Key Issues to Consider

• Is it to explore the issue from a personal perspective or is it just an easy way to resolve a storyline?
• How will introducing a character with a mental illness impact the storyline? Will it be different for an ongoing character or a guest character?
• Will my character with mental illness be viewed as credible? Do I have sufficient grasp of the subject matter to do it justice?

• Consider the value in talking to people directly affected by mental illness when developing storylines. First hand research will give the story/character both originality and authenticity. See the Contacts section of this website.
• Consider the whole human context of the person living with a mental illness, their relationships, work, goals and ambitions. 
• Exploring the impact on the carers, families, friends, colleagues and others in the community can be powerful.
• Consider exploring cultural, religious and age diversity in characters. Mental illness is conceptualised, accepted and managed in varied ways across cultures.

• A person with mental illness does not need to be evil, nor does the evil character need to have a mental illness.
• Someone with a mental illness is far more likely to be a victim of violence than a perpetrator.
• Consider using one or more characters to challenge negative and stereotypical attitudes expressed by another character. 

• Remember that people can manage and live with their mental illness; it is not ‘traumatic’ every day.
• Consider exploring a character’s recovery or ongoing management of mental illness. The ‘quick fix’ is not necessarily a reality, especially when the mental illness is given to a time-poor guest character.
• A resolution does not have to be the ‘cure’ or the ‘death’ of a character with mental illness.
• Consider balancing a more negative storyline with a more positive or counter-balancing storyline.

• Terms such as “schizo”, “psycho”, “mad” and “emo” may reflect the language of a particular group (eg young people) but, unchallenged, may cause immediate distress to audience members.
• Incorrect use of psychiatric labels can misinform and confuse audiences. For example when the word schizophrenia is used to indicate split personality, or psychotic is used to refer to psychopathy.
• Refer to the Mental Illness Facts & Fiction section of this website for a list of psychiatric terms and information about current treatments.

• Take time to research the details of each mental illness that is portrayed to ensure representations are accurate.
• Some characteristics associated with mental illness (e.g. twitching) are side effects of treatments rather than the illness itself.
• Consider the range and type of services and service providers that are portrayed to ensure they are accurate and reflect current trends in treatment approaches. 
• Check the portrayal of the physical environment of mental health care and treatment facilities is accurate.

• Consider whether there are opportunities to show how people can get effective help. Many people who are experiencing a mental illness do not access support because of the stigma associated with mental illness.