I tend to show, not tell. I wouldn't outright say 'My character has The Disorder', I'd rather let it seep into my narrative and allow the reader to make that conclusion.
With that said, I wouldn't consciously give my (roleplay) character a specified mental illness. I don't feel strongly to play those types of characters, and I wouldn't be confident in my ability to represent them accurately.
I've had experience in the past with dealing with muses who suffer from mental illness (mostly on Tumblr) and judging from my experience alone, a lot of them were given disorders as accessories. To make them appear more edgy, unique, misunderstood, etc. It really served no purpose to the character. Furthermore, it seemed like the people writing them had no idea what they were babbling about, and made it seem like the debilitating effects of mental illness made their character cute and appealing.
I can definitely see why people would be annoyed/turned off by those types of characters. Not because of the mental illness itself, but the way the person behind the character is portraying it. It can be overbearing, especially if it's being shoved in your face. (ie: Ooo Look at me! I suffer from The Disorder!)
Anyway, my advice to anyone considering making one:
Don't let the mental illness define the character. Do your research.
With that said, I wouldn't consciously give my (roleplay) character a specified mental illness. I don't feel strongly to play those types of characters, and I wouldn't be confident in my ability to represent them accurately.
I've had experience in the past with dealing with muses who suffer from mental illness (mostly on Tumblr) and judging from my experience alone, a lot of them were given disorders as accessories. To make them appear more edgy, unique, misunderstood, etc. It really served no purpose to the character. Furthermore, it seemed like the people writing them had no idea what they were babbling about, and made it seem like the debilitating effects of mental illness made their character cute and appealing.
I can definitely see why people would be annoyed/turned off by those types of characters. Not because of the mental illness itself, but the way the person behind the character is portraying it. It can be overbearing, especially if it's being shoved in your face. (ie: Ooo Look at me! I suffer from The Disorder!)
Anyway, my advice to anyone considering making one:
Don't let the mental illness define the character. Do your research.
![[Image: tumblr_olm3wtIVmQ1w2go25o1_250.png]](https://68.media.tumblr.com/54ccdf85031f98288069dcc3326c6567/tumblr_olm3wtIVmQ1w2go25o1_250.png)
