Hi gang! Today, I’m over at the YAtopia blog reprising my most popular post (I still get comments and more hits on it than any other post I’ve ever done–even TWO YEARS later!) about Imaginary Friends.
Check it out (CLICK HERE) and share your thoughts! đ
Since it’s a federal US holiday, I’m reprising a previous Mental Health Monday post. I think it’s apropos because today is Memorial Day–a day of remembering those men and women who died while serving in the military. New research is being conducted identifying how pervasive PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is in soldiers. Below, I’ve highlighted details of the illness and some examples of what it looks like.
Please note, this post is solely for the purposes of writing, and is NOT intended for medical advice or treatment.
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is classified as an anxiety disorder (see NOTE below, commenting on DSM 5). Technically, the person must have a constellation of symptoms for at least 30 days to qualify for the diagnosis. Some people recover, some go on to have a chronic course, lasting months to years. Symptoms can recur several years later as well, with a period of remission between.
An event must be perceived as life threatening or potentially life threateningto qualify as traumatic. Immediately, that lends a LOT of subjectivity. Whatâs life threatening to me may be different for  you. That being said, Iâm sure we can all pretty much agree on the biggiesâcombat, rape, assault, natural disasters, terrorism, abuse (sexual, neglect, physical, emotional, verbal, whether as an adult or child).
The traumatic event can either be one âbiggie,â or it can be the accumulation of âsmallerâ events over a prolonged period of time (such as child abuse or domestic violence).
Classic symptoms include:
Hypervigilence:Â The person doesnât trust others. They may feel uncomfortable in exposed places (malls, crowded places, being around strangers). They will frequently make sure their back is to a wall (so itâs not exposed). Theyâll keep an eye on the exits and make sure they can get to one fast if needed. Theyâll also show a âstartleâ response, where they jump at a loud, sudden sound. Some people jump when the phone rings, for example.
Avoidance:Â This is pretty much self explanatory. The person will avoid triggers and things associated with the trauma. This can include movies, locations, people, even certain subjects of discussion for fear it will lead to symptoms. This, by the way, makes PTSD difficult to treat in some instances, because the very thing bringing a person to treatment, is the thing they want to avoid discussing.
Whatâs important to know is the brain remembers details about a traumatic event that the sufferer may not consciously recall. Furthermore, an otherwise innocuous stimuli may be paired with the event and become âdangerous.â If, for example, a personâs attacker wore a blue jacket, then the person may experience an anxiety response when confronted with a blue article of clothing. The jacket itself is benign, but the brain âremembersâ it as a threat via association.
Another example would be a soldier in Iraq who has returned home and every time he goes under an overpass, he searches for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) tucked under the framework.
Which leads me to my next point. For a soldier in Iraq, being hypervigilent is conducive to survival. It makes her good at her job. BUT, when she returned to civilian life, her sensitive attunement to stimuli in the environment does not return to baseline. That is NOT conducive to living in a non-war zone.
Thatâs what PTSD is. A state of âhyper arousalâ that is above baseline. Itâs like drinking 16 cups of coffee and maintaining that level of tension and awareness ALL THE TIME.
Other cardinal symptoms of PTSD include:Â Flashbacks and nightmares:Â If someone is presented with a âtriggerâ (like a blue jacket), they may experience a flashback. Flashbacks can be mild (where the person is able to recognize it as a flashback and they can control it) or they can be severe, where the person actually feels like theyâre reliving the event in real time.
Final tidbit: The person who suffers from PTSD is at higher risk of misusing drugs and overusing alcohol. Substance abuse and dependence as a co-morbid diagnosis is therefore common and an important aspect to address.
NOTE: ***Once the DSM 5 comes out, PTSD will be in its own category. I look forward to seeing how this new classification system works and how it encapsulates a very serious and life-altering illness.***
First, I’d like to draw your attention to Elle Casey’s Springtime Indie Book Giveaway. You can choose from over 190 titles–including my short story, Tsavo Pride! Click HERE to sign up–you have until WEDNESDAY MAY 15th. đ
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The next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual comes out this week. It’s been about 13 years since the DSM-IV-TR was published, outlining our current system of diagnosing various mental disorders. As its previous version (DSM-IV and DSM-III), it divided mental illnesses in categories such as Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, Affective (or Mood) disorders, Anxiety disorders, Personality disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Somataform disorders, and others. It used the Multi-Axial System, detailing information on five major axes. (Axis I includes the above mentioned disorders, Axis II includes Mental Retardation and Personality Disorders, Axis II includes pertinent medical issues, Axis IV describes stressors such as relationship strain, financial strain, homelessness, etc, and Axis V gives a Global Assessment of Functioning, which is a 0-100 scale that gives an idea of how a person is functioning.)
