up from a 13-year coma and found out the life she lived in her dreams is really all a fake Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:00:31 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_221065 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_221065 effrayant My MC has paranoid schizophrenia, but it isn't revealed until close to the end of story. Mainly because he is a very unreliable narrator and comes off as a compulsive liar too. A few other characters suffer from mental illnesses also (one character is antisocial, one suffers from BPD, and etc), but it's more noticeable than the narrator. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:16:25 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_228430 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_228430 SplitTwins My main character has one. She's insane for one and the bridge between reality and her own mentality is constantly getting crossed and overlapped. In fact the creatures and monsters that regularly try to kill her are actually just part of her own imagination or so it seems in the end. While the other main character a mirror image/twin of herself who literally comes out of a mirror, she is essentially the other side of my character. During the story though, they go through extreme character building and are what fixes each other's flaws. The catch is at the very end (after everyone can kind of tell the character was just hullucinating and the main character is in a normal life) the mirror twin (who had died protecting the original) comes up to the main character then....the end (cliffhanger I'm evil) Bonus: Uh yah the entire story is somewhat based upon my own Split personality disorder. I'm somewhat of a special case so my personailties know of each other and often like the characters act like we are two different people. It makes me somewhat schizo you could say. Both of the "twins" are therefore representations off my split personalities and how they sorta changed each other over time. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:00:50 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_228899 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_228899 RNichols14 I suffer from Bipolar II (all right, sometimes I enjoy it.) My hero doesn't have a true mental illness, but is diagnosed as having one. Enough said. I'm not afraid of someone stealing my writing, but of writing myself out so that I won't be able to write my novel as easily as if I keep it to myself till it's written down. Or up on the screen. As my novel is written, I will be comfortable sharing more. For some reason mental health diagnoses seem more accepted among artists, actors, and other creative types. I don't know why. I live in a small, semi-rural community and am scared to death people will find out about it. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:09:48 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_234448 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_234448 N.L. LeBlanc No worries, I'm (probably stupidly) very paranoid about sharing details of my plot/characters on the Internet (probably related to the fact that I've had a couple of situations in the past where someone was basically copying aspects of a story I wrote). I always just share the basic plot of my story and nothing more. Nobody says you have to give details, now or even in the future, if you don't want to! :) What you did say already sounds good - misdiagnosis is something that happens way too often in the real world, too! Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:53:41 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_235210 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_235210 SecondLinnet I'm writing about a MC with autistic spectrum disorder but I regard that as atypical neuro-development rather than illness (possibly with differences in sensory processing in some cases), although some of the behaviours described can be similar. The MC is based on my daughter who has ASD and I don't have any diagnosed mental illness; I do, however, have experience of a brother with paranoid schizophrenia, former work with a mental health charity and my own studies in psychology which undoubtedly influence how I interpret and write. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:23:39 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_236860 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_236860 Rubber_ducky [I'm new to this so I'm just randomly popping up and writing in what I find to be interesting forums] My entire novel is based on Mental Illness, it is set in a Psychiatric Ward, the twist is that the Doctor's are equally insane. It is an extrapolated and fictionalised version of my own experiences a couple of years ago. I've taken some of the characters there and some of the events and brainstormed from that. The plot has turned out very different from the actual events, but the events were the chrysalis. Really though I don't think that a discussion of mental illness/depression will be the main thrust of my novel. I'm a massive fan of Plath and 'The Bell Jar' (I'm doing my coursework on it) but I think the angst and depression thing has been done to death (excuse the pun) and I don't want to be a poor copy of the master. Rather it is going to be more of a discourse on Reality/Philosophy/A Comedy of Manners. I know, I know, a tragicomedy set in a Ward, it makes me sound mad but some of the stories from there were side-splittingly funny. They were all such funny and witty people, truly it was the Doctor's who seemed depressed...(Granted humour is a defence mechanism in difficult circumstances, it is this that I want to explore)... [Ramble ends] Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:51:02 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_249345 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_249345 N.L. LeBlanc Yeah, the overwrought angst in mental-illness-themed stories is really overdone. I mean obviously it's a harrowing thing to go through, so some angst is necessary, but I too have inserted a good share of humour into my story. Unless it is EXTREMELY well done (Sylvia Plath, for example), too much angst without respite gets boring to a reader. To an extent, this is an issue every writer handling this theme finds him/herself tackling at times, I think. That does not make you sound mad in the least! Ever read/seen "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"? If not, I would highly recommend it to you - especially the book. Considering what you're writing, I think it stands a chance to inspire you quite a bit. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:12:40 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_249702 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_249702 LuciaInTheSky The MC in my first book had Agoraphobia, and the MC in my last book had Borderline Personality Disorder. I'm pretty sure I'm tackling OCD this Nano season. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:36:43 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_258294 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_258294 13ookami I'm actually writing a television series for my NaNo, but the main plot revolves around my FMC, who has spent around 10 years in a psychiatric hospital being treated for Asperger's with comorbid schizoaffective disorder after her parents forcibly committed her there. After the Doctor releases her into the care of a friend, she proceeds to be herself, no matter how crazy. ^_^ Indeed, I have been diagnosed with ADHD & schizoaffective disorder. My best friend was diagnosed with Asperger's a few months ago, so I've found that clashing our disorders together makes for a very interesting character. It also helps a lot knowing what my character goes through and how to write it. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:40:06 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_262869 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_262869 Rubber_ducky I'm glad people agree with me :) No I haven't read 'One Flew Over the Cuckoos’ Nest' although I am familiar with the plot its one of those things I never got round to. Incidentally, when in the actual hospital 'Cuckoo's Nest' was a running joke and some of the inpatients named themselves after the characters...when food shopping we were the 'Cuckoo Gang'! Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:15:53 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_264345 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_264345 N.L. LeBlanc Haha, that is fantastic! You should legit at least watch the movie at some point before/while writing your book though - it inspired me and it's nowhere near as relevant to my novel as it is to yours (seeing as most of the series my MC is out of the hospital, except for a few 72-hour and week holds). If nothing else, it's an awesome and hilarious movie! Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:19:49 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_269251 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_269251 Netherworld_Inc My story's protagonists both have mental illnesses, though it is clear to what extent they do. It's a huge part of my novel, and this is the first time I'm really exploring mental illness in prose. I'm being treated for depression, so I suppose that's part of the reason I'm choosing to write about this stuff. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:54:42 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_271547 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_271547 BrianZW I've been toying with several different ideas for a novel that focuses on mental illness. Can anyone recommend any novels or short stories that deal with mental illnesses? Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:00:09 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_273235 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_273235 JStipe14 My main character has depression, panic disorder, and social anxiety. They will come into play, but not be very prevalent until the second half of my story. The main character is nearly a carbon copy of me, with a few details changed. I suffer from depression, panic disorder, and social anxiety. Under high stress, I can occasionally appear almost manic. I've read Girl, Interrupted. which is all about a young girl who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:12:47 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_293836 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_293836 silvercat17 I'm working on scripts and associated writing for my comic series. Most of the recurring villains have mental problems. Most of the background heroes have PTSD, but I'm not sure how many of them are going to show up. I know I'm going to be writing a lot of scenes in the criminal psychiatric hospital. Sun, 30 Oct 2011 12:55:46 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_299956 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_299956 nicholehenson I suffer from PTSD due to childhood sexual abuse and my book is about my journey through recovery and what having PTSD is really like. Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:23:51 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_306620 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_306620 stillalive Pretty much everyone in my novel has a mental illness of some sort. Main character has schizophrenia, her girlfriend has anorexia (and possibly depression or bipolar II), and her other romantic interest has NPD. And since it's the zombie apocalypse, I expect that more people will have PTSD than not by the end. Sun, 30 Oct 2011 23:16:26 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_313458 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_313458 hadeseus Oh aye, I know. People seem to think men are impervious to eating disorders when they're not, and it makes me desperately sad when I hear of men who have died or are too scared to seek help because they'll be told they have a 'woman's disease' or something equally ridiculous like that. One of my favourite books is about a young man with bipolar II, but I've never seen cases of BPD in any book I've ever read. I think fiction needs more ill characters... too many people still think mental health is a myth, imo. My stepdad once told me that eating disorders were a method of getting your own way, bipolar was an excuse to act how you wanted, and depression was an excuse not to get out of bed in the morning. Having being diagnosed with depression and suffering from a suspected eating disorder, I was utterly furious - granted he didn't know about my diagnoses but still, what a narrow-minded thing to say..!! As for glamourising, god, don't get me started. People in this country apparently WANT to have a mental illness (I believe bipolar is the 'current' disease people want), and doctors have recorded cases where people present themselves and ask to be diagnosed with a mental illness. It makes my blood boil. Thanks, you too! If you need any help with writing about EDs, hit me up - I'm more than happy to help and I think the more accurate your portrayal is, the better. :) I'd totally love to read your novel once you're done, too. Good luck! Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:12:28 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_319782 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_319782 BrianZW Your idea of having characters having mental illnesses during a zombie apocalypse is really cool. I just thought about following a character around, that with his medication is completely functional, but as he runs out of his medication during a zombie apocalypse he can go in and out of being functional and going crazy. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:27:23 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_322493 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_322493 Intricatelysweet My main character is a manic depressive who excessively drinks and does other drugs as well. I was diagnosed with major depression which to me is a thin line between manic and major. I know I want my novel to do with music but still not sure I guess it will come to me. :) Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:30:52 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_339248 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_339248 rayruz My novel is centered around a residential treatment facility for troubled kids, based on the place where I worked. My main character, Jayne, is a ten year old boy with PTSD and ODD and is based on a boy I was very attached to at work. (He was my "pokemon" I was his "trainer"... he had a green hat that I'd put on his back and he'd turn into Bulbasaur... *wibble* I miss him muchly.) So yes, my novel is FULL of mental illness of varying kinds, all based on children that I know from work. And yes, I have a mental illness as well... some mood order NOS. I don't particular care about having a diagnosis or label for it... but it's something I've had since before I can remember, and it's finally being managed with medication since I became an adult and could go to therapy on my own and make my own health decisions... after seeing me getting treatment my parents were suddenly.. "OH! So you weren't just a moody teenager who overreacted to everything?" ...Gee, thanks parents. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:32:03 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_355439 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_355439 rayruz That would be awesome to explore!! I love when apocalypse stories deal with legitimate logistical problems like running out of medication. (I had a natural disaster screenplay in the works in which a trans character no longer had access to the T that he needed.) Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:35:00 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_355510 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_355510 atrumsolsolis My MC has some PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), but since she lives in 1910 Russia, they don't know that's what it is. