Mental illness question

Lavinia

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I've written a novel I really love but I am questioning myself now. In the story, the mother is mentally ill. Though the children are no longer with her, they flash back on some crazy memories. So I guess my question is, what age is appropriate for this kind of a story line? Is there an age that is too young? Will this be a hard sell to agents/publishers? I really want to leave it in, but could conceivably change it to something else.

Thanks in advance! ~Karen
 

Shakesbear

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I've taught six year olds who have understood that there is something wrong with a parent. Sometimes the kids grasp that it is to do with the mind, sometimes they don't. They just know that one of their parents is ill. I don't think there is any hard and fast rule about this, if the book is of interest to a reader they will read it and the mental illness could be a minor concern to them.
 

Leila

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Have you read any of Jacqueline Wilson's stuff? She sometimes deals with parents with mental illness. The age levels of her stuff kind of varies, the youngest is probably at 7-8ish, the oldest is probably 12ish. The Illustrated Mum is particularly moving. It's about two sisters who have a mother with bipolar disorder.
 

Lavinia

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Shakesbear- That's a good thought actually. I taught elementary school for 15 years and yeah, kids know. They may not have a name for it but they generally know something is wrong or different about the parent.

Leila- I haven't read any of hers, but I"m making a note of it now. Thanks! ~Karen
 

MsJudy

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the Joey Pigza books deal with a boy who has severe ADHD, and in all of them it's clear that his father and grandmother are even more whacked-out than he is. The books are hilarious, but they don't sugar-coat the reality of the condition. I know third and fourth-graders enjoy those books.

Barbara Park's THE GRADUATION OF JAKE MOON deals with a grandfather with Alzheimer's. It's on the top of my TBR pile, so I can't say how graphically it deals with the situation, but I do know my son's fourth-grade class read it and enjoyed it.

I think it's like any other topic. Mental illness is part of reality for many families, and kids know about it. My ex-husband is bipolar, and my boys have known and talked about it since they were in preschool. So it could be appropriate for any level, depending on how you handle it. Nothing too frightening or graphic for younger readers, probably.
 

BrookieCookie777

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I think it would be according to the how graphic you are portraying things. It is a very common issue amongst families. Editors could swing both ways on this. It would probably be just according to who was reading it.

I've sold things to editors before when about seven others told me it was completely crazy. :) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
 
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Have you read any of Jacqueline Wilson's stuff? She sometimes deals with parents with mental illness. The age levels of her stuff kind of varies, the youngest is probably at 7-8ish, the oldest is probably 12ish. The Illustrated Mum is particularly moving. It's about two sisters who have a mother with bipolar disorder.

Bingo. Exactly the book I was thinking of when I opened up this thread. Wonderful book.
 

Lavinia

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I'm taking notes. I finally started my *Book Lust* journal. It's a journal of the books you've read but also has several pages for books you want to read. So I'm adding the ones above. Thank you!
 

styloviolet

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As a general rule, like the others have said, kids know. They may not be able to label it, but they know. Especially when they're forced to become more grown-up due to a parent's issues.

If they're just flashbacks, you could conceivably go back to the preschool years, provided there's not too much detail. For more graphic memories, I would wait until 6-8. Kids really start to get a more defined sense of normal/not normal when they start school and can compare interactions of their friends' parents with those of their own.
 

Wayne K

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Kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for, I'm learning that now. Done right, I'd say mental illness is appropriate to write for all ages.
 

Shakesbear

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It occurred to me that children also experience mental illness in school (in England) on a regular basis. The concept of inclusion means that children with any kind of disability is educated in main stream instead of 'special' schools. So children from secure and loving homes do witness extremes of behaviour from as early as maybe four/five years old. They may not understand why the child is behaving in a certain way, and sometimes they may copy the behaviour, but they will have first hand knowledge to a greater or lesser degree.
 

C.J. Rockwell

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I have a mentally ill mother, and all I can tell you is whether or not this story finds a home, be proud that you were brave enough to tell it.

I've had idea for a story like that for years now, but I just can't tell it now. Not because my family would hate me if it got published, but because I'm not ready to go there in my work yet.