(Phew, and that was the SHORT version!)
I haven’t seen the DSM 5 yet, but there are some drastic changes…which means mental health clinicians need to learn a new “language” of describing diagnosis, not only to one another but to their clients.
For instance, Roman numerals are no longer being used in the title.
(WHOA. Like, for real? Yeah…
Ahem.)
The Multi-Axial System is GONE. Disorders are no longer categorized as above, but are broken into 20 chapters. Categories include Bipolar and other mood disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Trauma and Stress Disorders (essentially, PTSD has been removed from the Anxiety Disorder category and given its own chapter), and more.
(It’s going to be an interesting time for mental health and we’ll likely experience technical difficulties in converting to this new system, so we appreciate your patience and will strive to return you to your regularly scheduled program. ;p)
In what instances have you guys had to learn new nomenclature or a new way of conceptualizing information and how did you get used to it?
I’m SO excited to have author Suzanne van Rooyen here today. She’s talking about the inspiration behind her YA sci-fi, OBSCURA BURNING. I fell in love with this book on page one and I have to say it’s one of my favorite books EVAH!
There’s sci-fi elements, mental heath elements, and a tangle of relationships that pulled for all sorts of emotions. What more could a reader ask for?
Anyway, I’m gonna let Suzanne take over before I get to rambly.
Welcome, Suzanne! Tell us, how did you get into writing?
Iâve always told stories. Even before I knew my ABCâs, I would dictate stories to my mom and sheâd write them down for me. Once I started reading and writing, I never stopped. The two were always major hobbies of mine. It was only during my Masters degree in Music that turned to writing as a possible source of income and began writing journalism articles for my university paper. After some success with that, I tried my hand at fiction once more. I had my first short story published in September 2011. After that, I knew I wanted to be an author and started pursuing that goal seriously.
That’s so awesome! I love that your mom wrote your stories down for you, lol! What draws you to YA?
The confusion, the flux, the potential. Teenagehood is a time of immense change – physical, mental and emotional – and this seeming state of chaos, of trying to figure out who you are, where you belong in the world and what you want out of life makes for some amazing character development and incredible stories whether the teens are leading a contemporary life or battling corruption in some distant dystopian future. I also love the innocence and resilience of the YA protagonist, their ability to find the good in the world and to keep trying even when the odds are stacked against them.
You hit the nail on the head with that one–that’s exactly what draws me to YA too. Where did the idea for Obscura Burning come from?
Honestly? The ether! I was listening to music by Explosions in the Sky and this image of a boy walking through an arid landscape just popped into my head. That was my first glimpse of Kyle and so his story grew out of the dust. I think what prompted the idea of the split realities was my inability to decide whether Kyle should have a male or female love interest – so I gave him both.
Ha! Love it! Isn’t it great when characters just “show up?” What draws you to write LGBT characters?
Iâve always been around LGBT people from my gay uncle and lesbian sister to bisexual, gay, lesbian and even trans. and polyamorous friends. It seems unnatural to me not to include LGBT characters in my stories. Personally, I think oneâs sexual preference is about as relevant and consequential as the colour of oneâs hair – just another aspect of who that person is. Sadly, many places in the world donât quite see it the same way, making life unfair and difficult for many LGBT people. Perhaps this is what attracts me to LGBT characters, that they can overcome prejudice and intolerance with the power of rainbows.
Agreed. There’s a decidedly “mental health spin”–and it’s extremely well-crafted!–to Obscura Burning, from substance use, to grief, even depression, and more. What inspired you to include these themes in your story?
Thank you! I didnât make a conscious decision to include these themes at all. It was simply how Kyle developed. Heâs an amalgamation of several boys I knew growing up and so his mental state started to emerge without me having to try too hard. I didnât even know he was a problem fire starter until I had almost completed the first draft. His affinity for fire just happened. The fact that he self-harmed just seemed a natural consequence of his circumstances and emotional response to the world around him. I never intended my book to take such a dark turn, but the characters took my down that path and I went where they led.
And therein lies the inherent nature of the psyche. It’s everywhere! Any tips for writers who are looking to add psychology to their characters?
