A Writer’s Responsibility When Addressing Sensitive Topics
First, do no harm.
Writers need to be cautious when covering sensitive topics in their stories. Addiction, abuse, and mental illness are just a few topics where we must proceed with caution. If not handled with care, our words can hurt others even though it was not our intent to do so.
Recently, I read an article in Medium by a popular writer. This article addressed the issue of mental illness.
This is a topic that I am very familiar with. As I have mentioned in previous articles, I have bipolar disorder. This is not something that I am overly sensitive about. I don’t hide my condition, and I am open to discussing it with anyone who asks.
In the article by the popular writer, he uses the terms “mental health breakdown” and “mental illness” interchangeably. In short, he explains how he suffered a mental health breakdown which allowed him the opportunity to reinvent himself.
He explains that mental illness only hurts a person if they allow it to do so. He states that it pays to be thankful for mental illness. He claims that the size of his ego was a factor in the breakdown that he experienced. He further explains how when life falls apart, it interrupts the pattern of mental illness, thereby allowing change to occur.
According to him, the breakdown is simply reinvention in disguise. He ends the article by stating that the afflicted should let their lives fall apart because they can then begin to rebuild.
This article serves as an example of why it is so important to be careful when writing about sensitive topics, such as mental illness.
There are many issues with this article ranging from terminology to misinformation, to ignorance.
I do not feel that I would benefit anyone by attacking the author or the well-respected publication that approved this story. I believe that neither knows any better; I don’t think that anyone had ill intent.
I will not belabor the point that this author did not attempt to state that this story was specific to himself and that others in similar positions should seek professional care; instead, he generalized what happened to him and offered it as a viable approach for others.
Imagine telling a rape survivor who suffers a “mental health breakdown,” whatever that is, that the rape can only hurt them if they allow it to hurt them, that it pays to be thankful for the rape, that the size of their ego was a factor in having the breakdown, that this breakdown will allow change to take place, and that the breakdown is simply reinvention in disguise.
Finally, tell the rape survivor that they should let their lives fall apart so then they can begin to rebuild.
No one would ever tell a rape survivor this, nor would this advice be given to an addict. But this is the advice that the author offers to the mentally ill.
Each time I read the article, which has been more than half a dozen times in preparation to write the story you are reading, I shake. My heart pounds, and my head throbs. Some would say that the article is a trigger; others would say that I’m having an anxiety attack. I will offer the simple explanation that irresponsibility pisses me off and that I find this story highly offensive.
I know that I am not alone in how I feel about this article. I’m not hypersensitive, and I don’t have poor reading comprehension. I understand what the message is, and it is my sincere hope that someone who needs mental health care doesn’t use this article as a resource.
Not everyone who hits bottom has the strength or capability to begin to rebuild and reinvent. Being at the lowest point in your life isn’t a soft and gentle place for everyone to fall. Some people don’t survive hitting bottom.
As writers, we have a responsibility to our readers. The words that we release into the universe need to come from a place of both knowledge and sensitivity.
If we aren’t knowledgeable about what we are writing, we need not share it with the world. Err on the side of caution and keep your mouth shut.
At least clarify that something is solely your personal experience and not something that everyone should apply to their circumstances. Be honest and spell out that your knowledge or experience is limited.
Be sensitive to your reader and their life experience and circumstances. We don’t know whose hands our writing will end up in, but we need to do our best to foresee any apparent harm that could come from what we write based on our anticipated audience.
Again, we need to err on the side of caution. We are better off playing it safe than being sorry in the long run.
Writers have an opportunity to shape the world with our words. Choose those words carefully, and do no harm.
Suicide/Crisis Disclaimer: If you feel you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It’s a free, 24-hour hotline at 1–800–273-TALK (8255).
Linda Kowalchek is a work in progress and a member of the typewriter generation. She spends her time with her husband and her rescue cats waiting for golf balls to crash through their windows. PSA: Don’t live next to a golf course.
