Does Basil (OMORI) have BPD? (+5 Signs of issues)

This detailed blogpost will be discussing if Basil has BPD and also checking out the various other mental health disorders he might actually have. We will also be listing the different signs of mental health issues that Basil depicts in the Omori video game.

Does Basil (OMORI) have BPD? 

Yes, Basil has BPD. In the video game, Omori, in which Basil appears, his mental health disorder is not confirmed. But, it can be seen that this important supporting character actually portrays many signs of mental health issues including Borderline Personality Disorder.

Many players of the game and fans of the story arc have come up with various theories as to what mental health disorder Basil might be suffering from. In the story, Basil plays a lonely child who befriends a group and then helps one of them cover up a murder.

The game itself is characterized as a psychological horror game, and was extensively praised for its inclusion of the emotions of the playable characters, including Basil. Some of the signs and symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder which Basil portrays are:

He does not have stable relationships

In his story arc, Basil certainly does not have very stable relationships. He does not even know how to maintain friendships, even if he sincerely likes the person. This instability that he feels, only becomes worse after Mari’s death.

He has a very high fear of abandonment

Basil also experiences a very high fear of abandonment. He constantly feels that everyone will abandon him, especially after Sunny leaves the group. This fear of abandonment is actually a characteristic sign of Borderline Personality Disorder.

His mood frequently changes

In his appearances in the game, Basil can also be seen going through frequent mood swings and mood shifts. He can be seen being very calm at one point of time and immediately switching to a hysteric and angry mood the very next second.

He also seems to have a tough time in controlling his anger. This can be seen mainly after the death of Mari. In one such incident where Basil loses his temper, he even hurts and injures Sunny.

He shows self-harming behaviors

Right from the start, Basil seems to be abnormally aware of self-harming behaviors and even suicide. It was in fact, his idea to make Mari’s death look like it was suicide by suggesting Sunny to use the skipping rope.

When Sunny comes back after he leaves the group, Basil again thinks about killing himself since he is afraid that Sunny might leave him again. He seems very ready to harm himself and kill himself, depending on whether the player gives the go-ahead or not.

He has a distorted thought process

Basil’s thought process and thinking can also be seen to be distorted and abnormal in nature. He subconsciously refuses to believe that Mari’s death was caused by Sunny pushing her but that ‘Something’ caused Sunny to do so.

He even states that he physically sees ‘Something’. This abnormal thought process and hallucinatory behavior of Basil can also be seen in certain cases of Borderline Personality Disorder.

While it is often thought that Basil has Borderline Personality Disorder because of the above signs and symptoms, there are many diagnostic signs which are lacking from the list. Apart from BPD, many other alternate theories have been brought up for Basil, such as,

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is another common diagnosis which is tossed out for Basil. This is particularly because of the large difference in his behavior after Mari’s death.

After the incident, Basil shows a lot more change than Sunny and even has constant flashbacks and nightmares. Also, whenever he is around the place where Mari’s corpse was hung on the tree, Basil can be seen shrieking and crying loudly, depicting his trauma.

  • Clinical depression: Some players of the game also feel that Basil might actually have Clinical Depression. He actually seems like a very depressed and anxious character right from the start, especially with his extensive knowledge about suicide.

After the incident, Basil seems to further cave into his depression, with his nightmares and gloomy environment mirroring the same. He also shows a lot of self-harming behavior, like pulling out his hair and biting his lip very violently.

  • Schizophrenia: Another possible explanation for Basil’s mental health issues is Schizophrenia. A lot of fans actually support this mainly because of the many psychotic symptoms and episodes that Basil portrays.

Basil regularly sees ‘Something’ which others cannot see. He also hears voices. He even finds it hard to see people for who they are, and sees them as mere silhouettes whose voices are completely garbled.

Signs of Basil’s mental health issues

In the Omori video game, Basil is a very shy and anxious personality, in both Headspace and in the Real World. The character’s mental health status has been closely studied by players of the game and fans of the story arc.

Most fans of Omori feel that Basil actually has Borderline Personality Disorder or even Schizophrenia due to his frequent mood swings and even the many psychotic symptoms that he portrays.

Some of the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and disorders that Basil portrays in Omori have been listed as follows.

He shows self-harming behaviors

Right from the beginning of his character, Basil shows a lot of self-harming behaviors. This is especially after the incident of Mari’s death. For instance, he often hits his leg with his phone until it becomes completely bruised.

He also indulges in hair-pulling behaviors and even bites his lip so badly that it bleeds. In fact, even before the incident of Mari’s death, Basil actually shows a pretty good knowledge of suicidal behavior and may even have attempted suicide before.

He sincerely believes in ‘Something’

Right after Mari’s death, both Basil and Sunny are reeling from the guilt and the secretiveness of the whole thing. Both the characters deal with the incident in an entirely different way. Basil actually starts to believe that ‘Something’ was responsible for Mari’s death.

He also claims to see this ‘Something’ which is very much not there since no one else can see it. Basil also hears it and feels it closing in on him and he constantly tries to convince Sunny that he should not feel guilty since it was this ‘Something’ that killed Mari.

He is very dependent on Sunny

Even quite before the incident, Basil and Sunny share a very close bond. The incident with Mari actually brings both of them pretty close to each other, creating a traumatic bond between Basil and Sunny.

In many cases, Basil is overly dependent on Sunny and requires him to constantly communicate with him. Furthermore, Basil also shows a very high fear of abandonment when it comes to Sunny, which actually is the characteristic sign of Borderline Personality Disorder.

He sees people differently

Especially after Mari’s death, Basil starts looking at things and people quite differently. More often than not, he sees people as empty silhouettes and only hears their voice in the form of garbled static.

He goes through meltdowns

Basil also shows many meltdowns after Mari’s death. Even when he goes near the spot where Mari’s body is found, he can be seen crying and shouting. This is a sign of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder where the person experiences anxiety at the scene of the traumatic event.

Conclusion

This detailed blogpost has discussed if Basil has BPD and also checked out the various other mental health disorders he might actually have. We have also listed the different signs of mental health issues that Basil depicts in the Omori video game.

If you like this blogpost, please leave your comments and questions in the space below.

Citations

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omori_(video_game)
https://www.wired.com/story/omori-rpg-review/
https://www.technewsiit.com/omori-wonderful-heartbreaking-game
https://www.omori-game.com/en/about
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20370237#
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9762-borderline-personality-disorder-bpd
https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Borderline-Personality-Disorder

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!