Character Weaknesses: Disorders?

[Ashla]

This is something I'm curious about. Most people around the world, including me, have dealt with at least one type of metal, physical, or whatever else type disorder or long lasting illness. If lot's of people in this world struggle with this, what about fictional characters? Yes, we all want our characters to be the strongest on the site, but disorders do provide excellent weaknesses not only in battle, but overall in the character. That disorder will always affect the character in some way. Do you think that disorders and illness stand for good character weaknesses?

Here's an example from something I have: Bob has restless leg syndrome, and it tends to drive him crazy; especially when he has to stay in one place for a long period of time. It also leaves him awake for hours, feeling that constant urge to move. Poor Bob... Even something that really wouldn't need medical treatment, therapy, etc. could affect a character. How would they react to the symptoms? Does it affect their self esteem?

I mentioned that I have the same thing Bob has (RSD really does drive me crazy.) Do you think that the only way to capture this type of thing well is experience? Or do you just need to research it and give it your best shot?

So, what's your thoughts? Have you ever tried anything like this? Post here!

[hoytti]

Sorish has the Red Death Disease. It is a rare disease among the Coralian populous, but those who have it are stepped around in order to be kept happy as they tend to get violent when angered enough. Sorish is getting better at controlling it, but he will never be able to completely stop it.

[black shadow]

Shadow can't speak. Not a disorder, just an injury tht never healed, but it drives him crazy and causes me to think outside the box when writing with him.

[Tobias Stalt]

Tobias isn't stupid, but he doesn't like convoluted speech. Sometimes when people try to speak in riddles or don't say what they mean, he misinterprets things. And sometimes, he gets angry.

He's also quiet and reserved, and doesn't get along well with others.

[Drumheller]

Some of Drumheller’s psychological issues include, but are not limited to: Drumheller suffers from tramatic nightmares, and were’s a gage to keep himself from screaming at night. He is unable to sleep in a bed, and tucks his knees up against his chest before he goes to sleep. Physical contact of any kind is something he isn’t uncomfortable with. He is hypervigelent. He isn’t afraid to die. Not that he will openly seak out death, but he has no fear of it. He feels a “deep abiding since of shame,” over events in his past.

[Drumheller]

And no one doesn't have to have experienced something to do it well.

[Philomel]

Philomel has intense Paterphobia (fear of her father), though he is now dead ... and Veridian is afraid of storms.
Leaf has temper issues.
Blodwen has OCPD, a mild form of OCD as far as I am concerned.

I am currently creating a character with mild depression and a strangely exact injury over his zygomaticus major muscle - meaning he cannot smile.

I have RLS too, Blue, and I find it to be annoying. I find actually lying flat in bed where the muscle has nothing above it helps. Strangely.

[Ashla]

Here's what my characters have:

- Ashla has mild cases of sleep paralysis from time to time. And by now, I could say she has Atychiphobia, the phobia of failure. She had depression during the happenings in Eiskalt up until she started P.A.L.E.
- Kaida has amnesia of her recent life and restless leg syndrome.
- Julius, although an npc, will be mentioned. He's suffered with depression in his past.
- Felicity has both Rhotacism (the inability to properly pronounce her r's) and Lambdacism (the inability to pronounce her l's.) Because of this she's developed Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, the fear of long words; as she commonly could mispronounce them.
- Percy is anti-social, with a slight case of Enochlophobia, the fear of crowds.

[Drumheller]

My mother also has restless leg issues, we deal with it through acupuncture.
Remember, one does not need to see a thing to still know where it is.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Weaknesses with Madison. Where do I start?!

Nah; for real, though...

Madison's biggest weakness, hands down, is the Catch-22 she always deals with regarding interpersonal relationships. Madison hates getting attached to people, because deep down she knows that she will eventually lose them, either by her own doing or through things out of her control. She absolutely hates that sense of loss that comes with the departure of someone in her life, no matter how big or small of an impact they made on her. So, to prevent that from ever happening, Maddy puts up walls and has these self-defense mechanisms that push people away so she doesn't form that bond.

The thing is, she desperately craves that deeper level of connection with those in her life. For the few who manage to break through her defenses, she clings onto and she gets very protective of them. All the while, she just knows that she will lose them one day, and grows more and more afraid of that inevitable moment and starts pushing them away again.

It's an endless, brutal cycle that she suffers through daily.