Mental Illness in YA

I think that teens could potentially relate very well to this, yes, provided it is presented in an organic and believable manner. Is it your MC who has a mental illness, or is it somebody close to him/her? Either scenario would likely be quite easy for readers to relate to; as you point out, there is hardly anyone today who has not been affected in some way by mental illness.

From a purely professional standpoint to this question, I have nothing I can say that will help you, as I struggle with this problem a lot too.

That said, as one writer to another, in my opinion, you should go for it, especially if unlike me you feel any of those novels are ready to show.

That's not always easy to know, while people advise against jumping into querying too soon, you can also let fear of constant form letters stop you from trying at all, and does the writer no favors anymore than being too impatient, and I speak from personal experience there.

As long as you wrote about these issues intelligently and with integrity, you're going to find someone who sees that. They only are hopeless when you use them only as a gimmick or for shock value since no one's going to say "X mental illness in and of itself isn't a real conflict."

But tell the reader what to think, and your all but guaranteed to write a two-dimensional cliched mess, instead of a smart, capable story, which is what we all are after.

I know nothing about your specific books, but as someone who has a parent so mentally off kilter, she makes even the most unruly toddlers look like saints in comparison, you are a braver soul than I am to attempt something I can't face. Especially if you were spared these problems yourself.

Sometimes the closer you are to the problems you're writing about, even if you don't make the mistakes of borrowing to much from your specific experience, the hard it is to write it without either being too specific or too vague, and again, in my opinion, readers I think hate vagueness even more than cliches to a certain point.


So to wrap this up, just be honest and direct with these stories and you'll find the answers you seek.

I wish I could be more helpful.

I have an idea for a YA novel concerning mental illness. My brother in law is schizophrenic. There was a lot I didn't understand about mental illness in general, especially schizophrenia, before I got married. Now that I see what our family goes through now, compared to what they went through before, I do think a novel about it could be compelling. Especially since I often feel mental illnesses get made into jokes. "What? Are you schizo?" (or...insert any mental illness--OCD, bipolar).

Lmc71775 said:

The reason I write about mental illness is because I have it (me being the Manic Depressive I am) Not only is it therapuetic, I'm hoping it will show more of an open-minded awareness to it too. Thanks!

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I understand your reasons, and I'd be very interested in reading both of those. I think that's one of the great powers of well-written fiction, it can make experiences and situations more readily accessible to people who have never shared them.

My MC has a younger sibling who presents autistic symptoms, though given that the novel is set in the 20s, the word autism is never actually used. Peoples' reactions to the little girl echo those that my own family and friends have had to deal with when strangers encountered their children; it's not pretty, but I think it is realistic. I suspect there are a lot of readers out there who will be able to identify with that situation, too.

All I can tell you is that if I had discovered there were YA books with mentally ill characters in them when I was a teenager, I would have found coping with my own illness easier. Being able to relate to something can really help.

Is it too common? No. I don't think it could ever be too common. As long as depression or any other mental illness exists, we need more books raising awareness about those illnesses.

I don't know if the topic is popular or not. I think there might be curiosity when it comes to celebrity's mental illnesses, like Catherine Zeta-Jones. Suddenly, searches on bipolar disorder went up after it was announced she was diagnosed with that. But mental illnesses, and people with mental illnesses, are definitely categorized as "the other." People are afraid of "the other", and so the subject probably isn't too popularly read.

I think teens can relate to this BECAUSE it's the other, though. Teens might be able to relate to the issue of isolation, fear of isolation, etc....

I don't think the topic is *too* common. At this point, I would be willing to bet that most teenagers either have been diagnosed with a mental illness or something along the lines of ADHD, or know someone who has been.

As an author, I've written an MC in my Reality Shift series who has anxiety attacks (she hasn't been diagnosed with anything because her mother refused to let the doctor "pin" a diagnosis on her). Her mother also appears to have an undiagnosed mental illness. I have a WIP that I'm revising in which the MC learns that his new crush has bipolar disorder; the MC's younger sister is autistic.

I have PTSD, have had since I was little. Many of my family members have been diagnosed with mental illnesses. I also have a daughter with Asperger's Syndrome (which is not a mental illness, but someone else mentioned autism).

I think teens can relate to isolation and fears, but I also think that teens who have been diagnosed with mental illnesses, or ADHD or other things, would get something out of books with characters who have similar issues because it would let them know they aren't alone. My other daughter was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 6; when she was 8 or 9 she discovered the Joey Pigza books and told me she loved them "because now I know there are other kids like me."

imo, the "child taking care of the mother with mental illness" is overdone. (eeshs, sorry guy! i'm sure your books are fabulous, and there's obviously a market for them.)

i think there are not enough YA books in which the character has a real, DIAGNOSED mental disorder, and i'd like to see more (as a bi-winning chick).

Lmc71775 said:

As for your first comment, the MC is NOT taking care of the mentally ill mother, not in any way. In fact she avoids her as much as possible.

