I know everyone rants about these, by my gosh, I am sick of it. What is up with stories about depression, rape, and suicide?*
Yes, all these things happen, but with the amount of these stories written, you'd think 95% of the population cuts and is abused as a child.
Okay... I do know why people write these. It's wish fullfillment. To be in the darkest place imaginable and then having some gorgeous lover save them and have them live happily ever after, is a lot of girls' dream. (Not all, I understand this, because I'm not like that)
The idea of rape and self harm being wish fulfillment is sickening to me. How does the idea of being hurt by yourself and others seem like a good idea for a love story? Is it honestly because the crappier the life of the one involved, the more romantic it is? No.
Let me explain what each of these things is.
Self harm is as addicting as drugs. When you cut, the pain releases endorphins in the brain which help you to think clearer and to be less emotional. Soon, the pain received isn't enough so people cut deeper and deeper. Eventually, someone either gets them help, they stop, or they end up killing themselves. To want to go through this kind of pain just to feel better, isn't something you use for romantics.
Depression is like a fur coat, it's made of dead things and it makes you not care about the cold. You feel nothing but sadness and the lack of care for anything. When you're depressed, you don't go to Nandos, you only perform the basic things needed to survive. I've been through it, and it was a struggle to eat a single meal a day. You kill yourself slowly with depression, and you don't care about the pain. Eventually you make yourself sick from a lowered immune system, and you increase your risk to die from infection and other illnesses.
Suicide is the final result to depression. This isn't something to be taken lightly, not at all. During 9/11 people jumped from the building because they'd rather be smashed on the concrete than be crushed or burned alive. How terrible does that sound? Not romantic. Some people see no way out of their situation, and this isn't just prominent in abusive families or relationships. I have a friend that tried to kill herself and her parents were the sweetest people ever. Her life wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terrible.
Rape. Just, no. The idea of rape terrifies me. I don't know why people use this in their stories as tragic backstory, but it's disturbing. Think about it. A girl/guy is taken against their will, slammed onto a floor, and forced to strip their clothes for someone they don't know or don't like. Plese explain to me why this sounds like a good idea for a story.
*I'm not saying that these things cannot be used in a story, but they cannot be used lightly. Only a few people can pull this kind of thing off, and unr=til you understand what the repercussions are from these things, then you shouldn't write about them.
