Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression etc.)

Leyelle 2024-05-09 20:45:46 UTC #1

As someone who's dealt with a lot of mental health struggles for almost as long as I can remember (depression, s**cidal tendencies,) it makes it's way into many of my stories to some capacity. "Damsel in the Red Dress" has a lot of themes revolving around depression, social anxiety, and recovery, though it's still a romance drama.

I wanted to show the realism of these struggles by not making my FL, Alicia's, recovery entirely linear.
Sometimes you'll have several days in a row where you're motivated to care for yourself and do better, and sometimes the world seems to drop out from under you and you struggle to find any reason to want to keep going.

The first chapter itself is inspired by the frustrating sort of depression I was going through at the end of last year where I couldn't even feel as happy as I wanted to be about what should have been the biggest day of my life because it didn't even seem to completely register.

It's definitely heavy in some places, with heavier chapters still that haven't even come out yet, but for me, and a lot of other writers I think, expressing the things we've felt like this is a form of recovery, and also a way of letting other people feel seen, know they aren't alone, and that there is hope.

Rigamarole also has a lot of mental health themes, and is a bit darker than "Damsel in the Red Dress" in general. I've suffered from pretty unhealthy eating habits, constantly eating below maintenance to try to lose weight, so these experiences were channeled into Riley's depression and eating disorders.

It's a struggle wanting to be loved and feel beautiful, no matter what gender you are, and that's part of why I feel showing a boy with an eating disorder is important to this story. His older sister is the "knight in shining armor" if you will trying to rescue him from his quickly worsening depression and dangerous mindset, but again, I want to show the humanity and reality of these emotions.

They don't always "look sad" but that doesn't mean they aren't suffering. Leia has depression too, but she's choosing to fight for herself and her little brother to try to help both of them make it out of this darkness in one piece, and the emotions they both feel during this process is very real.

I hope my stories can show people with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders that they aren't "weird" "gross" "dysfunctional" people or anything else. They are just normal people who can be treated like normal people even though they need help, and also remind them that we're not alone.

I also want to show the importance of having people there who will love and support you throughout your hard times, and maybe give people who haven't felt these things and chance to feel and understand the mindsets of those who do.

(this is free to read for everyone on my Patreon public posts

If your mental health is suffering, please know that it doesn't have to be forever. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, we just have to keep moving forward toward it.

ThunderChicken 2024-05-09 21:34:56 UTC #2

Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days deals with several mental health themes:

A 14 year old kid with Kleptomania and self-esteem issues owing to having lived in foster care most of his life
Depression in several characters, including the mc (depression is a recurring theme throughout the story, indeed it is one of the main drivers of the story)
Teenage alcoholism that nearly cost two 15 years olds their lives
Religious fanatism that nearly ended a friendship and splintered a family
The MC's poor performance in school due to undiagnosed ADHD
Adult alcoholism (severe) that ended a budding relationship
Suicide is a subject broached several times - sometimes unsuccessful, sometimes successful (once again, depression is a major driving force in the story).

Suicide is not glorified or encouraged in my story in any way, but it is necessary to discuss it, because WNHCD is a true story. As I've mentioned before, everything in this story, the good and the bad, including the suicides, really happened. It would do a dishonour to the victims to gloss over what happened, or even worse, to change the story (which would make it a lie).

Leyelle 2024-05-09 21:43:38 UTC #3

I agree.

My story is fictional, but the feelings are real. I want to address the reality of suicide WITHOUT glorifying it because I want to show the reality of these emotions. I've lived with thoughts like these since I was less than ten, (I pray they'll never come back, last scary time was a few months ago.) and so have some people I love dearly.

I want the reality of this and the reality of there being a better option to both be represented, and that means I can't just write it out, when that's what my characters are going through.

I hope you're recovering and can fully recover from depression for good. I believe it's possible for all of us, and I'm choosing to push forward in that belief.

ThunderChicken 2024-05-09 21:54:03 UTC #4

Without giving too many spoilers, survival and recovery are the whole point of the story.

When I do discuss suicide there are trigger warnings for those chapters, plus advice about how to cope with suicidal thoughts, whether they be the reader's or somebody the reader knows. And I make it a point of saying that suicide is final and permanent. There is no "undo". CTRL+Z will not bring the person back. I make it a point of saying this because a large number of people who attempt suicide have regrets or second thoughts, but unfortunately sometimes those second thoughts come too late.

