The media today is riddled with harmful portrayals of people with mental health conditions. Whether a novel insinuates a character’s anxiety is their fault, or a news station pushes all the stories of people with mental health conditions that are violent, or a movie romanticizes depression, media does a lot of harm to people with mental health conditions, even in this modern day.
We are getting better, though. This article is proof of that. If no one cared about how people with mental health conditions are portrayed, there would be no information like this out there.
Aside from stereotypes, there are two main things to know about writing characters with mental health conditions—using the right terms, and avoiding harmful insinuations.
1. Terms
1.1 How should you refer to people with mental health conditions?
Use person-first language. That means, when talking about them, you put the person before their condition, as said condition doesn’t define them. To refer to people with mental health conditions in general, you’d say “people with mental health conditions.” Or for specific conditions, instead of “schizophrenic,” you’d say, “person with schizophrenia,” and instead of “alcohol addict,” you’d say, “person with an alcohol addiction.” Continue the pattern.
I would stay away from the term “neurodivergent” when it comes to people with mental health conditions, however. Not all professionals agree that people with mental health conditions fall under that label, and not all people with mental health conditions agree they fall under that label. Conditions like autism or ADHD that do, don’t cause the innate suffering of conditions like anxiety, depression, or schizophrenia. People with mental health conditions most likely want to get rid of their conditions, while many neurodivergent people consider their condition a positive or neutral part of them as a person.
1.2 How should you refer to the actual mental health conditions?
Call them mental health conditions, not mental illnesses. “Mental illness” is a charged, stigmatized term that makes one think of an unstable person. “Mental health condition” is more neutral.
1.3 Are there any other terms you should just stay clear of?
Yes. Some terms have charged stigmas, some have a history of being used against people with mental health conditions, and some are both. Even when not specifically writing about people with mental health conditions, you shouldn’t use these words:
- Mentally ill
- Insane
- Crazy
- Schizo
- Neurotic
- Loony
- Madman
- Idiot
- Dumb
- Lame
- Moron
- Imbecile
- Retard
Some terms on this list might have surprised you. In fact, you probably use them in your everyday language. However, they can be hurtful, and some propagate stereotypes against those with mental health conditions or just disabilities in general. Every person working against them helps, so even if you have trouble eliminating them from your everyday language, keeping them out of your writing would help.
2. Insinuations
2.1 What shouldn’t you imply about people with mental health conditions?
One big one is you shouldn’t imply that the mental health condition is the person’s fault. A variety of factors cause mental health conditions, but none of them is a lack of moral character. A person with depression isn’t lazy. A person with anxiety isn’t “not trusting God enough,” if your story is religious. Mental health conditions are obstacles, not flaws. That means they’re hurdles (though rather high and spiky hurdles) that stand between a character and their goal, not character traits they have to go through a moral journey to fix.
Another big trope to know is the “people with mental health conditions are violent” one. You shouldn’t imply that people with mental health conditions are violent, particularly conditions especially associated with the stereotype like schizophrenia. In fact, people struggling with their mental health are much more likely to be the victim of violent crime. The false narrative of otherwise is a dangerous stereotype.
A lot of insinuations, in fact, come from stereotypes. I wrote a whole article about those here, so I won’t repeat them all in this one. Be sure to check that article out for more information. Overall, however, do your research, and be familiar with the trends of the stereotypes.
Treat characters with mental health conditions just like you’d treat anyone else in your writing—they are more than just their condition. They’re just as human, just as complex, and just as deserving of respect.
By writing about them in a positive or neutral way, you can help bring about change. You will be one less voice pushing harmful narratives or using offensive language. You will be one more voice promoting acceptance and giving people with mental health conditions good representation.
Because believe me, as a child, I would’ve loved to read a story about someone like me.
For further research, check out this article on disability stereotypes, as mental health conditions are also disabilities. Also remember to read the article from above on mental health condition stereotypes.
Finally, I offer sensitivity reading services for anxiety, some specific phobias, OCD, general mental health conditions, and more. If you want to make sure your writing is accurate and not propagating harmful messages, click here to find out more!
Did you learn something from this article? Comment below!
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