Personality disorders are fascinating. They have their very own section in the Diagnostic Services Manual, Fifth Edition (the psychologist’s and psychiatrist’s bible when it comes
Category: Psychological Disorders
The Importance of Mental Health Research When writing Fiction
I’ve mentioned before that I believe we’re all psychologists at heart. The study of the human psyche fascinates us all because it gives us a
Selective Mutism for Writers
This week’s blog post was requested by a reader, one of my favourite ways to prompt an article. By chance, I also happened to read
Eating Disorders: Bulimia Nervosa for Writers
For our second week of eating disorders (prompted by my current short-story) I’m tackling bulimia nervosa. Of the two eating disorders we’re discussing, bulimia is
Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa for Writers
I’m writing a short story at the moment for an anthology and my heroine has the early stages of an eating disorder. But as I
Histrionic Personality Disorder for Writers
Dramatic characters capture our attention just by merit of their personality. The opposite of introverts, they feed off the attention of others and are willing
Schizophrenia for Writers
The manuscript that I’m currently working on has a character with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. This character is the father of my protagonist, and seeing
Psychology for Writers: ADHD
I read a book recently, a contemporary romance, where the male protagonist had a diagnosis of ADHD. It was a well written, beautiful love story
Narcissism for Writers
The term ‘narcissism’ comes from Greek mythology, where beautiful, proud Narcissus fell in love with his own image in a pool of water. It’s not
Psychology For Writers: Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol has played a central role in almost all human cultures since the Stone Age. Interestingly, there’s evidence that the development of agriculture – a
Psychology for Writers: Depression
We’ve all felt sad, lost, or hopeless at some stage in our life. It’s a natural part of the 10,000 highs and 10,000 lows Buddha
Panic Attacks for Writers
Fear was hardwired into our brain long before our ancestors had developed the language to name it. Our great-granddaddy’s and great-grandmummy’s couldn’t afford to miss
Autism Spectrum Disorder for Writers
If you’ve got a character who has autism then you’ve just set yourself a challenge, but a challenge that has some of the greatest flexibility
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for Writers
The moment Katniss Everdeen volunteers herself as tribute in place of her younger sister, the heroine of the Hunger Games begins a journey of war
