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”
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
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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