Mental illness is often considered an invisible ailment because the symptoms of disorders like PTSD, depression, and anxiety aren’t outward facing like a limp, wheelchair, or hearing aid. This makes representation for people who deal with these hurdles every day important because you can’t tell if someone has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder by looking at them. Since these disorders can often be alienating it’s also important to provide a sense of “you are not alone” to people who have these added challenges.

Resources:
Kathleen S. Allen’s Mental Illness In Fiction: Getting It Right

Rosie Claverton’s 5 Biggest Mistakes When Writing Mental Illness

Robert Wood’s What To Consider When Writing Mental Illness

TED Playlist The Struggle of mental health (I have not watched the entire playlist yet.)

Disclaimer: I have not been diagnosed with a mental illness and I’m not trying to say writers who do not have to deal with these kinds of issues on a daily basis are entitled to tell these stories. We’re not. But since there are writers who want to add accurate representations of what life with mental illness is to literature, we should at least do our best to understand the most realistic portrayal.