Does Betty Cooper have bipolar? (+7 Signs of bipolar)
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In this blogpost, we will be describing if Betty Cooper has bipolar. We will also be checking out some signs of Betty Cooper’s bipolar and other mental issues. Finally, we will be discussing the various causal factors behind Betty’s mental issues.
Does Betty Cooper have bipolar?
Yes, Betty Cooper has bipolar. Betty Cooper, from the Riverdale series, is often portrayed to go through frequent mood swings and anger issues, and definitely shows many signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Throughout the episodes, Betty Cooper can be seen to slowly suffer from mental health issues. While there is no accurate diagnosis of what mental condition Betty Cooper might be suffering from, it is most likely bipolar disorder based on the signs and symptoms that she portrays.
However, in deeply studying the symptoms portrayed by Betty Cooper, viewers can also understand that she might be suffering from some other mental illness. Other possible mental illnesses that Betty Cooper might be suffering from are:
1. Borderline Personality Disorder: Apart from bipolar disorder, many viewers speculate that Betty Cooper might be suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. This is mainly because the character shows a lot of trouble in controlling her anger issues.
She also tends to withdraw herself and remain reclusive for extended periods of time, whenever she is stressed or anxious. Furthermore, Betty is many times seen to harm and hurt herself, which is very common in Borderline Personality Disorder.
2. Dissociative Identity Disorder: Another mental health condition that Betty Cooper might be suffering from, other than bipolar disorder is Dissociative Identity Disorder. Most of the time, Betty is shown to be an intelligent, smart and calm person.
On the other hand, during certain times, she shows an extreme opposite of her otherwise calm personality. For example, in one instance, she pole dances in front of the Serpents in order to protect Jughead, which is definitely far from her original personality.
She also physically assaulted Chuck and almost drowned him as part her ‘alter’ personality or ‘dark Betty’. In this experience, Betty actually refers to herself in third person, as if she is someone else altogether.
3. Substance abuse: Betty Cooper definitely suffers from substance abuse problems. Throughout the Riverdale series, the character is seen to be consuming Adderall which she obtains illegally.
Many viewers also speculate that many of the mental health issues that Betty Cooper suffers from come as a result of her drug addiction. In fact, in one episode, she is known to go through a seizure which is mostly caused by her unhealthy relationship with Adderall.
4. Perfectionism: While this is not exactly a clinical diagnosis, Betty Cooper definitely suffers from perfectionism, which worsen her other struggles with mental health. Experts on the show also blame this aspect for her mental issues.
Betty Cooper’s perfection often gets her into a lot of trouble, and causes even more stress. Perfectionism often accompanies the manic phases of bipolar disorder, but might not be so evident during the depressive phase.
Betty’s perfectionism is not exactly a part of her original personality, since it only mainly appears when she is highly stressed or dealing with a major problem. This perfectionism is mainly fueled by her family’s high expectations for her.
The perfectionism becomes even more evident and strong in Betty when she realizes that her family may be harboring many shameful secrets. To mask this and appear even more ‘normal’ on the outside, Betty Cooper’s perfectionism becomes stronger and more toxic.
Signs of Betty Cooper’s Bipolar
Betty Cooper definitely suffers from bipolar disorder along with many other mental health issues, even though her diagnosis is not confirmed in the Riverdale series. Some of the signs and symptoms of Betty Cooper’s bipolar disorder and other mental health issues are discussed below.
She often changes her mood
Betty Cooper is seen to be constantly changing her mood throughout the episodes of Riverdale. She can be seen to undergo many mood swings, along with personality changes, often causing other people around her to worry about her.
Her mood swings are seen often when she is under pressure or facing some challenge. This shows that Betty Cooper is not able to handle challenges and stressors easily. Frequent mood swings are definitely the main sign and symptom of bipolar.
She harms herself
Betty Cooper is also portrayed to go through many self-harming tendencies. When she is very stressed, Betty can be seen digging her nails into her palms. The digging goes on so deep that scars are left on Betty’s palms.
Apart from this, Betty can be seen taking part in many dangerous activities, as a form of self-harming. For example, when the police were chasing Archie, she rides a motorcycle very dangerously and recklessly just to save her childhood friend.
She shows unpredictable behavior
Betty Cooper also shows a lot of unpredictable behavior which is very far from her personality. This is mainly seen in the form of ‘dark Betty’, an alter personality that Betty Cooper takes for herself.
In a particular episode, everyone in Riverdale can be seen highly surprised at Betty Cooper showing up with black hair and a lacy black outfit, which is very different from her normal sets of clothes.
This unpredictability does not stop with only clothes, but in fact, ‘dark Betty’ portrays a very different personality altogether. This ‘dark Betty’ is seen to be vengeful and can get physically abusive towards others.
She isolates herself
While Betty Cooper is actually a very outgoing and friendly character, in times of stress, she isolates herself. While this may not be obvious during the manic phase of bipolar disorder, it is pretty evident during the depressive phase.
This isolation also leads many people to assume that Betty Cooper is the hooded killer since she cuts off contact with most people, and also breaks up with Jughead. However, this can also be attributed to her struggles with bipolar disorder or some other mental illness.
She can be constantly anxious
Betty Cooper is definitely one of the most anxious characters on the show, Riverdale. However, despite her patterns of getting anxious easily, Betty Cooper still goes out and participates actively in social situations. As a result, her mental health problems are easily masked.
She uses Adderall to heal
Another important sign of the mental health issues that Betty Cooper suffers from is substance abuse. The character can be seen to be using Adderall as a method of self-medication. She also obtains Adderall through illegal means.
Those who have bipolar disorder often take part in dangerous activities and also try to treat their symptoms on their own. As a result, they may turn to drugs like Adderall which help them relax and concentrate on tasks better.
She can be seen to be dissociating
Many viewers agree that Betty Cooper actually might be suffering from dissociative identity disorder. However, there is only one instance of dissociation that Betty Cooper is involved in Riverdale.
This is mainly in reference to her ‘alter personality’, ‘dark Betty’. She can be seen donning a different outfit and exacting revenge on Chuck. However, she soon dissociates and finds that she has no memory of the incident at all.
She can also be seen to be constantly referring to Betty as another different individual, which is definitely dissociation. Another sign is when she constantly looks at mirrors without any expression.
While dissociative identity disorder is usually characterized as a separate disorder, there is not enough evidence in ‘Riverdale’ to show that Betty Cooper indeed suffers from this illness. It can, however, be clubbed with bipolar disorder, since dissociation may accompany the condition.
Conclusion
In this blogpost, we have described if Betty Cooper has bipolar. We have also checked out some signs of Betty Cooper’s bipolar and other mental issues. Finally, we have discussed the various causal factors behind Betty’s mental issues.
If you like this blogpost, please leave your comments and questions in the space below.
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