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The representation of BPD in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

 Manav Sharma

The representation of BPD in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Unlike the other prevalent visual media’s content about a ‘crazy’ person, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which premiered in 2015 on the CW, is a show about Rebecca Bunch (played by co-creator and writer Rachel Bunch) and her struggle with borderline personality disorder. Time and again, the visual media industry has constantly given into the narrative of either reinforcing the existing harmful stereotypes surrounding various mental illnesses or have commercialised these mental illnesses through the sensationalism of the same. Whether it’s Sherlock’s ‘mad genius’ and ‘high-functioning sociopath’ stereotypes or the characterisation of Harley Quinn as a ‘violent mentally ill’ person, this process of stereotyping and commercialisation is detrimental to the awareness regarding various mental disorders. This also almost dehumanises the people who suffer mental disorders like borderline personality disorder and, hence, they just end up remaining fictional characters with mental illnesses being characterised as just their ‘quirks’. Psychologist Carmen Harra mentions, “The majority of shows and movies that deal with themes of mental illness usually portray the mentally ill person as an antagonist; a 'psycho' that deserves to be locked up, punished, or even killed for their erratic, dangerous behaviour” (Gillespie, 2018). This, hence, ends up undermining the normalcy and prevalence of mental health issues in the general population and, moreover, due to the attached stereotypes on top of that, it restrains people from seeking the necessary help from mental health professionals.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has constantly been acclaimed by psychologists and mental health professionals due to the accuracy of its portrayal of mental health issues and personality disorders like borderline personality disorder (BPD). It’s a show about how after an accidental meeting with her past romantic interest, Rebecca Bunch abandons her life and partnership at a top New York law firm in an attempt to discover happiness, love, and adventure due to chronic feelings of emptiness she feels, she relocates to the improbable suburb of West Covina, California. It shows the reality of the struggle of a person who suffers from BPD and the therapy process, particularly living after you’ve received a formal diagnosis. Over the years, the BPD diagnosis has come to be associated with being ‘crazy’, ‘too much to handle, ‘attention-seeking’ and ‘manipulative’, to name a few. Such stereotypes and labels restrict people who have BPD from having a seemingly normal life. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, on the other hand, humanises the main protagonist, Rebecca Bunch, and portrays her struggle with living with BPD and the therapy process. The first two seasons of the show build up compassion and empathy for her which is very rare for people who suffer from personality disorders, particularly BPD in this case. The show also does end up ‘fixing’ Rebecca’s BPD after she receives a formal diagnosis in season 3. She shows fear of abandonment, suicidal behaviour, unstable relationships and self-image, chronic feelings of emptiness and dissociative experiences which are characteristic of BPD according to DSM-V. They also reflect the complexities of her emotional feelings through feelings. Settle for me, The Darkness and West Covina are the epitomai of the aforementioned type of songs from the series which are critically acclaimed for their accuracy. The succeeding seasons depict her struggle with the therapeutic process as well which is also reflective of BPD patients’ struggle with the therapy process. This is reflected when Rebecca struggles to open up to her first therapist, Dr Akopian¸and they fail to form a therapeutic alliance. This show builds up Rebecca as a complex character and it becomes almost satirical i.e., despite the show’s title is “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”, Rebecca is portrayed to transcend beyond her ‘crazy’ label (one which is quite often associated with people who are diagnosed with BPD). Another issue that the series is able to overcome is that of the sensationalism of mental disorders in visual media. The show does not sensationalise BPD for commercial reasons; it humanises Rebecca as someone with BPD and it very realistically depicts her everyday struggle and how BPD affects her daily life, relationships, work, etc without using it in horror-thriller trope (a common stereotype for personality disorder). She mentions, “My whole life I’ve only known how to be like really good or really bad but being human is living in that kind of in-between space” while talking to her therapist about therapy and how her BPD symptoms manifest in her life (Bloom, 2015).

While the show makers have indicated that the upcoming season will be the last season of this series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend sets up a precedent with respect to how TV series and movies can portray mental illnesses in a more authentic and realistic light.

 

References

 

Bloom, R. (Director). (2015). Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Gillespie, C. (2018, February 15). ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Succeeds in Portraying Mental Illness Where So Many Other TV Shows Have Failed. Self.

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