Authors,

I put a call out on the web, asking people who work in various fields or who have certain hobbies to step forth and tell me what bothers them when reading a book that talks about what they do or what they know quite a bit about. Here is one of the responses to my call out. –Mandy M. Roth

Dealing with Mental Illness in Books by Jennifer Watts

I read a story once that was talking about the heroine’s brother who had some sort of mental disorder. That’s all fine and well until I read what the disorder is supposed to be versus what the brother’s actually doing. And what he was doing in no way fit his disorder in the book.
And here’s my gripe…if someone wants to include mental illness in their stories they need to do enough research to describe it accurately. Leaning only toward a mental diagnosis is referred to as the medical model of mental health. Looking at family history, current stressors, lifestyle, religious views, and behaviors that could lead to a diagnosis are more of the systemic and family therapy model of mental health. Either way is plausible and can be written very well if the author invests the time in it. I just wish authors would portray their characters accurately if they wish to use this as part of a story arc.

Q:How should an author handle this, what tips do you have to help them better their book?

A: Honestly, I think the easiest way for an author to get the most accurate research without diving into the DSM-IV-TR is to look up what type of mental disorder they want to portray. The DSM basically has a recipe list of each disorder…if the person doesn’t have the right behavioral symptoms they don’t have the disorder. You can get some great information online about what the traits and symptoms of a disorder are and then incorporate those into the book with the character. It would probably be best to check several sites just to make sure the consensus is the same if you want to go that route.
But to say a character has OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and then show the symptoms as going into rages and not being able to remember them is only going to show the author didn’t take the time to do their research. And if an author wants to get really in depth they could ask a counselor or psychologist what would be the best way to display a certain disorder in a fictional character.

Jennifer Watts

Thank you, Jennifer for helping to make a story stronger!

If you’d like to help authors make a story stronger by lending tips or suggestions from your field of interest please contact me.

mandyATmandyrothDOTcom