War does that to people.". Mental conditions. She's clearly not throwing anything away: This teenager has already collected a landfill worth of human trash in her few short years and socked it all away where no one else can get at it. Anyway, back to the matter of problematic fictional characters ever noticed that the true loves kiss was a recurring theme in early Disney movies? Cinema in general has had a dubious history of portraying mental health in an authentic or even sensitive light. Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site, Writers Helping Writers, as well as One Stop For Writers, an innovative online library built to help writers elevate their storytelling. He never did his own homework despite knowing his so-called best mate was fighting the worst villain of all time, and always expected Harry and Hermione to carry him. Then The Dude arrived and ensured that it wasnt just another caucasian, Gary. At the end of the day, I still believe in possible character development and redemption, no matter how long overdue. After all, there are people that would give anything to be him for just a day, despite his problems. Shuri from Black Panther. The character is not alien to us in any profound sense. Yep, the 00s were clearly the heyday of the cold and brooding bro kinda fictional characters. A character can also have an internal struggle when they have to act against their morals or grapple with opposing beliefs. Even when the other person feels close and for them everything is fine, she'll feel like a thin, invisible wall is stuck between them. No? And the fact that she did this after reading private entries from her moms diary and never bothered giving anyone a heads up! His crushingly omnipresent sadness threatens to derail every social victory he attains for himself and will consume him if he doesn't find ways to maintain equilibrium despite innumerable triggers. These are tackled through dark comedy and emotionally vulnerable drama by acompelling performance by Davidson, making the portrayal of mental illness particularly effective. Grow Reader Empathy By Showing A Protagonists Vulnerable Side, Vulnerability: The Key To Compelling Romantic Relationships, The Path To Vulnerability Leads To Deeper Relationships. In the wake of a patriarch's absence, an entire family, the Grapes, begin to reveal signs of mental illness to varying degrees, exacerbated by poverty and declining circumstances. All the characters are problematic as hell, but she's on another level. Updated by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen on January 17th, 2022: The challenges brought on by a global pandemic in 2020 have now, two years later, led to a resurgence in theexploration of mental illness and mental health disorders in current media, with an emphasis on authenticity and care towards humanization. To put it simply, a character flaw is a personality trait that either makes a character's life more difficult or negatively impacts their relationships with other characters. This is the reason no one else will lodge with you. For starters, he lies to and tricks nearly every woman he meets just to get laid and even wrote an entire playbook on it! They feel, think, and behave like real people. It then makes you wonder how these crowd faves have gotten away with it for so long; but hey, lets chalk it up to not knowing any better back then. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she's particularly proud of. Either way, it creates a shared moment where the shield is lowered and the two connect through trust and a willingness to be vulnerable. (3) Your character must make a choice. The perceived dramatic nature of a mental illness has notoriously meant it's too often conveyed as a means to broadcast sentimentality or sensationalism. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference. Hence, the dangerous message it sends: consent doesnt matter if youre rich and handsome. Bonnie suffers from severe depression and punishes herself by becoming morbidly obese, her youngest son contends with autism and ADHD, and her eldest son Gilbert tries to hold his clan together while struggling with his own depression and anxiety. Christian tells her he's not a "flowers and hearts" kind of guy because of his past and is only into BDSM, and yet she's so desperate for him to love her that she submits to him. Matilda by Roald Dahl. Sheimagines adrink that makes you shrink in size. He must act. This need for domination, coupled with Scar's APD, led to the brutal killing of Mufasa. [] surprised. And if this were IRL, he would probably be locked up in prison for preying on teenagers, rather than actually marrying them later on. We want to expose ourselves, for our deepest core to be seen. In real life, we seek connection with others because we need to feel like we belong, that it is safe to be ourselves with certain individuals. I get that she was supposed to be the main character, but damn she was the worst friend in the history of TV shows, and SO selfish. Want to burn your workplace down, beer in hand? Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Trust Issues. Allow readers to see your character as fully-realized by showcasing what makes them laugh, cry, seethe, cower, and otherwise experience a wide array of emotions. Give important characters a backstory. And this is it gets tricky. And hes still supposed to be the good guy? When it isn't either of those, its "madness" is the perfect fuel for horror films by misconceptions of aggressive psychosis. Characters with a hard exterior may try to act tough, but when they see someone going through a situation that triggers emotional memories of their own past wounds, they cant help but empathise. Above all, someone suffering from the disorder will avoid human relationships, especially any that might result in sexual encounters. Alice from Alice in Wonderland clearly suffers from schizophrenia. Vulnerability is really all about laying ourselves bare. Vulnerability is a two sided coin that often lands on its edge. and her bank account, but shes also a terrible friend. Theres a famous line from the 2008 film The Dark Knight that goes, You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. The same could apply to some fictional characters who were supposed to be the good guys, but actually might not be. It's true that the disorder wouldn't be recognized until 70 years after Doyle invented the character. We're guessing not even Disney would dispute that one. No solutions to the Grapes' problems are easy or applicable, and the movie handles the stigma about mental illness and obesity with raw integrity by acknowledging the necessity of strong familial bonds. Scott's battle with depression, anxiety, and ADD are shown realistically in his issues around impulse control, executive dysfunction, and various neurosis. He embarks on long-winded monologues about very specific topics, oblivious to the listener's lack of interest. Scar from The Lion King grew up in the shadow of his older brother,Mufasa. Not ever. His family's support has always kept him able to go through life without ever facing his mental illness, but after a severe manic episode hospitalizes him, he's forced to have a wake-up call. These characters show the realities of living with them in sensitive and illuminating portrayals. Fearing she will lose the part to a rival dancer,Nina undergoes a grueling training regiment, the result of which incites a terrifying metamorphosis. Tiggeris one of theWinnie the Poohcharacters who represent mental illnesses. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. And to think that this is someone who had all the privilege and connections to set her up for success. that goes, You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. The same could apply to some fictional characters who were supposed to be the good guys, but actually might not be. (4) That choice deepens the tension and propels the story forward. It's tough to pin down the exact personality traits of Sherlock Holmes, since his story has been recycled in so many incarnations. Not cool. Gone With the Wind's Scarlett O'Hara is one of the most iconic heroines in American film. Cartoons are a fond childhood memoryuntil you really start to think about some of the animated heroes and villains. You've earned your first teardrop tattoo.". It's unlikely that the writers who created these characters consciously decided they would give them an undiagnosed mental disorder as one of their traits. Oh, and the fact that she would move heaven and earth (and ruin lives) for someone as unremarkable as Fitz? I know he has issues, but it doesn't justify him being the shittiest person, emotionally cruel and manipulative at all times. It's one of the best examinations of the role emotions play inhuman behavioral development in movies. Build in several smaller moments.@AngelaAckerman #writetip, 6 Reasons Show Dont Tell Can be Terrible Advice for New Writers, Great Writing Links You Don't Want To Miss - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS, When Things Go Wrong15 Tools Inspired by Eastern Wisdom to Find Stillness in a Storm Part II. It then makes you wonder how these crowd faves have gotten away with it for so long; but hey, lets chalk it up to not knowing any better back then. She was incredibly entitled and self-centred. Well, okay then. It's tough to pin down the exact personality traits of Sherlock Holmes, since his story has been recycled in so many incarnations. RELATED:10 TV Characters Who Accurately Portray Mental Illness. According to the Mayo Clinic, NPD is "a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. Presumably, their concerts were strictly dance-free. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can. She tried to break up the marriage of her coach who was 20 years older than her and was the father of her crush, she kidnapped a girl, exposed a gay relationship, killed a guy, and when she had a teratoma she thought she'd eaten her twin. What curse was placed on the O'Brien family that would give them a son with a webbed foot? A lot of fiction gets more depressing when you realize that writers are usually writing about themselves, whether they admit it or not. In that respect,Lars and the Real Girlput a positive emphasis on Lars' way of life by exploring how much it has helped his community confront their own biases. I'm still grossed out when I think about how he and Aria got married rather than him ending up in prison for literally preying on teenage girls. So it's not until we see her full empire of secret garbage that we know she has a serious problem. So why is it that the thing we fear is also the key to what we want most, this need that drives us to form trusting and caring relationships where we can be