Donât âaddâ anything to a character. A character should be a very close approximation of a real person. A real person doesnât just spontaneously sprout psychological issues. Those develop due to circumstances and life events. Thatâs the way it should be for a character. Their mental and emotional state needs to stem from their life experiences. Adding psychological issues to the character mix isnât like adding salt to a stew. If you want to write a character with psychological issues then do research, read case studies, understand why a real person develops certain psychological hangups and then create a character with a believable backstory. Donât be afraid of digging deep. An author friend of mine once said that if you want to write an issue-driven story that touches others, you have to open a vein and bleed a little.
YES! EXCELLENT advice. Well said, indeed. What’s next for you?
Iâve currently got two books with my agent, oneâs on submission, oneâs waiting on revisions, and another book nearing first draft completion on my computer. Theyâre all YA, but in different genres, and feature an array of troubled characters from angsty androids to disenfranchised demons. Not sure whatâll come next. Iâm waiting on my Muse for inspiration.
So awesome! Best of luck with all your projects–angsty androids and disenfranchised demons? Sign me up! đ Thanks for stopping by and sharing all this great info!Â
Here’s some information about OBSCURA BURNING and Suzanne:
Book Blurb:
The world’s going to end in fireâŚand it’s all Kyle’s fault.
Kyle Wolfe’s world is about to crash and burn. Just weeks away from graduation, a fire kills Kyle’s two best friends and leaves him permanently scarred. A fire that Kyle accidentally set the night he cheated on his boyfriend Danny with their female friend, Shira. That same day, a strange new planet, Obscura, appears in the sky. And suddenly Kyle’s friends aren’t all that dead anymore.
Each time Kyle goes to sleep, he awakens to two different realities. In one, his boyfriend Danny is still alive, but Shira is dead. In the other, it’s Shira who’s alive…and now they’re friends with benefits. Shifting between realities is slowly killing him, and he’s not the only one dying. The world is dying with him. He’s pretty sure Obscura has something to do with it, but with his parents’ marriage imploding and realities shifting each time he closes his eyes, Kyle has problems enough without being the one in charge of saving the world…
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16060591-obscura-burning
Author bio:
Suzanne is a freelance writer and author from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Suzanne is the author of the cyberpunk novel Dragonâs Teeth (Divertir), the YA science fiction novel Obscura Burning (Etopia) and has had several short stories published by Golden Visions Magazine, Space and Time and Niteblade. Her non-fiction articles on travel, music and other topics can be found scattered throughout the Internet. Although she has a Masterâs degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing you can find her teaching dance to ninth graders or playing in the snow with her shiba inu.
Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.
Suzanne is also a publicist for Entranced Publishing.
Website: http://suzannevanrooyen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzanne-van-Rooyen/304965232847874
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Suzanne_Writer
I’m thrilled to have Author Jessica Bell here today. She discusses her new book, The Book, and its links to mental health.
Take it away, Jessica!
When I was a child, my mother, Erika Bach, and my father, Anthony Bell, wrote in an illustrated journal by Michael Green called A Hobbitâs Travels: being the hitherto unpublished Travel Sketches of Sam Gamgee. This journal is the inspiration for The Book.
Since reading this journal, and realizing how different my parents sounded in the entries compared to how I know them in real life, I often thought about writing a book which explored how differently parents and children perceive and respond to identical situations. Now, I know this concept isnât ânewâ. But I certainly felt I had a unique bent to add to it. I hoped by using journal entries and therapy transcripts, in conjunction with a 1st person point of view of a five-year-old girl, it would make the story a little more intimate, make readers feel like they are peeking into the lives of real people. This way, itâs like you are reading memoir rather than fiction.
Set in the late 1970s, early 1980s, Bonnie, the five-year-old protagonist, was born prematurely. I hint, through the journal entries of her mother, Penny, and the transcripts of Bonnie and Dr. Wright, her therapist, that due to her premature birth, she has trouble learning and significant behavioral problems. However, I try to juxtapose this through Bonnieâs point of view. The reader is able to see how differently she perceives things in contrast to the adults in her life.Â
Bonnie is very smart. And she understands so much more than she chooses to let the adults see. So, at what point does one draw the line when it comes to defining poor mental health? Can anyone really see what is going on in a childâs mind? What right does one have to assume a prematurely born child is going to have difficulty learning or mental instabilities? What signs does one have to show to prove they are having difficulties at all? The Book raises these sorts of questions, hopefully offering readers a lot of food for thought.
