Does your MC have any mental health issues?

Saint01 2021-08-28 00:21:40 UTC #7

Yes. Just about every character in my novel has some sort of mental health issue. The notable ones are:

The Protagonist, Sherlock: Anxiety and PTSD, later Depression all caused by repressed events of his life he slowly starts to remember as the story progresses. He also has amnesia.
Beatrice Alice Moreau: Suffers from mental trauma brought about by watching her fathers' brutal murder and her near-death experience during that event. She also has developed a cold exterior because of it.
DEUCE, one of the antagonists: Who has developed a god complex and a warped view on peace due to being used as a slave like other Technocytes and thus taking the brunt of the evil humans are capable of conjuring and wanting to change that by any means.

All my notable characters for the most part suffer from PTSD and in the case of three of my protagonist. Some form of self-hate/loathing due to past failures such as Beatrice feeling she should've done more to save her father despite being a little girl at the time. Or another one of my protagonists who worked with her father and also has guilt over that as well as his criminal background.

With this story, I mainly want to highlight things such as PTSD and the effects of self regret along with how humanity is defined within a world where man, perceived monsters, and machines are not so different from one another.

MK_Wizard 2021-08-28 00:44:27 UTC #8

I don't know if they qualify as mental health issues, but Jekyll has issues with confrontation to the point of sycophancy. As for Hyde, he has a fear of being taken advantage of so he never shows his vulnerable side or his feelings.

Warrick definitely has mental health issues as he deals with PTSD, abandonment issues and identity crisis.

Word is just fine. Just kind of curious.

Oto_Kouda 2021-08-28 00:59:10 UTC #9

A certain character of mine suffers from anxiety, another character has depression (but never shows it), and a third character suffers from OLD (Obsessive Love Disorder).

Otherwise, the issues my other characters deal with are external. Absentee parents, racism, overwork, expectations, stress, bulimia, etc.

Oh yeah, and "love," I guess~

GooseKing 2021-08-28 03:34:33 UTC #10

My main character has severe trust issues, and a lot of my other characters also have mental health issues. Most of them have had some sort of emotional trauma inflicted on them, but even the ones that generally had a nice life have some kind of issues with them. Each character in Hiraeth represents something that I cope with about myself, so most characters do have some semblance mental health issues.

alexlcuri07 2021-08-28 03:39:46 UTC #11

My entire story came about because I wanted to show a person with anxiety and depression as a kick ass protagonist. So... yes.

GoggleGeek 2021-08-28 04:12:46 UTC #12

My main character Claire has a bit of PTSD when she sleeps, although it doesn't play too-too much into the story (for now)! She lost her home planet horrifically when she was a little girls and is one reason she has trouble getting enough sleep. She also constantly defends her middle of nowhere town from aliens out for her power, or directions.

risingshards 2021-08-28 04:28:53 UTC #13

My deuteragonist and probably MC too both have panic disorder and anxiety disorder so I can vent about my own issues with both through them lol

thecrystalrook 2021-08-28 04:39:58 UTC #14

No, he's just an idiot

Scarlet_Cryptid 2021-08-28 04:53:44 UTC #15

Adi probably does have some, or at least, she SHOULD, considering everything she goes through. She wasn't born with any hereditary or congenital mental disorders, but her own life experiences would be enough to traumatize anyone. She probably is (or will be, over the course of the story) dealing with depression, low self-esteem, PTSD, trust issues, and a serious fear of getting emotionally close to anyone.

Koreal is based heavily on his creator, who has both ADHD and probably autism (undiagnosed but suspected), and shares some of those traits, although not all of them. Thanks to story events, he's probably also going to be dealing with abandonment issues and severe loneliness.

jmccubbins 2021-08-28 05:14:53 UTC #16

Is ptsd a mental helth issue?

starless 2021-08-29 23:46:40 UTC #17

Taha had a panic disorder when he was fired from his job. He's now doing his own business so he has somewhat recovered. He still has a sudden anxiety time to time though.

starless 2021-08-29 23:48:08 UTC #18

I think so. It has a serious mental breakdown.
"Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event, causing flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety."

Pommie 2021-08-30 01:22:08 UTC #19

Mickey has Imposter Syndrome, mild case of ADHD, and anxiety due to being raised in an environment where he's isolated from others.

Darius has Anxiety, and PTSD from childhood.

https://tapas.io/series/Star-boy-comic

miss.monocle 2021-08-30 01:36:25 UTC #20

My girl Kit definitely has gone through some rough childhood stuff that slowly gets brought up throughout the comic. She experiences BPD and PTSD, which tends to make her act on impulse and react intensely, but she gradually works through her issues throughout the story.

I also like that your story with Kian delves into your own personal experiences. Characters can be a great way of explaining mental health to others while also putting your own feelings into words. I tend to do that too when writing!

jmccubbins 2021-08-30 06:23:51 UTC #21

Lexy ends up gaining PTSD through the story as she discovers that freedom is not free. It's something that has to be rigorously defended. She learns that in war things are not black and white or simple.
Then how to deal with the trauma as she has to continue to fight and face the source of her trauma.

RoseRedRowan 2021-08-31 13:02:24 UTC #22

My man Alan is basically a textbook example of why self-medication with lots of liquor is an extremely bad idea if you’ve got two concussions and PTSD. Unfortunately, since it’s the 1740s, he doesn’t really have many healthier options. Basically, PTSD and survivor’s guilt is going to be one of the comic’s key topics, so I guess there will be a lot of mental health issues exploration along the way.

Pony_wearing_a_hat 2021-08-31 13:22:07 UTC #23

Well trauma for all of them, the world did end after all. Motif deals with a lot of self loathing and a history with addictions. Agony has a history of alcohol dependency, suppression, and some... very troubling thought patterns, as well as being generally neurotic and having a lot of negative associations. Thesis definitely has some form of anxiety, though he's not exactly sure what kind. (probably social). And Sequel... uh... probably unrealistic but he just kind of shut down after the world ended.

Iris-Grimoire 2021-08-31 16:41:08 UTC #24

I tried not to diagnose my characters in specific because that could railroad their development a bit (there's tons of variations of mental issues, every neurodivergent person deals with it differently or develops fun new things as a result, etc) but both Mortimer and Veriesin, the protagonists of Splitting Image, are for sure neurodivergent.

Mort has subtle but very present PTSD; while Veriesin has an unspecified anxiety disorder and ADHD - and both have a few other things as a result of their initial issues. Spinelthorn also has an anxiety disorder and mild agoraphobia, but he's not often put in a situation that really makes it visible.

EchoMan 2021-08-31 16:54:44 UTC #25

Genji has major trust issues, but he also has problems getting close to the people he cares about because of his fear of losing them after a few bad experiences in his past. He's also got a problem with understanding and expressing emotions, it's really not something he can do.

OP is already subbed, but if anyone else is interested, feel free to check out my novel and subscribe if you're interested:

Yuurena 2021-08-31 18:06:03 UTC #26

Honestly? Literally every character in my work has mental health issues. And trust me, it was never planned The setting of my story started as a passionate love story between a princess and a general, but before I knew it, all the characters had risen to the status of protagonists, and I got to witness, as though I was a reader myself, all of the sadness and hurt they go through... I wish I could write happy stories but my own mental health stops me