ourselves? Trust Issues - Kindle edition by James, Danielle. Benny devoteshimselfto supporting her in those times so that she can live an isolated life far away from the jarring pace of the world. Follow the BuzzFeed Community on. COPYRIGHT 2005-2023 Cracked is published by Literally media Ltd., Glinda the Good Witch -- Sadistic Personality Disorder, Scarlett O'Hara -- Antisocial and Histrionic Personality Disorder, Molly Shannon Got Hired on Saturday Night Live and Mugged on the Same Day, Conan O'Brien Runs Down Every Hideous Mutation of His Hideous Body, 15 Bits Of Trivia So Powerful, They Would Have Instantly Vaporized Our Ancestors, Kevin Bacon Was in a Band Called Footloose When He Was 15, 12 Healthcare Innovations That The US Needs To Adopt ASAP, 6 BELOVED CHARACTERS THAT HAD UNDIAGNOSED MENTAL ILLNESSES, is characterized by a long-standing pattern of detachment from social relationships, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, puddle of melodrama when she is rejected by a man, 9 Beloved Characters Made Horrifying by Japan, 6 Famous Characters You Didn't Know Were Shameless Rip-Offs, 5 Employees Who Spectacularly Told Their Bosses to Take This Job and Shove It, How The Big Lebowski Turned the White Russian into a Milk of the Gods, 12 Behind-the-Scenes Photos That Ruin Iconic Scenes (And Actually Improve The Bad Ones), 5 Boring Things That Movies and TV Have Managed to Make Scary as Hell, 15 Trivia Tidbits About The Lonely Island, Five Times Michael Shannon Showed Up and Made Everything Better. Are you frightened by MS Paint and simply have a funny idea? Handing your character success on a silver platter is a sure-fire way to cheapen their development. So it seems ironic that she was responsible for breaking the spell, turning them all back into humans. Now keep that in mind when you watch the vague, detached, smirking expression on Glinda's face throughout the string of tragedies that open the film. And, of course, lets not forget about her constantly stealing roles from Sharpay someone who basically dedicated her entire life to theatre! Everyone says Big was a bad character, but seriously they both sucked so much they deserved each other. Empathy is powerful and works incredibly well to soften jaded characters. As the turn of the century neared, the White Russian was just another bad, outdated cocktail from the 1970s. The terrifying psychological thriller trappings ofBlack Swanmight make it seem like a lurid take on mental illness, but the delusions and hallucinations build a truly realistic world for someone who actively suffers from schizophrenia. Living in an era when women weren't considered their most attractive unless their mouths were shut, Scarlett was portrayed as a hard-workin', hard-drinkin', hard-screwin' Southern belle who wouldn't take shit from anyone. Disturbed, Elsa locks herself away and refuses to face the world out of fear of hurting more people. 1. Through therapy and reassessment, she's able to take her mental health seriously. This point struck home with me: Have your character confide some of these fears or worries through dialogue. So much emphasis is placed on show, dont tell nowadays, but dialogue provides a way for characters to tell, in their own distinctive speech patterns, what is driving them. Mark Ruffalo is at his mercurial best depicting Cam, a single father suffering from manic depression, unsure of how to take care of himself let alone his two spirited daughters. Carrie Mathison (Homeland) Carrie Mathison lives with bipolar disorder while being a top notch agent for the CIA. Yikes, that doesnt sound good does it? In reality, it was a primitive way to diagnose the thousands of mental breakdowns following conflict that we now call PTSD. xraypictures "Solving crimes is all well and good, Watson, but I have a Yu-Gi-Oh! Web Design by Viva la Violette. She ends up befriending and falling in love with a beast before she knows he's secretly a human prince under a spell. Characters Who Didn't Live Happily Ever After, Cartoon Characters You Never Realized Suffer From Mental Disorders. Chuck Bass - Gossip Girl Granted, nobody in the show was actually a good person and despite their impeccable taste and style they all had more issues than Vogue. After spending her teenage years being herded through multiple recovery programs for her eating disorder, Ellen (Lily Collins) doesn't see much point in trying to escape her anorexia, especially since every time she begins a new therapy she ends up weighing less than she did before she started. She needs the constant affirmation from her mirror. He's a bully and an irresponsible portrayal of the "perfect" guy. At first, he might seem like that really funny and cool guy that youd love to be friends with. Many characters have vulnerability issues, and if yours is one of them, you might findVulnerability In Fiction: Teaching Jaded Characters How To Trust helpful to [], [] library like no other, andWRITERS HELPING WRITERS, with her guest post:Vulnerability In Fiction: Teaching Jaded Characters How To Trust. So maybe Glinda won the title of "good" by default, simply because anyone left who would question her goodness ends up fertilizing those bitchy apple trees who throw things at tourists. Trust and bonding issues. According to the Mayo Clinic, APD "is a mental condition in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others. Though BPD is