Leyelle 2024-05-09 21:56:57 UTC #5

I'm definitely glad. While it's a factor of "Damsel in the Red Dress" that's also a romance and drama, but it's definitely the whole point of "Rigamarole" to the point where I didn't even make the leads any kind of couple. The primary focus of the story are the brother and sister making a pact to recover and survive together.

kyupol 2024-05-09 21:57:08 UTC #6

All my webtoons have mental health issues...

skidiggy 2024-05-09 23:18:14 UTC #7

My stories typically have lots of health, mental health, and overall well-being themes that run through them. I find that it makes characters more fleshed out and real if each one has some sort of struggle they're dealing with, and sometimes that's a mental struggle. As was said earlier, not all struggles are visible. Sometimes, the hardest path ahead of you is towards mental well-being.

Leyelle 2024-05-09 23:19:31 UTC #8

I agree. most stories feel flat if there is no struggle any character deals with

Vassia 2024-05-10 03:11:52 UTC #9

One of the big themes in Children of Spouts is how people recover from trauma differently. I once feebly attempted to decribe the concept of my story to someone and they summerized it as therapy island and I kind of like that description. I want to show how not everyone's healing journey is the same, and I wanted to give them a safe place and support to start that journey.

Also I encourage everyone to use trigger warnings at the start of episodes/chapters if they include sensitive material. I do it in mine even if it's a small reference.

SumireHime 2024-05-10 09:04:58 UTC #10

Yes, "Lyra's Magnum Opus" does. I've put a lot of myself in there. The character Sana is basically just me. I wrote him that way, because I was dealing with a heck of a lot to put it mildly and needed an outlet. I used it as a diary of physical health symptoms, as my chronic illness was taking a major dive. I also documented my feelings about it. Sana has the same physical illness as I do, therefore, in the book. All the wonderings and worries about what was happening, the not knowing, the dread. The s**cidality a lot, knowing there was nothing I could do about my illness no matter what I was told. Knowing that just around the corner was more bad news. The depression. I also had lost my wife very recently, so I used the book to talk about her and my feelings about everything. I used it to talk about my dreams and ideal life, trying to use that to eclipse my sadness. I am transgender, so I talked extensively about that, too. I talked about love and friendship, the kinds of friends I wished I had. The kind of support I wished I had. In fact, "Lyra's Magnum Opus" was born when I was bedridden for two months, because due to the nature of my illness when I got covid (this was 2021) I was oxygen dependent and also so weakened that even getting out of bed to go to the bathroom was the worst thing I had to do every day. So, all I had was my brain and I started writing the book in my head before I could ever write it down. I wasn't able to write it down until four months later. The book is so full of loving things, despite these themes. So many calm moments of the main couple cuddling in bed, or the main character being too weak to do much but lay there and the loving touches his husband provides, such as a sweet touch on his cheek, or a small kiss on his forehead as the main character cries due to his own perceived shame of his worsening state. The main character becomes a wheelchair user in the book pretty early on, and there's so much about his mental struggle with that. It's based on my own experiences as a wheelchair user. I am intermittent with it now, only using it when I need it, but there was a year when I used it daily. So, his experiences are completely based on my own. Then there's his husband, who is a AMAB non-binary person, and his mental struggles with that culturally, with his family, with himself. That's literally a whole different story, as the book is split into these two characters' narratives. As I wrote him, I thought about my wife, who was transgender, too. It is a beautiful, beautiful book. I can't stress that enough.

Leyelle 2024-05-10 12:31:44 UTC #11

I think this is another really important thing about writing books with mental health themes, and I'm touched and happy to see that you were able to write positive things into this story despite what you're going through.

It's so important that we show more than just the dark side of things. There can be moments that are happier even in the midst of depression, especially when we have people who love us with us through the struggles. I have two different sides to this in my two stories because one is about a couple, and one is about two siblings, but both sets love each other to bits, so despite all the hardships they go through we get sweet moments too that make the darkness a little brighter.

Sending lots of love and positivity your way and hoping we'll all see much brighter days very soon.

Cherryfox 2024-05-10 19:21:53 UTC #12

Heya Readers!
(TW: Mature Content. Be advised there is content such as extreme gore, violent death, drug abuse, and self-harm. Thank you!)

