Here are our characters!
MAIN:
Name: Benjamin ”Benji" Simmons.
Age: 18.
Mental health issue: Anorexia nervosa.
Brief character description: Benji was a pretty happy person before his eating disorder, but not eating and losing weight made him lose all his energy and now he just wants to sleep all day, but his friends come over to him every day and cheer him up a bit, take him with them on activities his body can handle, encourage him to at least eat something even when food makes him want to throw it all back up.
Background: Benji’s eating disorder had its beginnings when he was only 15. It came from pressure from his parents about his grades and his future, as well as people looking down on him. He took those looks as people thought he was fat, and felt the need to lose weight. So, he stopped eating. Told his parents he wasn’t feeling hungry or had homework to do when it was time for dinner, only ate a little bit at lunch and told his friends he had had a big breakfast when they questioned him about it.Eventually they noticed his way too big drop in weight, and decided to tell the school nurse, who contacted Benji and helped him get help from professionals.He was put on rehab, and stayed there for about a year before he was released, but he is on monthly checkups to make sure he’s not going back to the eating disorder.
SIDE:
Name: Alex Montgomery
Age: 20
Mental health issue: Social anxiety
Brief character description: Alex is actually a very happy, nice and energetic person, but in social places he gets very uncomfortable and sometimes even panic attacks. Even the smallest thing puts him off, and meeting new people is the worst thing he knows.
Background: Alex’s social anxiety was first detected when he got a panic attack when his parents wanted him to order food himself when he was 13.
He has since went to a psychiatrist once a week to talk about everything, and who also gives him challenges to finish until the next meeting.
MAIN:Name: Theresa "Tessa" Reilly
Age: 18
Mental health issue: Aspergers
Brief character description: Tessa is a pretty quiet person, usually. She likes to keep to herself, and pursue her interests, especially filmmaking. She likes bringing a video camera with her wherever she goes, to record every day life, as she experiences it. At times she can get very eccentric when talking about certain topics, but mainly when talking about her special interest. She likes observing people, but prefers doing so through the camera, as it creates distance between her and the rest of the world. She loves animals, and has a cat called Norma at her parent's house, whom she lives with.
Background: She received her diagnosis when she was six years old, but has never been particularly interested in it. She is at peace with who she is, but faces difficulties with the people around her, as she has a tendency to be bad at communicating her thoughts, and sometimes can go non-verbal when stressed. She is seeing a psychologist specialised in ASD, to get help with her communication difficulties, and was recommended group therapy in order to practise communicating with strangers.
SIDE:(guy on the right)
Name: August Cooper - goes by Cooper.
Age: 21
Mental health issue: Bipolar disorder
Brief character description: (alright, i have a clear vision of this guy in my head, but i dont really know exactly how he is yet, so bear with me, cuz its BRIEF af) Very outgoing, eccentric and talkative person. He tends to experience more frequent highs than lows, but has been struggling with alcohol addiction on/off, when he reaches his lows.
Background: Recently received his diagnosis, and has been struggling with coming to terms with his mental illness. He moved out when he was 18, and has been working odd jobs ever since he graduated high school. His parents are pressuring him into going to community college, but he's unsure of what he wants to do with his life and his interests. He moved out due to frequent fights with his parents, due to his mood swings and drinking problems. Decided to go to group therapy after heavy pressuring from his parents, if he didn't want to go to college, since they figured that could at least (maybe) set him on the right course - if he met some people who shared some of his struggles, and learned some coping mechanisms.