It took me fourteen years before I could spell father properly. No matter how many times I was told, I still spelled father as farther and friend as freind and finally as finnaly. To this day I still have to look up the different conjugations of lie. For some reason they just donât stick.
Whatâs that say about me? Could that mean I am dyslexic? Have a learning disability? Perhaps Iâm just being selective with what I feel is important to store in my long-term memory. Iâm sure there are lots of reasons one could come up with. But when it comes to mental health, I donât believe there are any definitive answers. This is one of the themes I explore in The Book.
What âsignsâ do you think define stable mental health? And is there really such a thing?
You bring up a lot of excellent points, here, Jessica. I really think you’ve captured how complicated human beings are and how people (children and adults alike) cope with challenges.
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Here’s my review of The Book:
I’m a paranormal girl by heart, so I haven’t read a lot of contemporary or literary fiction. Despite this, I’ve followed Jessica Bell’s work with interest. She creates such vivid, REAL characters and stories that a reader gets pulled in, no matter what. AND her stories linger long after the last page.
It was the trailer for The Book that really made me head to Amazon to download an ecopy. And I didn’t regret it.
Watch this and see if you can resist it. Bet ya can’t. đ
The Book is a compilation of journal entries, therapy sessions, and the POV of a young child. It’s gripping, strikingly emotional, brutally honest, and breathtakingly genuine. I read it in one sitting and am still thinking about it. Its multilayered construction begs for multiple readings, pondering, and mulling over.
I’ve only ever read a handful of books like that. Well done, Jessica! I look forward to reading more of your work.
Jessica Bell–The Alliterative Allomorph
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Just wanted to leave youse guys with a little Shifting Pride info. Reading To Penguins is reviewing Shifting Pride TOMORROW. đ
Young Adult writer, Erin Danzer, asked me about DID–Dissociative Identity Disorder. She’s hard at work on her WIP, so why don’t you pop over to her blog, say “Hi!” and give her some encouraging words. đ
Here’s a reprise of one of my earlier posts highlighting DID:
The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV) categories various forms of dissociation (a disruption in memory, awareness, identity, and/or perception).
It is purported that DID develops as a means of self-protection. Often, those with DID have experienced significant abuse as a child and the personality fragments into several different âpeople.â This allows the âmain personalityâ to compartmentalize trauma and function in the face of it.
People with dissociative disorders do not choose to become another personality. The idea is that it is out of their control. With therapy, a person becomes more aware of their alters and learns to communicate with them until they are reintegrated.
Dissociative disorders are challenging to treat because people are often reluctant to come into treatment and co-morbid conditions such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and substance use disorders can occur.
Several well known movies and books about individuals with DID exist. Three Faces of Eve, Sybil, and the United States of Tara are more entertaining views into this tragic disorder. There are several textbooks discussing the identification and treatment. Click here for a link to an Amazon search page for DID.
Psychiatrist Richard Baer documented treating a woman (Karen) with 17 personalities in Switching Time. Hereâs an excerpt as presented by ABC News. A linkto a video with Karen by Good Morning America.
DISCLAIMER: The information in this post is for WRITING PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT to be construed as medical advice or treatment.
In inpatient work, the constant stream of patients being admitted and discharged creates a hectic pace that’s both exhilarating and overwhelming.
Before meeting a new patient, we review the chart (to get some idea of what’s been going on) and we also get report from the nurse to see how the patient has been on the unit.
It’s really remarkable how different people look “on paper” as compared to what they’re like “in real life.”
We’ve had extremely violent patients present as charismatic and engaging. We’ve had tiny, quiet, seemingly meek patients admitted for out of control behavior. We’ve had suicidal patients arrive with giant smiles on their faces. And we’ve had psychotic patients insist they are not mentally ill and that we’re the ones causing all the trouble (that tends to be a popular one).
It’s part of a writer’s job to create clear, distinct characters so readers can understand the characters’ motivations and become invested in the characters’ lives.
How do we describe characters? Through their thoughts, actions, morals, values, beliefs, friends, homes, jobs, and hobbies. And don’t we want our characters to be a perfect mixture of symbolism and consistency?
Sure.
But if a character is too “smooth” they may just turn “vanilla.” (And by vanilla, I mean boring.)
So, like people “in real life,” we need to make sure our characters aren’t always what’s expected. They need to have quirks. They need to have conflicts. They need to have multi-faceted personalities to make them more “alive.”
Ok, I guess I’m done rambling for today. What do you guys think makes for a good (read interesting) character?
Be sure to check out Lydia’s Medical Monday and Sarah’s The Strangest Situation.