My book is a collection of stories recounting the tragic demise of Derek and Emily. Will they meet again as their lives intertwine beyond life and death?

It's fast-pace and easy read with short chapters. Derek is terrified of death, compelling him to strike a deal with the reaper, which quickly leads to chaos. He is desperate to meet someone unafraid of death, hoping that this might be his salvation. A twisted killer in search of the perfect victim finds himself confronting the one staring back at him in the mirror.

“Bingo, my dear author! I think I know a way to get more people reading.” Scythe exclaimed, his pointed edge gleaming with a cunning spark. "We can collect their souls for the big guy."

2DLenzy 2024-05-10 21:38:21 UTC #13

Got some under the surface. Alec has some trauma, from the past, and recent loss, about to be faced with more upcoming stuff. He tries to handle it like a man would, but there's a limit to how much he can take. Gonna be h#ll when it happens, least for him.

Luke is a bit ADD and depressed, not sure what his purpose is in life, and not really motivated to pursue it--yet. There's things planned for him, but I won't spoil.

Uh, the chickens? Well, believe it or not, like dogs, they can become depressed and struggle like we do, just at a lower level. Still need stuff to happen for those issues to arise. Though I will say Friar has a bit of a narcissistic ego, which he is working on changing, little by little.

The only thing I'm worried about? How do I resolve these issues down the line, at the ending? (I tend to avoid the unrealistic, fairy-tale, I-faced-my-trauma-so-I'm-100% better kind of thing, and going for bittersweet, like maybe offscreen therapy and medications, depending on the character, but I intend to leave the reader on a vague impression that things will be fine...)

I may just have to see how the journey and its reception unfold...

(btw, I'm an autistic chick with a recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Makes normal life kinda difficult but interesting. Especially with anything art-related...probably why everything I draw/write has to have a dramatic sense to it XD)

Leyelle 2024-05-10 21:42:52 UTC #14

Yeah definitely. I think it's pretty unreasonable to tie everything up with a bow, so I tend to leave my stories a bit more open ended with hope for the future.

Legit, I'm a drama queen myself lol. I can't make anything be "chill" for very long. I blame that on my mother being an actress

XiuLyn_12 2024-05-11 02:10:16 UTC #15

It's not mentioned yet in my story, but there are definitely mental issues involved later!
Perhaps I already show some signs, but I'm not sure if my readers noticed anything yet.
(I do not glorify mental health problems, but I do want to show people the struggle based on what I've experienced!)

Please reach out to your closest friend and family if you're struggling!

vapidink 2024-05-11 02:25:48 UTC #16

Not on Tapas, but my paid story on Wattpad, Albatross, deals with grief, depression, and suicidal thoughts. I wrote it during a time when I was going through a very bad bout of depression. My WIP, Unravel, also deals with grief and the fear of loss. It's just a bit cathartic to put some of myself and my feelings into stories sometimes, especially as it gets tiring to present a more upbeat face in real life.

Leyelle 2024-05-11 02:29:40 UTC #17

Yeah, sometimes fiction is just a way to vent the emotions we can't express easily in other contexts

MiharuWrites 2024-05-12 19:58:55 UTC #18

Lots of them. Depression, PTSD, loss and recovery of identity struggles to name a few. Everyone has some trauma that they may or may not recognize. My story goes into some of the horrors of war, acknowledges the trauma, and keeps hope that while recovery isn't quick or linear you can move forward. Community, found family, safe spaces to just feel and be are important.

sams_cartoon_shack 2024-05-12 20:35:03 UTC #19

My comic strip The Shapes is generally humorous, but my latest story arc Struck v. Struck (which just ended) does touch upon some serious themes of childhood trauma in the wake of a divorce which I handle in an earnest manner. This flashback scene, in particular, was difficult to write.

Leyelle 2024-06-03 15:15:43 UTC #20

"A Dozen Morning Glories" definitely does. Specifically it address the importance of caring for yourself, regardless of how other people treat you, and being there to support others in emotionally abusive settings. It makes SO much difference how you talk to yourself and other's, and regardless of whether you think someone cares or feels anything, you have no idea the effect the things you say have on others, so be careful to make sure they are helpful things that build them up.