Mental dysfunctions as childhood friends. What a world.
I have a story. Similar to when Lyra visits the dead in The Amber Spyglass, where death follows people like physical shadows. Where each hooded figure is a friend, and when the being kneels down and takes the old woman's hand it is not frightening. This story (or perhaps more of a premise, really) would feature mental handicaps physically intruding with people. I would want to do more research into each disorder before displaying my ignorance in written form. I'm thinking about treating most mental problems like children who beg for help. The goal would be to show that people who act on their disorders are trying to help themselves, trying to please, not trying to harm or malfunction.