Unlocking the Magic

In fantasy stories, we read about people with mental illness who are susceptible to magic, closer to breaks in reality, more likely to be able to see the invisible. Depression is depicted as just a symptom of the quest being too hard and a love interest will snap the character right out of it. People with schizophrenia can see spirits and demons, but these people are discarded as the detritus of society once they are no longer useful to the plot. Bipolar disorder is often represented in the villains, those with the visions of God and their own invulnerability. People with PTSD can just get over it as the plot requires.These narratives are damaging and ignore the lives of people with mental illness to the point of romanticizing and erasing their experiences. The stories in this anthology challenge those narratives and show what can be accomplished when we take care of ourselves and seek help. They show the reality of being mentally ill, even though the settings are fantastical and magic abounds. These stories reveal how mental illness and its treatment can affect the magic that lies within all of us.