Can I get help diagnosing my character?

[Thalian]

I am writing a post-apocalyptic short story where the main character believes (I'm not sure if he is or is not either) he is the last remaining human on earth. In short, the world had a catastrophe, blah blah blah, he watched all of his loved-ones die and everyone else die, including his dog, and the world is a wasteland, yet he still lives. Your basic "last human alive" stuff.

The character has suicidal thoughts but still continues on, and he puts himself into potentially dangerous situations (going into cities - threat of there being people there who will kill him), and instead of being scared of these situations he goes into them numb, thinking that if he has human contact and is killed, at least he had the human contact and would be glad to be dead. He does not have recurring and terrifying flashbacks of the catastrophe, though the past is revealed in flashbacks gradually, so these "flashback scenes" could be traumatizing flashbacks. Obviously he misses his loved ones, and it is the search to find out if his girlfriend is dead or not (she left on a plane the day the world started to end and all communication ended), even though he realizes she is dead, he is still uncertain.

I believe that is everything that could help diagnose this character. I just want to know what he would "have" so I can research it and do it properly. PTSD seems like the obvious answer, but it does not seem to put it all together.

I appreciate any and all help, and I thank-you before hand!

 

[CupofJoe]

PTSD is a pretty wide label but elements of it does fit what you've described.
I'd also ad in Survivor Guilt. The why me?, why did I survive? will be tearing them apart.
And I think boredom will be in there too... I think humans are very social animals and being [really, truly and endlessly] alone doesn't work for most of us.

 

[Tom]

Definitely PTSD (emotional numbness, flashbacks), but I think he might have another condition in addition to that. Suicidal thoughts and reckless behavior? Sounds like he's also suffering from depression.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Research dissociation.

Psychological dissociation is broad spectrum, meaning your character can run anywhere from mild, to the more severe forms. Considering the character's situation, they would certainly be affected by this is some way.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

You need to clarify your story. You haven't decided if he is the last person or not. If he the last person then he is not putting himself in extra danger by going to the cities, because there is no one there who would kill him. It could be he thinks he is the last person and there could be other survivors but he has not been able to contact any of them. A reason he is not be scared to go to a city with people who may kill him could be because the fear of being alone for the rest of his life is greater than the fear of dying. Also consider having no disorder mentioned. If a person's mother dies and they become distraught, it is not a disorder...is life. Now if everybody dies except you having greater sadness is normal. What would be strange is if the person thought everything is alright. Hope this helps.

 

[spectre]

It sounds more like shock than PTSD tbh.

Acute stress reaction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Tom]

PTSD is a long-term extension of the acute stress reaction, brought on by chronic exposure to extreme situations. Army deployment is a good example--never knowing if or when your convoy's going to hit a roadside IED, waking up every day not knowing if you're going to be in combat or ambushed or taken as a POW. I mean, think of all the vets who come home with PTSD.

The fact that the stress response is only supposed to last a limited amount of time is what makes PTSD so damaging--you're always geared up as if in response to a stressor, even if there is none.

 

[Caged Maiden]

I use a bit of survivor's remorse in my current novel, for two of my characters. The symptoms aren't similar between the two, but both are coping with the question, "Why am I still alive?" after watching so many others die. I think if you're looking for a way to explain his particular symptoms, you don't ever need a name for it. Well, unless the character invents one. He can be suffering any phenomenon you think he might have, but you don't need to remain within the boundaries of any studied conditions. I personally made both characters react completely differently to their circumstances, because people handle stress and react to guilt/ remorse differently. Where one becomes rash and almost suicidal in her actions, the other shuts off and disassociates from most everything in the world, except his brother. I like the contrast for my purposes and I hope your character becomes a deeper person as he survives his predicament and begins to come to grips with his problems and stresses.

That's the thing about characters, if you build on them over time, the reader gets to know them like a real person. When first you meet a person, you see them at face value, what they show you. It's similar even in first person, those things a person most identifies themself with. As the story progresses, you should find ways to go deeper into his psyche and allow the reader to get to know him more like a good friend--those things he wouldn't share on a first meeting. It takes time for a person to get over a shocking situation and get to the root of their personal problems/ feelings. If you paint that picture too early, you risk losing the reader in a barrage of back story and traumas suffered. It's much more effective to show him as he sees himself and explore the hurts as they surface. My husband often says when we fight, "So that's the thing that's constantly on your mind, is it?" What he means by that is that when I bring up a subject, like a past hurt we never dealt with and resolved, it isn't as if it's something I think about every day. I mean, do widows miss their husbands incessantly? Do I mourn my dead dog frequently? All animals have a built in defense mechanism that allows pain to heal over time, memories to fade. Perhaps your character is more pained by the guilt of losing some of his "caring" than by actually traumatized by being alone.

People are all different. I'd explore this deeper and see what fits best.

 

[SeverinR]

ISolation will also become a problem.


PTSD, survivors remorse(why did they die and I lived) isolation.
Solitary Confinement and Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons: A Challengefor Medical Ethics
This talks about solitary confinement, basically in a world with no other people, he would suffer from this.

Isolation-Torture in the u.s.aThis one really gets into the subject. It also talks about the after affects. Use what you need.

I believe they start talking to themselves just to hear someone talking. Maybe even have full conversations?

Handle the dog death carefully, people will watch people getting hacked apart, blown to bits, killed in everyway possible, but dwell to long on the dying pet and they will lose it.

 

[SeverinR]

The Dog Lives

 

[ascanius]

The character has suicidal thoughts but still continues on, and he puts himself into potentially dangerous situations (going into cities - threat of there being people there who will kill him), and instead of being scared of these situations he goes into them numb, thinking that if he has human contact and is killed, at least he had the human contact and would be glad to be dead. He does not have recurring and terrifying flashbacks of the catastrophe, though the past is revealed in flashbacks gradually, so these "flashback scenes" could be traumatizing flashbacks. Obviously he misses his loved ones, and it is the search to find out if his girlfriend is dead or not (she left on a plane the day the world started to end and all communication ended), even though he realizes she is dead, he is still uncertain.

Well the flashbacks and what not would probably be PTSD like others have said.

I think however you should go with a Toxoplasma infection for the suicidal/fearless aspect. As a nerd I think it would be an interesting angle.

 

[Penpilot]

For me I wouldn't worry about putting a label on it. You have your character. They went through some bad stuff. Because of this they feel a certain way and they act a certain way. Different people react differently to different situations. Unless you are doing a character study about a certain condition, I don't think it matters as long as you're true to your character and common sense.

One thing I noticed, and it might just be me reading something into your description, is your character seems a little passive. They seem to wandering around without purpose with this attitude of poor me if I die I die. It seems like they don't have a goal, which risks the story meandering too and becoming boring. (If they do have a goal then ignore this.)