portrayed using humor in the movie, it accurately works to falsify the burgeoning myth that people with her condition are doomed to be self-destructive and self-involved. Build in several smaller moments that lead up to bigger ones and the willingness to enter a vulnerable state to trust will seem authentic to readers. He also carries the constant fear of being rejected. The guy wanted to possess his girlfriend and control every aspect of her life. Which makes it all the more sad when characters gradually turn their backs on her and her crazy hurricane of bullshit. The Diagnosis: Antisocial personality disorder (APD), What Is APD? I appreciated that the characters, while based on fictional characters, were still familiar. Frank, callous, insensitive, brusque. Craig still has his problems, but after five days of bonding, he realizes that they aren't so bad. Throughout The Wizard of Oz, Glinda never gives any reason for murdering the witches other than that they're ugly and different and therefore -- according to good ole-fashioned Dust Bowl logic -- completely evil. Problematic fictional characters from popular TV shows 1. She said homophobic things to Emily then ended up kissing her while she was grieving the death of Maya, and even tried to drown her. Mediocre? A Beautiful Mind gave viewers a look at schizophrenia and Rain Man was one of the first films to explore autism. Dont think that Elsa had some serious depression? Remember when she outed Damien to Cady literally a few seconds after introducing themselves? You can find more from Amanda at gizmachronicles.blogspot.com. Belle from The Beauty and The Beast. The stigma is lifting, and with its absence, genuine depictions are showcased. Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. Julian's project serves as a reminder that even the most famous and powerful fictional characters have to deal with everyday issues and tasks just like the rest of us. Yet Glinda can't stop smiling that vacant Stepford Wives smile. Because while we know our characters have this deep need to belong, we also know they are deeply damaged. We can simply be ourselves and set aside the mask we show to the world. And this is it gets tricky. Thanks for your comment. It may feel as if you are frequently unwelcome in social situations, even when that is not the case. In fact, she's likely suffering from sadistic personality disorder. One of the telltale signs of PTSD is reliving the traumatic event over and over. She slept with Dean when he was still married to Lindsay and had a long-term affair with Logan when they were both in separate relationships. 5. But behind this mask of ultraconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.". Perhaps a secret of theirs becomes known. But obviously the disorder existed long before there was a name for it, and Doyle didn't have to know what the disorder was called in order to have known somebody with those quirks, and written them into his fictional detective. However, he portrays the mental illness with understated intensity, especially when it comes to bear on hisvocation and his relationship with his teenage daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman). So, dont expect this list to include characters who are already deemed antiheroes or villains, to begin with. The Diagnosis: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), What Is ADHD? Aside from the usual cognitive behavioral therapy, they examine the romantic relationships in their lives to try to find areas of their unhappiness that they can alter. Wasnt it a bit odd that Ariel was a total hoarder? PTSD causes that kind of persistent emotional numbing, which would explain his distance from the experience. Somehow, we must help them move past their pain. One of them is appropriate. Maggie is married to a loving husband but is unhappy, and Milo has always wondered if his first love is the one who got away. Fiction is a reflection of the real world, especially when it comes to our characters. He plays Melvin Udall, a best-selling author diagnosed with OCD, who performs obsessive rituals to combat his intrusively anxious thoughts. But Hollywood occasionally gets it right, and actors in the last few decades have shown a willingness to let their performances reflect growing public awareness in regards to mental health. "He'll be back. Is she going to eat them? Note the radically different facial expressions. Even more important, many will feel compelled to act, either to intervene, to support, or to commiserate. Far from a simpledescent into madness, it is an accurate representation of an obsessive fugue state that is difficult to extricate from. Can we talk about how her being the supposed smart girl barely even manifested, save for her wearing a lab coat in the first movie and getting into Stanford in the finale? He has bad impulse control, evidencedwith all the bouncing around he does. ", "Care for a 70th rendition of 'Baa Baa Black Sheep,' my dear Watson?". In fact, it's probably easier to just think of her as Doc Holiday in a dress. . Among the problematic fictional characters weve listed so far, this dude is basically the epitome of white male privilege. Editorial | Contribute your travel stories or submit Also she is blatantly using Dorothy as a human shield. Oh boo hoo, you're terrible at baseball. Maybe they share a time when they felt the same way, or tell the character