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Mental Illnesses in Roleplay


Unwillingly
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(As someone who suffers with personality disorders, a variety of other differences within my mental health, along with mental illnesses such as depression. These are my personal opinions on the subject.)

 

Non-neuro-typical stereo types will always exist, however that does not mean its right to portray them or push misinformation. Across my three (or so) years on LOTC, I have seen a variety of these stereo-types portrayed. And others blatantly played with little research.

 

For reference, Rufus, a halfling character, was portrayed to have depression along with aspects of schizophrenia and PTSD. This is not to diss the person playing this character or call them out on past RP. However Rufus was portrayed very publicly and mental health was the centre of their personality. This is why I use him as an example.

 

Now in my opinion this character was poorly played at the time I was a part of the halfing community (Stemming from late-mid last map, to early this map.) But what many players cannot grasp is what makes the difference between good and poor. So I'll list ways this character specifically could've been better. To outline some do's and don'ts. 

 

To start with:


The RP was extremely public. Often done in #s without any warning to others of potential triggers. For anyone who does want to play a character with non-neuro-typical traits. Make sure to ask yourself: "Could my RP be triggering to others?" If it is a clearly extreme topic I'd recommend warning others of your next actions. Giving others the opportunity to pull out at any time. And if its less extreme, but still prevalent. Just ask around in-case there's potential for it to trigger others.

 

An example of this would be using (Trigger warning)

 

Emotion in #s:

 

Spoiler

[!] The distant sound of wailing and crying can be heard by all. The sound stemming from a poor curled up woman. Grasped into a ball whilst rocking side to side. Tears streaming down her her face as she shouts to herself. Clearly distraught... Slamming her head against the wall. Maniacally screaming. Digging her finger nails into her skin. Drawing velvet blood from her skin. "THE FUCCKING VOICES HURT, ****, I WANT TO KILL SOMEONE"

 

Now avoiding explaining other issues with that emotes. I'll move onto who can and can't play a person with a non-neuro-typical mind. Now there is nobody who cannot roleplay online in LOTC as someone with a non-neuro-typical mind. However you must, and I stress this a lot: research into what you are playing. Read factual, scientific evidence. As well as first-person views from someone who has whatever non-neuro-typical aspects you are looking to play. 

 

Because to replicate this in LOTC you must know what the facts are. And you cannot over-play these attributes if they surpass the realism of mental health. As it can create wrong views, push stereo types, and overall express wrong information which can be damaging to both people who are non-neuro-typical and the person with the misinformation. 

 

There's plenty more to this subject however I'll leave it at that to allow this information to sink in as is. The bottom line is just:

 

Educate yourself before playing someone who is non-neuro-typical. Learn correct terminology and ensure everyone around is comfortable with your RP. I know this can sometimes be difficult. But unless you are prepared to do extensive research, perhaps don't lean heavily into a diagnosis. 

 

(PS: I am by no means a professional. Nor the voice of all people. As we are all different, have gone through different experiences, and don't all have the same 'features' and 'aspects' that someone with the same diagnosis may have. I'd also like to hear others opinions on what I've wrote. Though do know I haven't planned writing this so I may have miscommunicated by own opinions or used incorrect terminology. Lastly I'll point out how I've used the term non-neuro-typical. This is the current scientifical term used that I've come across, for example in my meetings etc. Therefor its the term I am using. As many diagnosis' such as ADHD and Autism are quiet literally different wiring in the mind. And therefor not typical. However this does not mean they are 'worse'. Simply different. Just as everyone is. Simply in a different way. Much love to all. - Olly) 

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no i have more mental illnesses then u

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19 minutes ago, Callum said:

no i have more mental illnesses then u

no me

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This is a game. People don't have to do outside research to play their game if they don't want to. People are allowed to (within the rules) play how they want to. Some people will play badly. Some people will play quite well. That's okay. 

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In my opinion, most everyone who walks this Earth, unless they literally live under a secluded rock, carries some kind of baggage of varying magnitude, not to include actual medically defined mental conditions. Everyone processes their various trauma or chronic illnesses in different ways, this should serve to be equally true in roleplaying.

 

I've personally never met someone who gets Rambo-esque Vietnam flashbacks and goes off the deep-end, but I've met plenty of people who react to varying degrees to both similar and different stimuli. I've seen vets dive for the ground on the 4th of July out of instinct from the boom of the fireworks. I've seen my mother nearly faint after witnessing a nasty car collision (she had been in a bad one when she was younger). I myself have my own intense reactions to specific stimuli reminiscent of some unsavory **** that happened to me some time ago.

 

I suppose what I'm trying to get at is that mental illness, if we're to call it that, is fairly common, and thus shouldn't be taboo to be portrayed in an RP setting. Moreover, while it may seem insensitive to have a character RP a mental condition 'poorly', it could serve as an educational moment for anyone witnessing such a poor demonstration to explain why the character is portraying it wrong and constructively educate on the realities of the condition they are trying to emulate. I think the more that kind of behavior is normalized, the easier it will be to address (both IRP and OOC).

Edited by _Indy
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RP is a medium many use to escape the ills of the normal world; it's a fantasy setting of high intrigue and adventure.


In the same way we avoid particular RP scenarios, I think the majority of mental illnesses should be avoided where possible.

 

It just presents muddy, often ineffective roleplay. 

 

Do you RP a consistent knee pain? Do you RP hayfever? Some things are better left alone.

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Narratively, your character doesn't need to be 'mentally ill' to be crazy. It's okay if you just pick some crazy or non-normative character traits and deliver on them. Don't drive yourself up a tree trying to imitate RP out of the DSM-5, but also keep in mind story-telling manners for other players. I play a lot of crazy characters (and I'm pretty nutso IRL) so this is just my two cents. 

 

I think more players should play emotionally expressive characters, getting afraid, breaking down into panic attacks, having histrionic episodes rather than defaulting to some 'clown killer' archetype. Then again, I haven't seen any clownish killers in a while. 

 

The more expressive your character can be with their emotions, the better story you can tell about their moods. Even a dull, apathetic character can be expressively apathetic. It's good to capture this emotional level before you try to move on to playing a literal scizo.

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