Does Andie McPhee have Bipolar? (+7 Signs & Symptoms)
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The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
The current blogpost will be answering if Andie McPhee has bipolar. We will also be going through the various signs and symptoms of bipolar that Andie McPhee portrays in Dawson’s Creek and some of the factors which may have contributed to this.
Does Andie McPhee have Bipolar?
Yes, Andie McPhee has Bipolar. However, Andie McPhee is not shown to undergo any proper clinical diagnosis of bipolar in the show, Dawson’s Creek. At the same time, she portrays many signs and symptoms of this mental illness, along with many other issues.
The character’s struggles with mental health have been clearly portrayed in the series. However, the mental health issues that she struggles from are not specific and this has often caused fans of the show to complain.
Apart from bipolar disorder, Andie McPhee is portrayed to suffer from many other mental issues and shows symptoms of many other mental health conditions. Some of the other mental illnesses that Andie McPhee may be suffering from are listed in the following points.
- Anxiety: Andie McPhee is generally a very anxious person whenever she is depicted in Dawson’s Creek. Her anxiety levels actually increase after her brother tragically dies and she is forced to take care of her ailing mother.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Another set of mental health experts and Dawson’s Creek fans argue that Andie McPhee actually suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and nothing more than this.
The main reason for this is that her stress and anxiety levels flare up dramatically after she loses her brother in the accident. Andie was clearly not able to cope with the loss of her brother, and this causes a lot of undue stress, leading to her mental health issues.
- Depression: A certain set of Dawson’s Creek fans also assume that Andie McPhee suffers from clinical depression and not necessarily bipolar. This is because, when she finally seeks treatment, it is mentioned that the new meds are meant to help her during her lows.
Many fans also disagree with the diagnosis of bipolar and claim Andie only suffers from depression. This is because, Andie McPhee is often shown to be only going into a low state and not a manic state as bipolar disorder would cause.
- Schizophrenia: Still others claim that Andie McPhee suffers from schizophrenia. However, this is also not confirmed by the show and is also not supported well from the depictions in the series.
The only possible symptom of schizophrenia which Andie McPhee portrays is hallucinations. She also showed emotional fluctuations and severe psychosis which eventually led her to seek treatment at a mental health facility.
- Substance-abuse: Another mental health issue that Andie McPhee seems to suffer from is substance abuse. Andie can be seen trying ecstasy at a rave which leads her to overdose and pass out.
She also can be seen popping her mother’s pills to cope with stress and is also the one who goes ahead and steals ecstasy from Jen, which ultimately led to her overdose. Andie also does not agree to take her own medication for the sake of her mental health.
- Narcissistic personality disorder: Some fans of Dawson’s Creek also argue that Andie McPhee may be suffering from narcissistic personality disorder. This is because the character only focuses on herself and does not care about the needs and feelings of others.
She can also be seen being unfaithful and unsteady in her relationships and is known to put others in danger and risk for her own gratification. She also shows a lot of manipulative behaviors, especially towards Pacey.
Signs and symptoms of Andie McPhee’s Bipolar
While Dawson’s Creek does not clearly mention what mental illness Andie McPhee has been diagnosed with, it is clear that she may be mostly suffering from bipolar disorder. In the following section, Andie McPhee’s signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder have been discussed.
She is shown to be anxious most of the time
Andie McPhee is depicted to be anxious most of the time in the episodes in Dawson’s Creek. Whether it is in relation to her schoolwork or even social relationships, Andie gets anxious and easily frustrated and also goes through many mood swings.
While this is a natural part of her personality, the levels of her anxiety only increase after the passing away of her brother. Andie also feels guilty about it, which further fuels her symptoms of bipolar.
She showed an unhealthy relationship with medication
Right from the start, Andie shows an unhealthy relationship when it comes to medication and substances. She starts consuming her mother’s pills to cope with stress. She then turns to drugs and finally overdoses on ecstasy at a rave.
She experienced hallucinations
Andie McPhee is also shown to be hallucinating at times, mainly of her brother. While hallucinations are commonly not experienced in bipolar disorder, they definitely appear in severe cases of bipolar disorder, which goes to show how direly ill Andie McPhee was.
She seeks attention
Another sign of bipolar disorder and other mental health issues in Andie McPhee is that she can be very attention seeking, particularly when it comes to the opposite sex. As a result, she also demonstrates a lot of sexual promiscuity.
She shows high impulsivity
Andie McPhee also shows a lot of impulsive behaviors. For instance, she impulsively consumes ecstasy at a rave after stealing it from Jen. She consumes it without thinking about the consequences which actually lead to her overdose.
She shows instability in her relationships
Another main symptom of bipolar that is shown in Andie McPhee is her instability in relationships. She has an on and off relationship with Pacey. And when she was indeed in a relationship with him, she slept with someone else in her mental facility.
Throughout the series, Andie McPhee is not shown in a healthy and stable relationship. She actually seems to have a string of flings. The only seemingly stable relationship that Andie has is that with Pacey which she screws up over and over again.
She lies and manipulates people
Andie also lies a lot and can be seen manipulating others for her own selfish gains. For example, Andie McPhee lies and accuses Rob of sexually assaulting her, causing Pacey to pick a fight with him.
Causes of Andie McPhee’s Bipolar
Andie McPhee’s Bipolar could have been caused by several factors and not just one. In the following points, we have tried to explain the main causal factors behind Andie McPhee’s bipolar disorder.
- Familial history: The main cause of Andie McPhee’s bipolar disorder along with her other mental health issues is the family history of mental illnesses. Her mother, Andrea McPhee can also be seen to be suffering from mental health issues throughout the series.
- Death of her brother: Andie McPhee’s life basically falls apart after the death of her brother. In fact, the signs and symptoms of Andie McPhee’s bipolar along with other mental health issues actually multiplied exponentially after the traumatic accident.
- Her broken home: When compared to the other characters from Dawson’s Creek, Andie McPhee is often shown to be alone and does not have any parental guidance or proper parental figures. This unhealthy environment could have also contributed to her bipolar.
Conclusion
The current blogpost has answered if Andie McPhee has bipolar. We have also gone through the various signs and symptoms of bipolar that Andie McPhee portrays in Dawson’s Creek and some of the factors which may have contributed to this.
If you like this blogpost, please leave your comments and questions in the space below.
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