How To Write The Slow Breakdown of a Character's Insanity

The Psychology of Insanity

My daughter turned 4 two days ago, so I had to take a week off from writing to make preparations for her birthday party. My husband and I took our daughter to shop for dresses, chocolates and cakes. We purchased everything to her liking — bangles, hairbands, tiaras and stuff like that.

Things went well, until the morning of her birthday. And then, she had a slow breakdown–first, she was upset for no apparent reason. But it quickly escalated to a full-blown meltdown by the time the party was over in the evening and we had a hard time putting her down to sleep.

I tried to talk to her about it the next evening (my husband is worse than a novice when it comes to emotional affairs). She brushed it off playfully and focused on teaching me alphabets instead. Nothing was wrong in plain sight. But I had this nagging feeling that there was something deep down suffocating her mind. I couldn’t find it and the idea that my baby is suffering from big emotions while I waited helplessly was profoundly unsettling.

So, even after the party ended and life settled back to normal, I couldn’t process stuff in my mind enough to find inspiration for my next article. So, here’s a very short guide on how to write the slow breakdown of a character’s sanity (I’m experiencing it first-hand, right now;)

1. Make them regret

Create a situation where your character feels regret even when they are not responsible for it or can’t do anything about it.

2. Past Haunts

Your character having flashbacks, nightmares or in extreme cases, hallucinations like what happened with Amara in my book, Drop Dead Darlings, is a great way to show the mental breakdown.

3. Painful memories

Having objects or places that constantly remind them of the thing, situation or person they regret is a great idea.

4. Behavioural changes

Your character gets angrier, frustrated or anxious suddenly and in a irrational manner.

5. Becoming a loner

Have moments of self-isolation, heightened awareness of senses, and internal monologues.

6. Conflicting emotions

Show your character questioning their reality and struggling with inner conflicts.

7. Destructive behaviour

As a final dramatic touch, let your character do something dangerous that could hurt themselves or their loved ones.

Try using these tricks to write your fictional insane character and tell me in the comments if it worked or not.

Oh, and by the way, I finally found what was bothering my daughter!

We were waiting for her school bus this morning. “Be a good girl at school, learn and have fun with your friends, sweetheart!” I said the way I do every single morning before the school bus picked her up. Normally, she would be excited about the new day and the new games she would play at school.

But today, she had this intense worried expression on her face. She said, “Ma, why don’t we just go back inside and play with our toys at home? You’re my best friend. I just want to play with you. I don’t want any friends because I love you so much.”

I had been encouraging her to make friends at school and our neighbourhood park, lately. The idea is to finally rest my feet for a few minutes while she still had fun. But her little mind must have assumed that, “Oh, Mommy wants me to have other friends so she could get rid of me.”

I was touched by her reply and gently assured her that I loved her too. Maybe she isn’t ready to give up on our playtime to be with kids her age. Maybe I should let her decide when she needs playmates other than her mommy all the while giving her appropriate space and exposure to explore social interactions. Am I wrong?