And for the second one, the MC gets diagnosed, with hospital stay and everything...(just not sure if that would be of real interest to teens.)

Thanks for your replies everyone! Gives me hope.

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oh, the first bit was NOT aimed at you (or at anyone! just addressing the topic).

I don't think this is too common, but it is becoming more popular with editors. Agents are really looking for "issue books" right not. I personally would love to see some more books about issues outside of depression, like about bipolar because it's not something that's really touched on a lot. I could never write a book about mental illness, being so close to it personally, but I say go for it!

Shady Lane said:

imo, the "child taking care of the mother with mental illness" is overdone. (eeshs, sorry guy! i'm sure your books are fabulous, and there's obviously a market for them.)

i think there are not enough YA books in which the character has a real, DIAGNOSED mental disorder, and i'd like to see more (as a bi-winning chick).

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Agreed. I think they're are a lot of books that address depression, but not when the character is actually diagnosed/in treatment, etc. I'd like to see a book where finding out the person is depressed isn't the main idea, but how they overcome it.

Shady Lane said:

i think there are not enough YA books in which the character has a real, DIAGNOSED mental disorder, and i'd like to see more (as a bi-winning chick).

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I'm working on my PTSD book! Slowly.

I don't have a mental illness, but I've always found books with main characters with mental illness interesting, just bc they often think differently than I would. Personally, I'd love to read a YA novel where the MC has D.I.D.

I have a WIP where the MC has PTSD and an idea for one where the MC has a TBI (not really mental illness, per se, but still...it's something that affects the brain and causes changes in thinking/perception/moods)

It's definitely a good topic to write into YA novels. It was only about six years ago that some agents--and some publishers (no, make that many agents and publishers)--wouldn't touch the subject of mental illness. There wasn't the understanding.

Parents wouldn't even acknowledge their teens were depressed/ manic/ OCD/ whatever. Even in crisis centers and psychiatric offices there was a sense of "You don't see me here, right?" among the parents.

Now it's different, thankfully. And there's the need among kids to read more about it, to get an understanding of themselves and/or their friends.

It's not cliche. Aside from depression, I can't really think of any YA books where a major character has a diagnosed mental illness.

It's something I'd definitely like to see more of, provided the mentally ill character isn't a villain. Now that's over done in pretty much every genre.

I think our society is a festering pool for mental illness and it also just so happens to have the meds necessary to treat them all at hand. Many of us, adults and YA, have lost touch with simplicity and "being real" - we act/behave/live in ways that are contrary to nature, which suprisingly - we are part of - even though the planet would be better off without us.

When it comes to YA and mental illness I think of books like Sybil and When Rabbit Howls - where the reader can see the real cause and effect of mental illness.

Depression, 'Bipolar disorder', yada yada are real - but they're different because the YA's haven't been taught logic and how to reason and be truthful to themselves. How can they when their parents and society teaches from the ego and not from the heart?

Pistol Whipped Bee said:

I think our society is a festering pool for mental illness and it also just so happens to have the meds necessary to treat them all at hand. Many of us, adults and YA, have lost touch with simplicity and "being real" - we act/behave/live in ways that are contrary to nature, which suprisingly - we are part of - even though the planet would be better off without us.

When it comes to YA and mental illness I think of books like Sybil and When Rabbit Howls - where the reader can see the real cause and effect of mental illness.

Depression, 'Bipolar disorder', yada yada are real - but they're different because the YA's haven't been taught logic and how to reason and be truthful to themselves. How can they when their parents and society teaches from the ego and not from the heart?

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I was in a class called Biological Basis of Mental Disorders last semester where we discussed the problem of over-diagnosing and over-medicating depression. Some people came out and said that they didn't think medicating for "sadness" was a moral thing to do.

I raised my hand and said about what I'm going to say, and about what Will Grayson wanted to say to his boyfriend.

If you are not in it, it doesn't make sense.

Taking meds to regulate my moods does not stop me from being sad. I can get incredibly, heart-wrenchingly sad. I also get deliriously happy. I just get them for reasons now.

I just can get out of bed, now.

I am not a different person. My personality and feelings haven't changed. I was terrified they would. I put off getting diagnosed and on meds for a long time because I was afraid that they would kill my soul and I wouldn't be able to write.

That hasn't happened.

I'm just a more capable person.

So please, please don't equate depression/bipolar disorder with an inability to cope with "being real." I'm real now that I'm on meds. I'm as real as you are. Before I wasn't.

Shady Lane--well said. I've had several close family members who were diagnosed years ago with bipolar or OCD. (Note that OCD or paranoia or other dx's can also be a component of autism, which only now is coming out in the open. It used to be covered up, since parents were blamed for the children's autism.)

It's very real to the point were many times the person with the mental illness feels like either jumping out of their skin (or window) or curling up into nothingness.

Thankfully more people are aware of it now and more accepting. That's why it's good for writers to approach the subject in YA novels. As long as it's told in an authentic voice.