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:13:38 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_363175 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_363175 k.haskins I myself have major depressive disorder since the breakup from my girlfriend of 3 years, which lead to my diagnosis and underlying cause as a person with BPD. My novel is going to be based on my recovery process thusfar, but will have certian liberties taken to ensure a ficticious status. It is very much based inside the main character's head... their thoughts, espcially, just as they would occur to someone (as they've occured to me). I've never written before, but it's something I'm doing to remember what I've gone though as well as give hope to others who live with mental illness and feel they have no where else to turn. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:23:31 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_367822 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_367822 N.L. LeBlanc "Girl, Interrupted" is a great memoir! Whether or not Susanna actually had BPD (she was diagnosed in the 60s, after all) is debatable, but I personally think she did have it. My character's BPD is a little more textbook than hers is in her memoir, but that book still helped to form a basis of objective research for me in the early stages of planning (subjective research came a bit later). I know a few others have mentioned having characters with BPD in their books - I definitely recommend this memoir to anyone starting out with a BPD character, especially if you yourself don't suffer from BPD (now, the movie is a different story... I personally feel it's one of the prime examples of glamorizing mental illness out there). The movie "Fatal Attraction" (one of my favorite movies!) paints a good picture of some of the symptoms as well - obviously you have to get past some of the girl's violent actions, as most people with BPD aren't violent, but if you look at it from a symptom-analytical point of view some of it is pretty accurate. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:58:52 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_388421 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_388421 Nouks My main character is at least to be called a bit odd. There won't be taken any diagnoses but that he's mentally ill will be obvious for anyone reading. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:02:07 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_390019 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=2#forum_thread_comment_390019 Blue Disastrous My novel this year is about a girl's experiences living with Dissociative Identity Disorder. She doesn't believe it is anything bad, not an illness nor disorder. I've been researching for so long, and it seems every case is different between each person (as in body, not each alter). I always love learning more, it's fascinating. The novel goes through from her childhood to her adult years, the traumatic events which cause her to create alters, and experiences and thoughts of each alter. It should be quite interesting. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:47:29 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_402655 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_402655 chibisarel My MC is at the moment very young and innocent, but his insanity will show itself later on. He already has trouble recognizing some types of emotions in others, and doesn't quite get sarcasm unless it's really, really exaggerated. He will turn a lot more toward the sociopathic end, with a bit of PTSD thrown in, and some megalomania and sadism. So in short, he's not going to be a happy camper. But most likely very fun to write =D I've never tried to write from that end before, and the biggest challenge will be to portray him correctly while still retaining the sense that he's the protagonist. All of his issues (well, 99% of them, at least) will be acquired in his pre-teens (tweens?) through teens, though. Nothing that's been present from birth. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:39:44 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_415546 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_415546 N.L. LeBlanc Just a friendly tip, as someone who's writing a psychopath (not the MC, but a very major character) - in my research experience, it would have to be a pretty low degree of sociopathy for him to have the emotional capacity to develop PTSD. You're right to call him a sociopath instead of a psychopath (the two terms are not synonymous, contrary to popular belief) though if the syndrome was developed later on (through social interactions, etc). I don't know how much research you've done yet - trust me I've been there - but you may have a hard time pulling off the sociopathy/PTSD combination especially with more learned readers - like I said, unless the sociopathy is at a low level. Psychopaths/sociopaths are generally unable to feel fear in moderate/high degrees. Have you considered antisocial personality disorder? It develops over time, like your MC's, and a low emotional capacity is not even a requirement, though it happens a lot... but in the case of ASPD it could be just a reduced emotional capacity. Not trying to "burst your bubble" or anything, just trying to help! :) If you do decide to go with a sociopathic character, I am just a NaNoMail away if ever you need characterization pointers. They are the funnest and most challenging to write! :) Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:05:15 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_427675 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_427675 musicislife15 I like mental illness' which is where the victim is hallucinating and seeing thins (a dead daughter, a decade old dead father and so on) It's where they can't cope with the thing so much that they make believe its real, altimers (sorry I do not know how it is spelled) is a good one for older people but for younger people this is the most dramatic way to go. They could do something violent and not even know because they are like asleep and subconsciously they are doing it even tho' they sort of know they are doing it, its weird. hope this helps :) Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:21:13 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_453992 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_453992 Boyce My main character suffers pretty badly with schizophrenia. He gets it from my side of the family haha Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:58:17 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_512766 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_512766 redtights I'm working hard to make sure my novel doesn't end up being entirely centered around/driven by my MC's eating disorder, but it certainly will factor in. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:49:57 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_515010 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_515010 Cain Navarre You should be my writing buddy. I wrote about mental illness last year and this year I will take another step: science-fiction in a hive-city that is nearly exclusively inhabited by people with some kind of issue. I myself am diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder. You can ask anything, strangely enough I feel already that i won't have anything interested to say about it. Well, well. i look forward to some writer-babble etc. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:03:11 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_521946 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_521946 fifi-the-fighter-pilot i'm writing fanfiction for a recent event in marvel comics (dark reign). the two main characters, norman osborn and robert reynolds, are both canonically mentally disordered (did, bipolar disorder, avpd, to name a few) and my story mainly deals with that. another secondary character is robbie baldwin, who suffers from ptsd and depression. my actual story lends another dimension to it - it's a sort of science-fiction setting in which the characters are in fact test subjects/patients in a mental asylum/research facility, who are being experimented on and studied to explore esp. so they lapse into a sort of 'group delusion' (the delusion being the marvel universe), drag each other into it, push each other out of it, etc. so part of the story is told from within the delusion and part of it is told from a clear-minded point of view. this is more science-fiction than actual mental illness, obviously, although it can lend an interesting element to the psychological part of it (the character who, when delusional, believes himself to be a psychiatrist, for example). i have avoidant personality disorder and agoraphobia, and i'm writing about these characters because i identified so strongly with them in the source material, but never felt that they were dealt with fairly or deeply enough. so i figured, whatever, i'll just do it myself >.> Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:35:30 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_545308 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_545308 Antonin Artaud i think all of my main characters and a lot of the side characters carry some kind of psychological damage in their way. nothing specific. psychosis, depression, mania... well, i've got a touch of the good old manic depression going on here ~ how would i know how to write sanity, exactly? anyway, it doesn't interest me. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:02:39 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_595100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_595100 Antonin Artaud i also don't like the need to diagnose everything, medicate everyone... if only there was an edit button, what the fuck is up with that? Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:04:02 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_595109 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_595109 N.L. LeBlanc Yes, I agree, completely sane characters are quite boring. :) They have to be at least moderately quirky for me to find them interesting, haha - especially my own characters. Obviously not all my characters have mental disorders (my current project is actually the only thing I've ever written where characters have had diagnosed mental illnesses), but they all have their quirks and/or something seriously messed up in their life/past. Otherwise I get bored with them very easily. As for diagnosing everything/medicating everyone, this is an interesting debate with good points from both sides. My two cents are that it depends on the situation. I don't think someone should be diagnosed with a mental illness if they exhibit an eccentric or norm-deviant behavior that does not bother them (or cause someone else any kind of real pain). The example that jumps to my mind immediately is the whole ADD/ADHD controversy with kids. A lot of the time kids are diagnosed with ADHD when they are just being kids. A little boy, especially, usually cannot sit still for long periods of time - this does not mean he has a mental disorder. I do think professionals jump into diagnosis/medication too quickly most of the time these days. However, if the kid's grades are suffering and he's being aggressive with others, etc, then yes, perhaps he has ADHD and should be medicated. Maybe it's the aspiring psychiatrist in me, but if someone has a mental illness that is really bothering them on a daily basis and diminishing their quality of life, I do strongly believe that person should be examined and diagnosed. A mental illness should be taken just as seriously as a physical illness. Most of the time a correct diagnosis by a competent professional will help guide the person into the most effective treatments for them (obviously there are exceptions, but in most cases), helping them to manage their disorder as efficiently as possible. Same goes for medication. I believe medication should be a last resort in ALL cases - if the person feels able to manage their symptoms with psychotherapy, that's ideal. But the fact is that a lot of psychiatric patients do need medication to function. Some psychiatric disorders originate from dysfunctions in the brain and/or nervous system, and while therapy will probably help the patient cope with his or her condition, it will not alleviate the symptoms to an appreciable level most of the time. Schizophrenia is a prime example. Most cases of bipolar disorder result mostly from a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some cases of depression, too. In those cases, sadly, medication is often necessary - and I think that if it helps the patient function, the cons are worth the pros. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:15:42 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_600406 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_600406 DemiReb I completely agree that mental illness and/or debilitating uncontrollable moods should be taken as serious as physical illnesses. There still is too much of a stigma attached to mental illness, which is not only harmful for those who suffer from it, but also hinders recovery. I have a few brow raising tales to tell about that from my own experience. TRIGGER WARNING!! ================= If you are using medication for mental illness: The section below contains information which might be upsetting. If you are easily upset by people criticizing medication to treat mental illness, please read no further. I do not wish to upset or cause harm to anyone. If you decide to read further because you are already in doubt about the effectiveness of psychotropic medication, do NOT, repeat NOT, stop medication abruptly. Stopping abruptly can be dangerous. Consult your doctor for advice. ===== What worries me is that psychiatry seems to have gone to the other extreme, with a tale largely fabricated by the pharmaceutical industry that just about everything is a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain. It's not untrue, but it is also a misrepresentation. If someone has panic attacks or is depressed, that has to be caused by something in the HPA-axis that isn't functioning as it should. The outright lie is that it is serotonin that isn't functioning properly. There isn't a shred of clinical evidence for that. The panic/depression reaction is much more complex and appears to be caused by a cascade of neurochemical reactions in which serotonin seems to play only a minor or regulating part. There is a rare neurological disorder that prevent the synthesis of serotonin. Patients who have this condition generally do not have mood disorders. From my own experience, it proves to be very easy to MAKE someone sick with psychotropic drugs. I experienced severe panic attacks (worse than the ones I took the drug for) and intolerable restlessness from just one low dose tablet of Fevarin (Luvox). When my gp prescribed Xanax 12 hours later, I experienced borderline psychosis. (paranoia and hallucinations, not depersonalization). I had enough knowledge to know that this was drug induced, but how many people are not and are 'treated' for a 'mental illness' that is purely drug induced? ====== END OF TRIGGER WARNING ====== My other worry is that regular therapies overlook something very important, with the exception of art therapy and other forms of therapeutic self-expression. The precise causes of mental illness are still very much debated, but there is no doubt that external factors often play a major role in it. It's dangerous and unscientific to generalize, so I'll give a specific example. Suppose the underlying trauma was caused during the pre-verbal or semi-verbal stage (from age 0 to age 3 to 6, depending on the intelligence of the child). At this time the child is not capable of verbalizing what it feels/experiences. In that case, any therapy that relies on verbal communication fails, simply because the now adult patient simply doesn't have the words for what happened. I've experienced this myself many times. When asked to recal something that was unpleasant, I remember that it was unpleasant, but I could not describe the feeling I had, even though I am now, as an adult, quite capable of describing my feelings. The unpleasant memories have no 'words' with them. Even now I find it hard to describe the sensation. Do I make any sense? On a lighter note: how is everyone's novel going? Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:29:36 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_604079 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_604079 N.L. LeBlanc You make some good points. I definitely agree that psychiatry in general is a little medication-happy these days - while I haven't personally experienced the drawbacks of this, I experienced it secondhand through a close friend who was "accidentally" prescribed (by her psychiatrist) three times the amount of medication that's supposed to be taken by a patient. I will not go into details about the symptoms she was developing because of this, but her kidneys are now compromised and the psychiatrist is being sued for malpractice. The worst part is that she doesn't even HAVE the disorder she was being made to take that medication for (bipolar). That's another thing that seriously pisses me off. These days, as soon as you have mood swings, you're "bipolar". I am a third year undergraduate student and I know the difference between bipolar and other disorders with mood swings. -_- Why don't some licensed psychiatrists? Like I said, I believe that in all cases medication should be a last resort. If a patient can get through their illness with just therapy, they should - and like you said, different therapies work for different people depending on the circumstances. Not everything is a chemical imbalance in the brain but some mental illnesses/some cases *are* caused by neurotransmitter imbalances, and that's when you need meds most of the time. Obviously mental processes of any sort are much more complicated than just one neurotransmitter (serotonin, for example) malfunctioning. I have a bit of a hard time with the "there is no evidence that serotonin is malfunctioning", though. Why else would most depressed patients have lower serotonin levels than the general population (and this is medically tested)? Clearly one neurotransmitter is never the whole problem, but the fact is we don't yet know everything about brain/chemical processes related to mental disorders. Psychiatry has found out that serotonin plays a role, so they're basing themselves on that for now. I understand what you're saying and I agree with it. Psychiatry is medication-happy and not every mental disorder is a chemical imbalance, contrary to what they'll make you think. I still firmly believe that there are many individuals with mental illness who benefit from psychiatric medication and function better because of it. It all depends on the case. That said, I totally agree that a mental illness can be drug-induced, which just aggravates the problem. My novel's going pretty well - I'm editing (I did say I was a rebel), and although progress is slow at the moment because of school, I did complete full plot diagrams for all six parts (three in book 1, three in book 2) of the series yesterday and for the second book (which I'm actively editing this month) I am up to 5/13 chapters edited for Part 1, 3/14 for Part 2 and 2/8 for Part 3. My MC's being a smart-ass as usual, the antagonist is running amuck and the other characters are generally confused. It's all good. Yours? Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:30:16 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_617266 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_617266 Yentl My MC has a second personality, but he wasn't born with it, it was implanted in him, does that count? :p Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:03:06 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_619073 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_619073 ManInTheBowlerHat My journal is about my own experiences and I'm also writing stream of conciousness in a different notebook. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:52:56 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_625321 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_625321 DemiReb It's going remarkably well, but it's going to be an editing nigthmare once it's done. As I explained earlier, I did not start out with any fixed idea of how the story was going to evolve. It's hard not to speculate with an intial idea. The entire story arch developed rather quickly, within the first 15K or so. At that time I still thought this was about the two main characters exploring their past to come to terms with it. Later on, it begins to evolve into something more abstract, playing with the idea of how we create our own reality, but also that reality is created for us by others. A lot of interesting imagery and ideas I don;'t quite understand yet. Anyway, it's fun and at times scary. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:57:59 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_627643 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_627643 Chibi-Cat I'm not sure if my main character has a mental illness. He could probably be bipolar, just from the different scenes that I've been writing with him. That being said, I'm not sure if I have a mental illness either. I have been fighting depression for awhile, but I haven't been officially diagnosed with it. NaNoing keeps me sane actually. If I don't wake up in the morning and write then everything seems a whole lot worse. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:59:41 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_675499 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_675499 Chibi-Cat Exactly what I am doing this year. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:00:01 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_675505 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_675505 Sami-Love Normally I wouldn't post about these things since I am terrified of others judging me, but I am feeling especially brave today so here goes. My story is a "Semi-autobiography" (As in based on but not exactly my life) It is about life when you make the choice to get help for your mental disorder. The main character, Lucy, tries to take her life and ends up in a mental hospital, from there her and her Psychiatrist work together at facing her past and work on getting her whole so that she can return to society as a strong woman. I suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Obsessive compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety due to Obsessive compulsive Disorder (Anxiety via OCD), and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as struggling with situational depression. Two years ago I finally was able to see a psychiatrist and get the help I need since I was 18 so my mother couldn't stop me from going. That is why I decided to write my novel, it is kind of a thank you to my psychiatrist, and to myself, for the journey to recovery that I am still on and have been on for two years now. Two years ago I was a mess, I had been one my whole life. And now I am becoming stronger, I disassociate less since I have come to terms with many parts of my past that would cause it, and the only medication I take is for my ADHD, everything else is being done through natural healing. My psychiatrist is amazing, she will not prescribe me anything unless I tell her I am okay with it. She is a strong supporter of taking the natural path unless the pill path is absolutely needed (Which, due to my other illness', the ADHD one was needed) Anyways, my story will be about Lucy's journey through her past and her struggle to live in the present and push forward to the future. I am hoping to one day get the novel published to help raise awareness of Mental Illness' caused by Childhood Trauma (I am planning, if I do publish it, to also look into starting a charity with a local mental hospital to help raise awareness), after all most of my mental illness' formed from things in the past, not just chemical imbalances. Quote of the day: "When you are physically sick you ask for soup or flowers, When you are emotionally sick you ask for a hugs and kisses, But when you are mentally sick all you want is to be understood and loved." Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:43:41 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_680117 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_680117 N.L. LeBlanc Anyone who would judge you for this is not worth your time! Your novel sounds amazing and you sound like an amazing and incredibly strong person for taking what you've been through and turning it into something so positive!! Your psychiatrist sounds like she has pretty much the same take on psychiatry as I do, which gives me hope that I will not be the only "meds-are-last-resort" psychiatrist in the whole world. Your psychiatrist should be proud! She is living proof that not all psychiatrists are incompetent pill-pushers - and clearly she does an excellent job helping her patients! Thank you for sharing. I feel very inspired by this. :) Pretty much made my night, no big deal. Good luck with your novel! Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:09:39 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_683545 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_683545 Sami-Love Thank you! She really is the best psychiatrist in the world if you ask me. Before here I had two councilors, three therapists, and a psychologist, and I just couldn't click with them, so she really has saved me in a way I can't begin to truly explain. I am glad you have those ideals, there aren't enough psychiatrists like her and like you! I'm glad I could make your night, I normally do not share these things, but like I said, I was feeling brave so I thought I'd try and take a risk, and it seems it paid off. Thank you for your luck! Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:15:32 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_685834 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_685834 RAWWR My story is focusing mainly on sexual abuse, Anorexia and self harm. I haven't yet decided on any Mh Issues but I may work BPD into there somewhere. I myself have been unofficially diagnosed with BPD (Can't be officially diagnosed until i'm 18) And have self harmed for around 5 years, I also have a close friend with Anorexia. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:17:08 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_699015 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_699015 N.L. LeBlanc Random question for you: do you happen to live in the US? I live in Canada (where you can be diagnosed with BPD under the age of 18 as long as your symptoms have persisted for at least two years), but my character lives in the US (long story). I was under the impression that the US and Canada do function the same way as far as this goes, but since you mentioned that I thought I'd check just in case you live there and know differently. You know, considering my MC was definitely officially diagnosed with BPD before he turned 18, haha. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:46:49 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_701252 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_701252 RAWWR No I live in the UK, They won't diagnose you under 18 here, except they have, they just can't put it on my records yet. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:34:07 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_706409 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_706409 Kaoruchan My novel this year is set in a fantasy verse, so my characters are not "diagnosed" as such with a mental illness, however one of my wolf shape-shifters (a fairly-major side-character) is suffering from PTSD. Basically, before the beginning of the novel he was captured by some human scum-bags and both physically and sexually abused until he was rescued by his pack. His captors told him they did it because he was "beautiful" This is all back-story and happened about a year before the MC's meet him. He was a warrior but now he is so afraid of humans and others' reactions to his own human form that he mainly stays in his wolf form and rarely strays from the pack. He ends up being sent on the "quest" because he thinks it is so dangerous he doesn't want anyone else to get hurt so he volunteers; he has a severe case of low self worth. One of the side-stories of the novel is his (very cute) relationship with one of the other wolf-warriors. They are clearly attracted to one another, he feels safe with the other wolf, who desperately wants to look after him and "heal" him, but he first needs to work through his trauma. Fortunately the object of his affections is very kind, supportive and loving, he'd be happy with a non-sexual relationship, but my poor wolfie feels that he's not good enough for his crush. We'll have to see if they get together by the end of the novel :P Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:12:09 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_707580 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_707580 N.L. LeBlanc All right, thanks! :) Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:00:35 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_708686 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_708686 RionaDaidouji So, as my novel has progressed, I now have a total of 3 characters with mental illnesses. The first is Jared, who is now discovering that he has a serious case of OCD, with more emphasis on the "Obsessive" part of it. The next is Filia, Jared's ex-girlfriend, who I'm starting to suspect has BPD, but I don't know enough about her yet to say 100% for sure. And finally we have Leon, who has paranoid schizophrenia... I really wish I knew how to spell that without needing to do a google search. So far, Jared is the only one with an official diagnosis, although again, Filia is still in the "minor character" catigory, so she might reveal more to me later. Heck, she wasn't even supposed to make an appearence, but then apparently when Jared was waiting to get in to his psychologist's office, she decided to be the patient who was in before him, which led to a wonderfully awkward conversation. Along with those three, I have some other characters who don't have a specific mental illness, but who definitely have some mental hangups about stuff. Skye is afraid of growing up, and Rose has some recent trauma and difficulty forgiving people. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:44:25 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_735365 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_735365 Her Grace of Serenity Important themes for me are that 1) what is diagnosed as mental illness can also simply mean having a radically different way of looking at the world, and 2) that people can, even when plagued by permanent mental illness, lead productive and happy lives. I have one character who doctors believes is a schizophrenic, but who actually just looks at everything from an unusual perspective, and another who realizes that he can engage in a happy romantic relationship even while living with PTSD. And yes, I do have mental illnesses, including bits of Panic Disorder, OCD, and PTSD. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:47:14 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_750836 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_750836 Jayne2 I will be focusing on three characters with depression. Two of those three also have PTSD (well the third might as well, not sure) and one of the three is very suicidal. Alcoholism will also be a part of at least one (if not all - they all have drinking issues, just not sure if two of them reach the addictive stage) of their lives. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:08:50 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_759485 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_759485 karmine My main character has PTSD, bouts of severe depression and has attempted suicide more than once. It's a very big part of my book because it's not just the MC's decisions that are hugely impacted by it, but her friends and colleagues as well. It does play a big role throughout because it gives the character a huge dilemma to deal with: does she find a way to take her own life successfully, or does she keep fighting for those who can't defend themselves? I personally have GAD that leads to bouts of pretty bad depression, meaning I can relate to my character in some ways. Having a mental illness didn't make me want to add it to my book though, but it definitely made it easier for me to understand her head space. I just thought it would be very realistic for my character to have them because of everything she's been through. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:55:34 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_762608 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_762608 Philosopherdoll My novel is partially set in a psychiatric hospital. My main character Grace is a mental health nurse. She forms a very good bond with a patient suffering from severe depression. (I have been hospitalised with severe depression so I gathering inspiration from my own experiences). But now I am strugging for ideas... Grace, a mental health nurse in her mid twenties, suddenly is asked to foster a fifteen year old girl, Sian. Her life becomes different as Sian moves in. Meanwhile Grace deals with her enormous crush on her colleague Mason, and she develops a special bond with a mentally ill patient Lily. Now Grace has developed good relationships with Sian and Lily, and she is dealing with the fact that Mason is dating somebody else....What now? I am 26k in and I think my story has died....Help please!!!!! Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:49:25 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_776157 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_776157 moritherapy my husband, who is writing his third nanowrimo novel this year, is obsessed with narcissism :) since mental health/mental illness is such an important part of my life in just about every way imaginable (among other things, i'm a therapist), it would be difficult for me to NOT write about it. two of my main characters have problems with alcohol, partly as a result of self medicating bipolar disorder, partly so as to deal with life. two of the major secondary characters would be characterized as sociopaths, and another main character sexually abuses a child. those characters are all in the 19th century, so of course these things weren't really seen as mental health issues, especially not in a louisiana sugar plantation! the other part of the novel plays in 2007, and one of the main characters there is a woman who is utterly lost because of some pretty awful (kind of soap-opera like) life circumstances and deals with them with narcotic binges and a flight into a religious cult. she just narrowly escaped being kidnapped by a human trafficker, so i don't know what's going to happen to her next. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:42:36 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_781265 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_781265 moritherapy that sounds very interesting. have you posted excerpts anywhere? Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:44:15 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_781274 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=3#forum_thread_comment_781274 Honeybadger12345 I never realized how much mental illness pervades my story. While my MC doesn't have mental illness, it seems as though half the people she knows does: 1.) The mother of one of my characters is agoraphobic 2.) One of my MMCs has bipolar I 3.) The ex-wife of the above MMC suffers from delusional disorder and is an erotomaniac 4.) The roommate of my MC has OCD 5.) My antagonist is a... well, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but he's not entirely against certain hate-based murder, so yeah... 6.) The mother of my antagonist suffered from Capgrass syndrome My goodness! What the hell am I writing here? (BTW, can someone, if they feel comfortable with it of course, describe to me what a bipolar episode is like. I only know one person in real life with any type of mental illness (Possibly DID) which is not listed on here, so I'm clueless. Every other disorder is fairly easy to portray or is associated with a pretty minor character, but the one with bipolar I is pretty major. I just don't want to portray it unrealistically. He usually tries to take Seroquel XR if this helps). Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:37:17 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_785752 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_785752 Antonin Artaud oh, i'll tell you about bipolar all right, but what kind of episode do you mean? manic? depressive? mixed? what? the mixed are almost the worst... Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:37:57 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_792235 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_792235 Honeybadger12345 I imagine him generally having mixed episodes. They fit his character and the storyline the best, if that makes any sense. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:38:22 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_794003 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_794003 Antonin Artaud well, sure. i guess. provided our idea of a mixed episode is the same. do you want to hear it? actually i'll write about it anyway -- if you picture bipolar disorder to be a carousel you can't get off, this is around the time it stops being fun and just makes you nauseous with the spinning. it often comes after an "up" episode or sometimes out of nowhere, i suppose partially caused by lack of sleep (which hypomania brings) and it's sort of the worst of both - heavily anxious, but sped up as fuck. think of it as a bad drug trip. you're unhappy, but you don't have the apathy that comes with depression, quite the opposite. it's like a fire inside but you can't take it anywhere so you're the one who gets burned. there's still the flight of ideas, rapid-speed associations, but they don't lead anywhere good and you can't hold onto them for more than a few seconds. i grow scared of the dark because i begin to see things in the shadows and dark figures in doorways. your mind grows incredibly impressionable to everything. (i feel insects walking on my skin and see tumours and diseases when i close my eyes but i always do that anyway.) it's impossible to get to sleep because of the voices in your head - not in a schizophrenic way, it's more like thoughts that you can't turn off when it's time for bed and they go on and keep you awake like the buzzing of a million flies. (my mind analyzes everything and tries to break it down into smaller parts but it doesn't amuse me and doesn't please me and i can't stop it.)(it's really hard to explain this, if you've ever gone without sleep for an extended period of time you might recognize this state of mind.) socially, behaviour becomes erratic, irritable and aggressive, personality totally over-the-top. the sense of grandeur in a manic state turns to paranoia and a persecution complex, a sense of disconnect from everyone else. still no impulse control. you may want help from other people but you can't get it because you're on a plane where they can't reach you. off with the fairies. i begin to speak in a way and a language they don't understand. (at one point in one of those episodes i grew convinced speaking was profane and i only communicated in my own-made sign language or not at all. i wouldn't hug or touch my friends. i used to go to school, lie for an hour on the floor singing and stabbing myself in the wrist with a pencil, then go home.) for me, towards the end of this period, i kicked a friend for laughing at me, and later i told some other friends they didn't consider me human, which almost cost me those friendships. as i did this i was aware i was totally out of it, i apologized to them at the same time as i yelled at them... but you can't stop it. you're completely alone in that world. no sense of risks. it's easier to hurt yourself because it brings a temporary serenity and break from the intensity of everything else. (i got very suicidal, but i don't think i really knew what i was doing.) you become very hard to live with, too, so you grow even lonelier. i could write like ten pages on all the delusions i had, you know, they're like mental mazes and thought systems and personal religions, but i won't and besides i don't consider them totally invalid. anyway, that took a while to write so i hope it's useful or interesting to you. