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Mental Illnesses in Roleplay


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I, myself, roleplay a character of incredibly poor mental health. However, I've come to realise over the years that there is no one "right way" to portray mental illness, only that it shouldn't be turned into something of a "flashy snowflake quirk" - you have to honour and have respect foor those that truly have struggles with mental illness in the struggle you tell the story of when you roleplay mental illnesses. Mental illness IRL is different for all those who have it, as every mind in itself is unique, and whilst we might compare the typical symptoms of one you might see with a certain disorder (say, PTSD) with your character's own mental illness in order to portray it "correctly", it's something that you shouldn't necessarily feel all too bad about if you don't "hit it right on the nail" - because there is no nail when it comes to mental illness. Everyone processes things differently, and there is no right and wrong way to portray it, simply stated, when you're replicating a mental illness telling a story. 

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Personally I've always seen it as "RP is RP" , probably a somewhat insensitive point of view but I've never really seen a problem with slight inaccuracies except for situations where its clearly being incorrectly roleplayed or is done to mock or make fun of said illnesses.

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Mmm, It's a difficult point to make, I'll precede with that.

 

As someone who suffers from some mental illness, mostly ptsd and depression, I sort of stand in the middle of it all?

 

You see, I've been roleplaying.. oh god like, .. Since I was 12 so, 15 years? But the events that brought on my difficulties didn't happen until 2013, so I can see it from both points of view here.

 

Obviously when I roleplayed as a youngin', as you do, you make those characters who are "cool" and "edgy" with multiple personalities, ptsd and whatever else it was we decided they should get from a bump on the head, lol. So I understand what's going through a person's mind [usually] when they decide to roleplay that stuff.

 

It would be cool if someone properly roleplayed out the mental illness, but at the same time as someone who experiences it, I don't think Realistic mental illness is a very fun thing to roleplay. And I wouldn't really ever feel like anyone should *have* to do it all that accurately, lighten it up a bit if you'd like to in order to make it more enjoyable, that's totally fine, cuz we're here to have fun. Not adhere to some super strict storyline x)

 

However, I also understand to an extent, the viewpoint of the other folks who have experienced those afflictions or know someone who has, who might feel offended by how people roleplay mental illness. However, unfortunately in my own personal opinion I think it's just one of those things that you kind of have to just accept, it's just not very nice to walk up to someone and say "Hey, I don't like the way you're deciding to have fun right now and it offends me" and expect them to stop, 🤷‍♀️

 

Now of course not everyone does that ^ , but I've absolutely seen it from a few. The stigma or stereotypes of how mental illnesses are portrayed doesn't come from inaccurate roleplayers, it comes from media & movies / TV shows, so I wouldn't wanna be mad about it *nodnod

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I think it's safe to say most people have had both negative and positive interactions with mental illness IRP. Unfortunately though, I feel as though the negative experiences far outweigh the positive. It's not a poor thing to have in a character at all though, as you did say it pretty well that the world of LotC is pretty fucked. I believe the issue arises when people use it as a crutch or use it as the one thing their character's personality revolves around, or just simply try and get attention for it. Other than that, I don't really have an issue with it being portrayed IRP at all

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hi. i suffer from a good few illnesses, along with some undiagnosed diagnoses. heres my stance on it.

 

simply put, mental illness should be in lotc, theres no doubt about it, along with other things, such as dysphoria, autism, adhd, add, ocd, etc. the question, for me at least, isn't should these be in lotc, its more so how will you roleplay it out? will you research it? will you ask people who have these things affecting them in real life? will you consider how people playing on the server, who have these affecting them, will react to it? will you research it extensively, even when you're still playing the character? will you play it out as a stereotype? these, and more, are all questions one should consider while roleplaying mental illnesses, along with the things mentioned above. not to mention, things irply can cause mental illness. fighting in a war and watching your brothers/sisters die would undoubtedly cause ptsd, just as a natural disaster or a neglectful childhood could. if you're character, for example had gender dysphoria, how would they deal with it in a society that, for the most part, does not accept LGBTQ+ people. characters should have mental illnesses, and while its entirely up to the player whether or not to put it on them, its interesting to roleplay out. i honestly think that at the end of the day, don't scream at someone for roleplaying an illness as slightly inaccurate. if you've had experience with that illness or have it irl/have had it, give them pointers perhaps, or just avoid them all together

 

so tldr; research what u want to roleplay out extensively. give people who are struggling with roleplay (whatever it may be) tips and tricks on how to enhance their roleplay.

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LoTC is set in a fantasy world with races and cultures that, while mirroring the real world at times, are still separate from our world and how it functions. How would a voidal mage process losing their physical strength? How differently would PTSD manifest in the quick, erratic warfare seen on Almaris compared to the sustained, pervasive warfare of our modern day? Because elves age slowly, how does their perception of time process how the world around them operates, and how would resulting mental illnesses manifest? How would a human who feels greater kinship with dwarves go about living their lives in a city of their own race, away from the people they feel closer to? What would genocide mean to a snow elf, who has witnessed the death of their people many times, compared to a Kadarsi, who hasn't really experienced that in their lifetime?