that they did the best they could with the information they had. However, she has some downright unsavory characteristics as well. In Sweden, they send you a thank-you text when they use your blood. She is completely engrossed with being the most beautiful person in the kingdom. She had to talk about herself all the time even when her friends were telling her big news like pregnancy, miscarriage or cancer, she somehow made the situation about herself. The Wicked Witch even tells Dorothy, "They're of no use to you," but Glinda convinces the girl never to take them off. Ayers is befriended by Steve (Robert Downey Jr.), a columnist who's searching for the story that will get his life back on track. Unfortunately, she never grew out of this bratty mindset even in season 6, when she impulsively skipped a Broadway performance for an audition in Los Angeles. If anything, many would say hes the most entertaining one in the show until you realise just how gross his actions are. Lisa was a sociopath, characterized bya charismatic and manipulative nature she used to elicit close bonds from the patients around her. The Evil Queen absolutely refuses to stand by and play second fiddle in the beauty department to anyone, which shows her extreme lack of self-esteem and obsessive thirst for admiration. But Ariel has another glaring, deep-seated issue that should be addressed. (5) The character must live with the consequences of his . We can show our inner selves without fear of being hurt or having personal information misused. The public was gripped by the life of the Nobel Prize winner, who suddenly came to the horrific realization that many of the locations, events, and people that characterized his life never actually existed. Love is not supposed to be a prison with your partner the fucking guard, isolating you from everyone else in the world. Here are some of the best responses. The loneliness, negative thoughts, and perpetual isolation will be immediately recognizable for anyone with a mental illness, as will the words, "The worst part of having a mental illness is that people expect you to behave as if you don't. We must convince them that a willingness to being vulnerable by trusting another will lead to something deeper and more meaningful than they ever imagined. By fate or coincidence, when Alice Klieg (Kristen Wiig) decides to quit her medications cold turkey, she cashes in a winning lottery ticket. The seclusion of the castle along with the nonhuman inhabitants and a relationship with a beast who isn't a sexual threat is like a dream for anyone with schizoid personality disorder. Then, when she discovers that her step-daughter, Snow White, has become "the fairest of them all," extreme jealousy and envy sends her into a murderous rage. Not only was Edward a creepy stalker (pre-dating Bella), but he was also clingy with zero boundaries (once they were together). No, really. He was a sex-obsessed womaniser who treated women like objects, tricking and misleading them into sleeping with him. "So now that we've established a relationship based on mutual trust, can I go now? Check out, The Greatest Talking Animals in TV History, The Greatest Fictional Pets You Wish You Could Actually Own, This Artist Turns Disney Characters Into Pokemon Evolutions, A Ranking of Disney Villains, Based on How Stupid Their Plans Are, The Greatest Cartoon Characters In TV History, The Most Attractive Cartoon Characters Of All Time, The Best To Worst Kingdom Hearts Characters, The Greatest Cats in Cartoons & Comics, Ranked by Fans, 13 Villains Who Went Evil Because Of A Wounded Ego. At one point, she even asks out loud, "Have I gone mad?" He's often overlooked but his behaviour is both abusive and problematic. The strongest, most compelling characters are those who are authentic, true-to-life. Shows like Girls, Monk, and Parenthood allow the spectator to get a small sense of what its like to be around a person afflicted with a mental illness. Salinger himself likely suffered from PTSD. Lists about your favorite characters that were drawn by hand or generated by computer. While some of these symptoms could just as easily stem from depression, it's important to also point out that J.D. He was jealous and possessive to the point where he destroyed his relationship with Rachel, and made her choose between him and a career he never supported in the end. Delighted to welcomeAngela AckermanofWriters Helping Writers&One Stop For Writers,writing coach, speaker, &co-author of manybestselling resources,including one of my all-time favourite fiction writing book series,which if youve been in your writers garret for the last few years, are soinvaluable, youll wonder how you ever managed without. He's supposed to be the rebel and the hero, but spends about 75% of the movie repeatedly sexually harassing Claire, almost to the point of assault when he puts his face between her legs without her knowledge or consent. Suffice to say, good ol King Triton had every reason to be concerned! They feel, think, and behave like real people. Oo yes, completely agree, Kathy. Kids obsess over weird things: that's not unusual. ", NEXT:10 Best Movies About Tortured Geniuses, Ranked. Maybe they were just borrowing behaviors of a "quirky" friend, or maybe the writers suffered from the disorder and wrote the characters to mimic their own life.
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