Remember, these posts are for writing purposes ONLY, and are NOT to be construed as medical advice or treatment.
There are several psychiatric syndromes with some, well, intriguing names. Today, Iâd like to comment on Othello Syndrome.
Aptly named after Shakespeareâs Othello (where Othello murders his wife because he believed she cheated on him), Othello Syndrome is a delusional (fixed, false belief) disorder whereby the sufferer believes their spouse or partner is being unfaithful. Often times, there is little to no evidence to substantiate this belief.
It can be associated with other mental illness such as, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, bipolar disorder, alcohol dependence, sexual dysfunction, and other neurological illnesses. It can also be associated with stalking (which can include multiple âinterrogationsâ of the partner, repeated phone calls to work, surprise visits, and hiring a PI to follow the partner) and, at times, violence (either in the form of suicide attempts to harm toward others).
Different theories have arisen regarding the cause of this disorder. Some believe it is morbid jealousy whereby the suffererâs memories are subconsciously changed and their partnerâs actions are misinterpreted. Or, those with an âinsecure attachment styleâ may be fearful and extremely anxious about their partnerâs commitment.
Treatment includes anti-psychotic medications for the delusions as well as anti-depressant medications if thereâs associated depression or anxiety. It is also important for the sufferer to engage in psychotherapy.
What examples of Othello Syndrome have you seen in the books you’ve read?
Be sure to check out Lydia’s Medical Monday and Sarahs’ The Strangest Situation!
Remember, these posts are for writing purposes ONLY and are NOT to be construed as medical or psychiatric advice or treatment.
I often hear writers liken their characters to imaginary friends. Heck I do it too.
What’s interesting to me is that imaginary friends during childhood are quite normal. It’s a phase of development where the child is learning creativity and how to integrate their personality.
But what about imaginary friends in adults?
I’m not talking about our characters. I’m talking about adults who actually have imaginary friends. There’s not a lot of research on this (can you imagine getting a sample of people who’d be willing to share such information?), but the studies that are out there seem to link imaginary friends with dissociative identity disorder (aka multiple personality disorder). This disorder occurs when a child faces severe neglect and abuse (sexual or physical) and the only defense they have is to “fragment” their personality. Doing this compartmentalizes the trauma away as a means to protect the self.
As adults, people with DID note missing periods of time, the feeling that other people are inside them and these other people can take control, and they can hear voices (generally inside their head).
Another theory of imaginary friends in adults comes from attachment theory. Some kids (maybe single children or neglected children, for example) don’t get enough emotional nourishment and develop imaginary friends as a support system.
Interesting, huh?
Don’t forget to check out Lydia’s Medical Monday and Sarah Fine’s The Strangest Situation.
These posts are for writing purposes ONLY and are NOT to be construed as medical advice or treatment.
So, part of good mental health includes having a strong support network. Lemme tell you, writers KNOW how to support one another.
Elizabeth Mueller proposed that we writers spread our support of Bethany Wiggins and her debut novel SHIFTING by posting this post on our blogs. SHIFTING goes on sale tomorrow and it’s DEFINITELY on my list of books to read!
Give some applause to Elizabeth and her fabulous idea and give a woot-woot! to Bethany!!!!
*claps and woots*
Book blurb:
After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Magdalene Mae is transferred to what should be her last foster home in the tiny town of Silver City, New Mexico. Now that she’s eighteen and has only a year left in high school, she’s determined to stay out of trouble and just be normal. Agreeing to go to the prom with Bridger O’Connell is a good first step. Fitting in has never been her strong suit, but it’s not for the reasons most people would expect-it all has to do with the deep secret that she is a shape shifter. But even in her new home danger lurks, waiting in the shadows to pounce. They are the Skinwalkers of Navajo legend, who have traded their souls to become the animal whose skin they wear-and Maggie is their next target.
Full of romance, mysticism, and intrigue, this dark take on Navajo legend will haunt readers to the final page.
Several years ago Bethany’s sister dared her to start writing an hour a day until she completed a novel.  Bethany wrote a seven-hundred page fantasy novel that she wisely let no one read–but it taught her how to write. The fifth novel she write, SHIFTING, is being published by Walker Books September 27, 2011.
Blog:Â www.suzettesaxton.blogspot.com
web page:Â www.bethanywiggins.com
Goodreads:Â http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10224627-shifting
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Be sure to check out Lydia’s Medical Monday post and Sarah Fine’s blog.
Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamer 