The Fearful Mind: Elements of Psychological Disorders in Mariana Enríquez’s Horror Fiction

In the Spanish-language horror short story collections “Los peligros de fumar en la cama” and “La cosas que perdimos en el fuego,” Argentine author Mariana Enríquez explores issues such as trauma and anxiety, weaving the supernatural and realistic together to craft haunting tales. Through her portrayal of tormented and dysfunctional characters, Enríquez draws upon features of psychological disorders found in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This essay demonstrates how Enríquez highlights the horror inherent in an unreliable, unstable reality by reproducing features of psychological disorders that compromise one's perception of, and interactions with, the outside world.