 

These are only a few of the questions that arise when you begin to consider LoTC's unique setting and how it might influence mental health and wellbeing. Sure, there are some aspects of the human experience that can more or less transcend culture, but not every character on LoTC is a human, nor do we have magic or a pantheon of deities or supernatural creatures in real life that LoTC humans must contend with. It's because of this that I think there's some wiggle room for how mental illness may manifest so long as, like what other people have said, it isn't played off as intentionally offensive or a complete joke. LoTC is not the real world. The world our characters are affected by is a lot different than the one we live in today.

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Coming from someone who has quite a few mental illnesses, I thought I'd reply to this topic with my standpoint. IRL, I suffer from depression, ADHD and panic disorder, all of which have been diagnosed.

Now, with LOTC being as chaotic as it is, I strongly believe that there should be some form of mental illness implemented in roleplay. When your character is faced with stressful situations, whether it be the death of a friend or being attacked by another, you can't expect your character to be completely "fine." Of course, there may be some characters that are completely devoid of emotion, but that occurrence is rare. Each of the core races on LOTC have emotions and it's our job as roleplayers to express those emotions as we rp.

 

Scientifically speaking, stress builds up overtime. As our cortisol levels rise, it can have negative impacts on our brains and development. For example, if your character is faced with numerous stressful situations, they might end up developing some sort of anxiety, or even depression, etc. Lastly, I believe that, before you get into mental illness rp, you should be well informed and educated on the mental illness you are planning to roleplay. I know I'm practically rewording what others have said in the replies before mine, but I'm restating what they've said because I truly agree. By being educated, you can easily avoid roleplaying out anything that may come across as offensive to those who suffer with mental illnesses IRL. In my opinion, if you are planning on roleplaying out a mental illness with the goal of gaining attention from doing so, don't bother roleplaying a mental illness at all. IRL, mental illnesses are things we cannot control, and although I do not speak for everyone who has one, I'm sure we all wish we didn't have any in the first place. Just think about that before trying to seek out attention through this type of rp. 

Edited by lindsen
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Mental illnesses are complex. Some traits are not considered part of certain one though, so when someone says their character has X mental illness but is attributing things to it that are not linked, players who deal with X IRL can be fairly offended at the misrepresentation.

 

Please do research before choosing to roleplay a character with a specific mental illness.

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Typically, I find that slapping a character with a diagnosis is as difficult, if not more so than being diagnosed irl because I am not a mental health professional and don't want to portray an illness that I claim Valindra has incorrectly. For this reason, I tend to avoid  stating that my character has a particular mental illness, but is definitely struggling with her overall mental health, and has been for years.

 

Typically, if people ask, I tend to state what she is going through rather vaguely, while offering a more indepth look into her own mind if people wish to know more which normally goes a little like this:

 

"Valindra struggles with a number of aspects related to her mind,  all of which have been caused by past experiences in RP. She's prone to bouts of great sorrow and fear, though seems to mostly do well under the stress of her work, if not thrive, save for a few circumstances. She also has been trying to come to terms with her identity in the world while suppressing most positive signs of emotion, instead favoring a stoic and potentially intimidating approach."

 

If people ask me to elaborate, I attempt to offer a more indepth analysis of the workings of her mind depending on what they ask about while also maintaining secrecy for certain areas to protect RP arcs that may occur with her. Here is an analysis of one aspect of one of her struggles that has become less pronounced in recent times, hence why I am willing to share it:

 

"Valindra has never enjoyed the idea of simply being one person. Prior to the loregames, she used to change identities much like how we change clothes, and while she tried to incorporate aspects of such in each disguise, she soon became very out of touch with her true self, evasive of the fact that at the end of the day, she would always be just one person at heart and that no amount of pretending would erase past trauma. When the loregames occurred and her means of disguising herself were lost, Valindra entered a panic as she was no stuck in only one body. She wanted to blend in everywhere and escape from her own personal troubles. As the panic subsided, she her mood took a nosedive and she was left feeling helpless. While she is overcoming it,  she still clings to the fact that one day she may be able to become 'another person' in her eyes through the same of a different means. Most recently, she's been delving into alchemy, and has plans to experiment in the hopes of crafting a potion that can alter her in some (Non powergamey and lore friendly) way."

 

Whenever any of my characters encounter mental hardships, I always take a moment to think about the fundementals of the character I am playing.

 

Will it drive a good RP narrative?

Is there an obvious cause of her mental hardship?

How will I ensure it does so? 

Are there any 'tells' my character would have such as changes in behaviour, sleep pattern changes or even physical differences or issues as a result?

Would my character come to terms with the fact that something is wrong quickly, and if/when they do, how will they react initially?

How will the character attempt to cope?

Is their means of coping healthy or unhealthy? 

How will this affect my character in the long run? Will there be any longterm or permanent 'emotional residue'.

