hello friends! this chapter can be useful if you're creating a character who is mentally ill, and suffers from depression and anxiety. now idk about you guys but half of the books that i read that have a mentally ill main character is usually portrayed in all the wrong ways. above all of the tips that are about to be shown, this one is the most important: people who suffer from mental disorders are normal people. here are some general tools to use when writing about any mentally ill character:

make them relatable — although common, mental illness is not the norm, so characters with such disorders are inspired with "otherness." the writer must provide a way for the reader to relate to the character both despite and because of the illness. for example, a character's struggle to contain their illness, to be normal and whole for the sake of her loved ones, helps the reader identify with them.

keep the narrative front and center — stories work best when they are spun around a person and a set of relationships, not an illness. books are most successful when the story focuses on what happens to a particular cast of characters. mental illness can be debilitating and all-consuming, but it does not define a person. that job still rests with the writer.

balance internal symptoms and behavior — the internal world of a mentally ill person is fascinating but can overwhelm the reader. it doesn't take pages of suicidal ideation or obsessive thoughts  to deliver the message of an altered mental state. also, not all mentally ill people have insight; they don't necessarily know that their behavior and thoughts are abnormal. obviously, if the person doesn't realize they are ill, or if they become confused about it, then they might be an unreliable narrator.

specify the disorder, at least in your head — generalized "craziness" does not exist. a mental illness can elude diagnosis, or have a complicated diagnosis, but as a writer you should try to pinpoint the disorder, even if your character is never properly diagnosed. disorders are defined by specific behaviors and cognitive flaws, so the more you narrow down the diagnosis, the more you know about how your character might behave, feel and think.

get the details right — i recently read a book in which someone treated with anti-depressants felt better within a few days. nope. relief via medication, if it even comes, can begin after two - eight weeks. details like this matter not just because they satisfy knowledgeable readers but also because spreading misinformation about mental illness doesn't do anyone any service.

WRITING DEPRESSED CHARACTERS:
depression doesn't just mean sadness — depressed people have more emotions than just sad. depression is a mixture of dozens of emotions, which is why it's so hard to deal with. it can mean sadness, yes, but it can also mean apathy, hopelessness, anger, anxiety, loneliness, numbness, negativity, fatigue, loss of appetite, emptiness, shame, having a loud voice in your head that screams at you, "you are unworthy!" like everything with character development, struggles with depression should be layered. so don't just slap on a "sad" label and move on.

depressed characters don't need to be part of a depressing storyline — a depressed character doesn't need to be in the middle of a storyline where people are dying left and right or where the whole world is burning. i mean, if that's the plot line of your story, that's fine. but depressed characters are not exclusive to dark storylines or hard lives.

not all depressed people are introverts — i've noticed this a lot in both books and film. depression is almost always portrayed as a disease that extroverts are somehow immune to. extroverts can be depressed, it just may be less obvious. after all, extroverts are out and about, having to wear a mask to cover up the fact that they have a dementor following them around. so, if you are tackling depression in your story, don't be afraid to give it to an extroverted character.

don't romanticize suicide — there are so many books out there that make depression look... alluring? special. pretty. it's not. don't write a book that makes depression out to look like some poetic journey about becoming one with the darkness. and do NOT romanticize depressed characters who considering committing... or do commit... suicide. there are no words to describe how damaging this is.

depressed people have interests and personalities — no, sitting around and thinking about death does not count as an interest or personality. depressed people like things just like anybody else: they like to bake, play the violin, go hunting, paint a picture, build a hot rod, read a novel. some depressed people are logical, some are sarcastic, some are sweet, some are gruff. flesh out your character as a person first, then give them depression. not only is this more realistic, but it will keep your depressed character from falling into the shallow, nobody-likes-you character zone.

WRITING CHARACTERS WITH ANXIETY:
know what anxiety is — anxiety is not just stress or nervousness. it is an almost innate unease and/or panic brought on by any number of events, sounds, or surroundings. there are different levels: from an inability to think clearly to full-on panic attacks. it looks different for everybody, so there isn't really a cookie cutter "anxiety" label that you can slap onto your character.

anxiety is not a defining characteristic — your character is allowed to enjoy working out or studying or cooking. they can and should have interested and defining character arcs that go beyond simply having anxiety. you don't write anxiety and make it a character. like with depression, you should make a character, develop them fully with likes and dislikes and backstories, then give them anxiety.

anyone can have anxiety — some personality types may be less prone to anxiety, so don't shoehorn it in, but while you shouldn't randomly slap anxiety onto any character that comes along, you shouldn't be afraid of giving anxiety to a character-type who wouldn't traditionally be expected to anxious.

choose the level of anxiety — is it a mild issue? or one that can be debilitating (such as an anxiety disorder)? or is it one that's usually mild, but can be pushed over the edge during certain events? choose the one that makes the most sense for your storyline.

pick the symptoms — everyone reacts to anxiety differently. keeping your character's level of anxiety in mind, choose some symptoms. here are only a few:

- brain fog
- trembling
- inability to focus or make decisions
- shorteness of breath
- self-conciousness
- immediately going to worst-case-scenarios in stressful situations
- getting extremely quiet or extremely loud (depending on the personality)
- fatigue
- trouble sleeping
- sound sensitivity
- racing mind/always feeling wired
- muscle tension
- irrational fears

now i know there are a lot more mental disorders than anxiety and depression so if you would like for us to add a chapter for a particular one, feel free to request!
(gracie!)