What famous characters could be described as bipolar?- Page 2

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 1:56pm

"It strikes me as weird to discuss a fictional character's psyche as if they had one outside of what the author provides."

Exactly, Taz! Its kind of useless to do and in a way very insulting to folks with the actual mental health issues. People throw around terms like "bipolar", "manic", etc when they are serious terms. It hurts people's feelings who have the actual diagnosis when people say to each other, "you're acting bipolar" or "Im so bipolar today."

I used to use the term "crackhead" humorously until a friend said, "you know Im a recovered crack addict and it really hurts me when you say that." I never forgot that.

[dreaming]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 1:56pm

Henrik-Joan Crawford was a real person. Now how real that portrayal of her in "Mommie Dearest" is could be questioned. (The source is her daughter, Christina Crawford's book.)I think the film as a basis for judgment kind of gives the impression she had mood swings. (She also drank heavily, at least in the film.)

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 1:56pm

Right you are, AC.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 2:00pm

Although it does stand to reason that there might be some elements of the way Burroughs portrayed her that might not be entirely truthful. At least I believe that's how she saw it.

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 2:07pm

Roses are red,
violets are blue,
I am schizophrenic,
And so am I.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 2:08pm

To add to the list, I REALLY hate when people say "I'm so schizophrenic on this issue." It doesn't even make sense!

madbrian: That joke is made by people who confuse schizophrenia with dissociative identity disorder.

Updated On: 8/11/11 at 02:08 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 2:20pm

"Henrik-Joan Crawford was a real person."

In a manner of speaking, yes.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 5:14pm

I don't think it's insulting or ridiculous to have that conversation at all. One of my favorite literary discussions is in fact the mental state of Sherlock Holmes and whether or not he had a mental disorder and how that contributes to the understanding of the stories Doyle wrote. It's actually a fascinating discussion given that mental illnesses weren't clearly diagnosed at the time the way they are today, so Doyle must have been writing on his own experiences with patients or possibly a friend.

There is much to be gained from the discussion, since talking about a character's mental state could easily give rise to an idea of their motivation. If you don't think a musical character deserves to be read into that much, you demean the art form. It's a common topic when talking about classic plays including Ibsen, Miller and of course Shakespeare. Why not musicals too? Not to mention it's a bit fun.

So, I'm not going to deprive myself of that. Throwing a few beyond just bipolar out there:

Mrs. Lovett- BPD (if you believe in that disorder)
Sweeney- sociopath
Sally Bowles- BPD
Stine (City of Angels) - schizophrenia!
Oscar (Sweet Charity)- Panic disorder
Nathan Detroit- Pathological gambling
Caroline (Caroline, or Change)- depression (?)
Frederik (A Little Night Music)- Schitzoid personality disorder
Cora Hoover Hooper (Anyone Can Whistle)- Narcissistic Personality Disorder

And of course, the various assassins in 'Assassins' each have their own string of crazy based on their respective historical figures.


I don't see the harm in the exercise, I don't see how it's insulting either. I know from the Sherlock Holmes discussion that many people I've spoken with about it frequently like to 'claim' Sherlock as their own disorder- it's quite funny to watch how frequently it happens actually.

[binau]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 5:18pm

Fredrick, Schizoid personality disorder, really??

The first song of the show (practically) is about him trying to f%$% Anne.

Updated On: 8/11/11 at 05:18 PM

[Katurian2]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 5:21pm

"a condition characterized by excessive detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings"

Of course, we could chalk it up to adolescent awkwardness, but he does seem introverted (or something to the like) to the nth degree.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 5:33pm

You can't diagnose anyone under 18 with a personality disorder. Also, the behavioral pattern has to persist across all situations. I don't think Frederik meets enough criteria to warrant a disorder diagnosis. I'm not even sure he'd warrant a mention of schizoid traits on Axis II.

And BPD is one of the most validated and supported personality disorders, so IMO it's pretty silly to not believe it exists.
However, Mrs. Lovett does not come across as borderline at all to me. She's emotionally pretty stable and does not have the interpersonal pattern characterized by the personality style. I'd argue that she has some dependent and probably antisocial traits.

Updated On: 8/11/11 at 05:33 PM

[musialman]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 5:51pm

Just a small correction.

You don't just give someone with bi-polar disorder Prozac (an anti-deppresant). Without a good mood stabalizer (Seroquel, Lamactal, Lithium), you're looking at a Charlie Sheen.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 6:00pm

Then what about Lucia from Women on the Verge?

[chewy5000]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 10:38pm

She's also crazy. Or maybe just deranged.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 10:41pm

She had a nervous breakdown.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 10:42pm

I always thought of the depiction of Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park to be typical of someone with Asperger's. Not a mental illness, I know.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/11/11 at 10:52pm

Katurian are you talking about Fredrik or Henrik Egerman (not me, although I do suffer from narcissistic personality disorder here I'm referring to the actual character)? Either way, I don't see a schizoid personality.

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 8/12/11 at 2:38am

Probably not bipolar, but Rapunzel in Into the Woods (Act II) is definitely a nutcase.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 8/12/11 at 3:13am

what about Moritz in Spring Awakening? Would he qualify for anything?

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 8/12/11 at 1:20pm

^ Moritz probably had/has clinical depression.

I don't know what she has, but Rose Havoc (in real life and the musical) was a little cray-cray.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/12/11 at 1:42pm

I think Moritz had more of an anxiety disorder.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 8/12/11 at 3:43pm

Dorothy Gale. Crazy as a rat in a tin ****house, that one.

[Nettik]

Posted: 8/12/11 at 4:07pm

I think Moritz had a combination of depression and anxiety. The two often go hand-in-hand.