Will my character need help from another character? If so, will she reach out consciously or will it be a subconscious cry for help?

How will my character attempt to finally overcome this mental obstacle?

And finally, does it make RP entertaining for myself and those around me?

 

Recently, my character has stumbled upon a hell of a lot of mental trauma from many different sources and the RP with particular characters to help her overcome this has been amazing (You know who you are :>). The past few months of RP have probably been the best I've had.

 

Mental illness, when played can not only add realism to Roleplay, but also serves as a reminder that it can occur in anyone in any way, and touches everyone at some point in their lives. This ties in with irl too. Mental illness can be totally invisible to the naked eye, an invisible illness that affects those we may not even think to struggle with such. I am often surrounded by mental illness irl and icly and I know that sometimes I won't even spot it. Realistic RP arcs and IRL experiences have made me respect those who have been touched by mental illness even more. It is a horrid thing that is a constant battle against one's own brain. Those who suffer from it are strong, and I look up to those who have managed to survive and overcome such, especially when I look back on how many we lose to these illnesses every year.

 

Typically my biggest pet peeve with mental illness RP is people attempting to romanticise it along with slapping a diagnosis on a character and not knowing anything about the illness itself. Depression is not solely showcased through crying, self harm and attempts on one's life and not all mental health illnesses are ECT and straightjacket material. (This is not Arkham Asylum, mental illness can be extremely subtle. Some can experience it without even knowing that what they are experiencing is a genuine mental illness)

 

I've gone on a bit of a rant, I know and this is my personal stance on mental illness roleplay. I respect different approaches to it as long as mental illness is not portrayed in an inaccurate light. (Which I find to be difficult due to just how much mental issues and symptoms can vary. Every mind is different, and there are some issues that don't even have a name yet.)

 

Anyway, I shall leave this post here and finish with some facts on mental health in the real world:

 

It is largely speculated by multiple organisations that 1 in 4 (According to NHS England) to 1 in 5 (According to multiple US based organisations) people are affected by mental health or suffer from mental health issues. This encompasses all mental health issues, including ones not inherently considered as an SMI (Severe mental illness). 

 

According to NIH's National Institute of Mental Health, 51.5 million US adults lived with a mental illness in 2019 which comes in at just short of 1 in 5. Again, this refers to all mental illnesses that are officially recognised as such.

 

Again, citing NIH's National Institute of Mental Health's records, 13.1 million (or 5.2% / around 1 in 20) live with a severe mental illness. Quoting, NIHM's website again, SMI refers to those living with mental illness who experience "serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities." For example, schizophrenia is classified as a severe mental illness.

 

Tiny little edited-in footnote here: I wrote this while half asleep as I have a tendency to ramble about serious topics when I'm sleepy. I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense or if I offend anyone. Have mercy.

 

 

 

 

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My Druid has intense flashbacks to violent imagery from Mystery's Voidal Tear eventline. Sometimes I roleplay that as her being tired from poor sleep, avoiding certain triggers or at points a feeling of low mood and vulnerability, sometimes she will just hug her granddaughter for some reassurance. I like to think I RP her experience tastefully, and piggybacking on Mori's reply a bit- I think that's partly because I haven't put a diagnosis on it, I roleplay symptoms or consequences of symptoms, rather than trying to play to a 'syndrome' as such.

 

And touching on Nectorist's point, my Dwarf is utterly unfazed by a lot of her experiences. This is in part because I haven't been playing her as long, she hasn't endured as much trauma I don't think, but also because as a Dwarf she is magically blessed with this unyielding stubbornness.

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10 minutes ago, Luciloo said:

My Druid has intense flashbacks to violent imagery from Mystery's Voidal Tear eventline. Sometimes I roleplay that as her being tired from poor sleep, avoiding certain triggers or at points a feeling of low mood and vulnerability, sometimes she will just hug her granddaughter for some reassurance. I like to think I RP her experience tastefully, and piggybacking on Mori's reply a bit- I think that's partly because I haven't put a diagnosis on it, I roleplay symptoms or consequences of symptoms, rather than trying to play to a 'syndrome' as such.

 

And touching on Nectorist's point, my Dwarf is utterly unfazed by a lot of her experiences. This is in part because I haven't been playing her as long, she hasn't endured as much trauma I don't think, but also because as a Dwarf she is magically blessed with this unyielding stubbornness.

 

Voidal tear veteran gang, amirite? 

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Nugget is Nugget.

 

Nugget speaks in the third person.

 

Nugget may or may not be a little bit 'not smart' 

 

Nugget generally tries to be himself.

 

As a person with mild Autism, I can say that it generally depends on how it's played. In normal circumstances, roleplay is roleplay, Genuinely it is what it is. '^ '  

 

There's a select few who use it to act like utter buffoons but alas, we move on. If a person isn't comfortable with mental illness, remember, our world isn't perfect. WE are not perfect, we are only what we make of ourselves. That's what matters. 

 

jim-halpert-face.gif

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