I really have the most pathetic acceptance issues and I haven't let go of the pain my mother continues to inflict on me. She never beat me, but words can hurt just as much as physical pain.

You might want to check out Special Delivery, a story for even younger kids about a grandma battling alzhimers. That's what I gather as I didn't read the whole story, I'm too upset to deal with it now. But I think it's good that these stories are being told, I just wish one day I'm brave enough to tell my own.

So be proud, you're doing something so many of us are too chicken to do.

My thoughts will be with you.

C.J.
 

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I also just read the Australian book, Letters to Leonardo, by Dee White. It's about boy who recieves a card on his fifteenth birthday from his dead mother. Only she's not dead.

This book deals with mental illness. I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

I think anyone who writes about mental illness is quite brave and there should be more of it.

Trish.
 

Exir

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The important thing about writing mental illnesses is that it is still important to not lose perspective that this is a book for children. This becomes especially important if it is in first person. A child might not label an "illness" as such. He or she might not know the full extent of it, or necessarily have an accurate perspective of what it can do.
 

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I agree with Trish I made my daughter read, "Letters to Leonardo" by Dee White. My daughter age 13 was shock at first now she understands her father mental illness. I thank the family psychologist for suggesting the book to us.
 

lonestarlibrarian

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I'd love to see more information about mental illness in children's fiction. For example, a patron once asked if I could find any picture books that would help her explain Tourette's to a child... I'm sure there are a lot of kids out there who are impacted in some way by mental illness, and would get some comfort out of being able to read about characters whose lives are similarly affected.
 

Trish

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The eight-year-old protagonist in my junior fiction series has mild tourettes, but I don’t actually say so in the books. She has neurobehavioral problems causing her to be hyperactive, disobedient and often shouts out her made-up words. She’s also impulsive which gets her into trouble with her parents and teachers.

Should I mention in the books that she has tourettes? Or should I just leave it as it is, for the readers with tourettes to identify with her?

Thanks,

Trish. :)
 

NewKidOldKid

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The eight-year-old protagonist in my junior fiction series has mild tourettes, but I don’t actually say so in the books. She has neurobehavioral problems causing her to be hyperactive, disobedient and often shouts out her made-up words. She’s also impulsive which gets her into trouble with her parents and teachers.

Should I mention in the books that she has tourettes? Or should I just leave it as it is, for the readers with tourettes to identify with her?

Thanks,

Trish. :)

I would mention that she had Tourette's once, somewhere in passing. I think it's important for kids to hear the word and for parents or teachers reading the book knowing that it can be a good tool to help explain mental illness to kids. You don't have to get into detailed explanations, but yes, use the name somehow.
 

Rarri

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I've written a novel I really love but I am questioning myself now. In the story, the mother is mentally ill. Though the children are no longer with her, they flash back on some crazy memories. So I guess my question is, what age is appropriate for this kind of a story line? Is there an age that is too young? Will this be a hard sell to agents/publishers? I really want to leave it in, but could conceivably change it to something else.

Thanks in advance! ~Karen

Children learn about mental illness from when they're tots, depending on how they're brought up. They know more than we may realise and can cope with labels too. As long as you're writing age appropiately, then that's what matters; there are books out there for very young children that deal with psychiatric hospitals, psychiatrists, medications etc but it's all about how it's conveyed.

Please don't doubt yourself, there are families out there craving these kinds of books.
 

lonestarlibrarian

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@Trish-- I'd definitely mention it by name on the back cover or dust jacket, as well as make sure that it was listed under those specific subject headings. Whether or not it's named within the book is less important, I think. There's definitely a segment of the population looking for those sorts of books, and you want to make it easier for them to find yours. Once they've found it, it's totally up to you as to how you want to present things... but make it easy for your niche to find.
 

Doctor Shifty

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Another Australian YA book dealing with mental illness is "No Worries" by Bill Condon.

The MC is seventeen. His mother has bipolar disorder and because his father has moved out of the house and into the back shed, the boy is left to do the coping when his mother gets out of control.