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:55:29 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_802226 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_802226 EmiiUii I actually have the concept of suicide strong amongst some of my characters. It's supposed to signify how they are going mentally crazed, and in turn, can find no other way to escape except for suicide. It's actually pretty sad in actuality. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:10:13 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_814357 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_814357 Smiling_Girl One of my characters has bi-polar disorder, and I've been wondering (once I start editing this thing... eerk) how to portray it accurately as I can (not personally having dealt with it). This is really useful to me, thank you. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:12:24 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_822298 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_822298 Smiling_Girl More than I thought. Wow. So, one of my main secondary characters has an anxiety issue (I'm not sure if it's a disorder or not), and two others have a history of depression and alcohol/substance abuse. My MC has bi-polar disorder; in his history it was pretty bad, but by the start of the story he's gotten it more or less managed, until he goes off his medication, at which point things go about as expected. Mostly the illnesses aren't directly mentioned but help shape how the characters interact with each other. My main character's bi-polar is more of a focus because *he* is more of a focus (especially when he has a depressive episode that lasts about a month), but it's still more of a constant program running in the background, if you will. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:23:32 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_822427 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_822427 Antonin Artaud oh, good! i'm glad it could be of any help. "a constant program running in the background", yeah, it's like that. (except for when it's very severe.) people don't wake up and think HMM WHAT BIPOLAR THINGS AM I GOING TO DO TODAY after all. of course there are a lot more aspects to it, though. i always found bipolar very interesting even before it broke out in me and even before i got my diagnosis, it is the stigmata martyr party disorder after all. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:16:07 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_825017 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_825017 XaristosNevmar I have a mental illness, and sometimes I have a hard time organizing my thoughts. Still, I write as a hobby, as it helps as a catharsis. In my modern fantasy story, two of the protagonists-while being clairvoyant-have mental illnesses (imagine making it even harder to differentiate reality from fantasy). Both of them grow as human beings through their experiences. Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:58:04 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_960935 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_960935 Katherine_Whitney Awesome thread idea! Unfortunately, I only got to 18,000ish words this time. There's always next year, though. My MC is considered mentally ill...but actually she's not. At least not to begin with. Society's expectations cause her mental illness. She's just very different from what society says is acceptable. She's living in a world where it's normal to be gay/lesbian and a criminally insane to be straight. It's actually a captial crime to have the "illness". They don't want straight people corrupting society. Because she knows that if her sexual orientation is exposed she will be killed, she grows to loathe herself and becomes majorly depressed, which leads to her struggles with both self injury (which she turns into an art form) and a passive death wish. Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:30:36 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_999339 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_999339 thrilleraddict I may've tried writing a novel with a mental illness MC before but I didn't finish. ( Not finishing is one of my greatest " traits " :/ ) My dad was diaginosed with something like bipolar disorder. Only because 1. He used to work in a prison as a guard. ( He also was in charge of the security cameras, I think, from what I heard my parents discussing. ) 2. There was prisoner abuse and he witnessed it. 3. He was fired for being a whistleblower and has had nightmares ever since. ( Believe me, his dreams sound pretty violent, he talks out loud most of the time when he has these nightmares. Thank God his words are sometimes slurred. ) And I think he has/had PTSD. Wondering if I could create a fictional story incorporating some of what happened to him........? Any ideas? LOL Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:25:12 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1131998 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1131998 N.L. LeBlanc I just thought of an interesting question for this topic (if anyone is even still on the forums at this ungodly time of year lol): Has anyone else ever had awkward situations with NaNo- or writing-related groups (online or IRL) when it comes to talking about your novel or mentally ill characters? For example, have you ever had a situation where someone got upset because you were talking about a character with a mental illness they also happened to have? This happened to me one NaNo (couple years ago) when I decided to join a chat group with a neighbouring region where pretty much the whole point of the chat was to talk about our novels and characters. Without going into too much detail, basically it turned into this huge discussion between me and this girl who apparently was diagnosed with BPD. My character was diagnosed fairly young (this makes sense in context because he has very unusual circumstances), and the girl was making a huge deal because "why would anyone stick that diagnosis onto someone that young?????" and going on about all the stigma she had to face because of her diagnosis. Then she eventually said, "I don't want to talk about this anymore, it upsets me." It was kind of awkward because on one hand I felt compassionate toward her and I really don't want to insult people or anything, but on the other hand, it's like, I can't talk about my novel anymore on a novel chat because it makes you uncomfortable? That doesn't really seem fair either. It's kind of a delicate situation that I don't think most writers deal with as much as people writing about mental illness. After all, not many people are personally bothered by, like, a fantasy novel. Anyone else encounter any situations like this? How did/do you handle it? PS: Now that November is over, how did everyone's NaNo go? Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:41:30 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1171182 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1171182 N.L. LeBlanc Thanks! I'm pretty sure I'm going to make this thread every year from now on. It's gotten a lot of interest both years I've made it. Your story sounds very intriguing, by the way! I'd read the hell out of that if I found it at Chapters. Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:49:08 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1171213 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/4745?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1171213