Does Dean Winchester from ‘Supernatural’ have BPD? (+3 Additional diagnoses)
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This info-rich article will be answering if Dean Winchester has BPD by listing out the various signs and symptoms that he portrays in the drama series ‘Supernatural’. In addition to this, we will also be checking out the different other mental health disorders that Dean suffers from.
Does Dean Winchester from ‘Supernatural’ have BPD?
Yes, Dean Winchester has BPD. In the drama series ‘Supernatural’, in which Dean Winchester is one of the main characters, it is never actually confirmed that he in fact has a mental illness. But, in observing his actions and behaviors, BPD is most commonly assumed when it comes to Dean.
In ‘Supernatural’, Dean Winchester plays the vessel for the Archangel Michael and is a member of the Men of the Letters. Throughout the series, Dean plays caretaker to his younger brother, Sam Winchester.
Dean Winchester goes through life seeking revenge for his mother who was killed by the demon Azazel. He, Sam and his father become hunters in order to avenge their mother’s death. Dean actually portrays a number of signs of Borderline Personality Disorder as discussed below.
He is highly protective of Sam
After their mother’s death in a fire, Dean Winchester becomes the self-appointed guardian of his younger brother, Sam Winchester. This may seem sweet and fine on the outside. But, in taking a closer look, it is understood to be toxic and disturbing at many times.
This high level of protectiveness towards Sam also leads Dean to risk his own life in many instances. In many cases, Dean is very fearful that he might be separated from Sam even without any major reason to think so.
This fear of abandonment is actually very characteristic of Borderline Personality Disorder. Dean is definitely afraid of losing his brother and goes to great lengths to protect him, even at the cost of his own life and health.
His perceptions of others often changes
Another sign of Borderline Personality Disorder which Dean Winchester shows in the series is constant changes in the perceptions of others. Dean may highly value someone and keep them on a pedestal.
At another point in time, Dean may immediately lose his respect for them. This can be seen at many instances with various people, and not just Sam. Dean can be seen rubber-banding in his relationships with even Castiel, Mary and even his own father John.
He has a distorted self-image
Dean Winchester also has a distorted self-image which is yet another sign of Borderline Personality Disorder. Dean is a human as well as a hunter and constantly finds conflicts in his self-image.
Dean does not lean on to his own unique self-image. Instead, he sponges off his identity from those around him. For Dean, this inspiration mainly comes from his father, John. He even starts dressing like him and listens to the same music, instead of taking his own journey.
The main cause of Dean’s conflicts in his self-image is because he aims to fulfill every role for Sam. He wants to be Sam’s father, older brother, his best friend and his full-time guardian all at the same time, which is not a mentally healthy thing to do.
He expresses self-harming behaviors
In addition to the signs described above, Dean Winchester also shows many self-harming behaviors. Most of these self-harming behaviors are actually for the purpose of saving his brother, Sam Winchester.
While this may seem like a very appreciative and caring behavior in terms of Dean Winchester, it actually points to his complete lack of fear of death. These types of self-harming behaviors can be seen in Borderline Personality Disorder.
He is reckless and impulsive at many times
Furthermore, Dean Winchester certainly acts very impulsive and reckless at many times. This is not just in the form of his many suicide missions to save his brother. Dean definitely fears people in his life leaving and abandoning him.
In order to cope with this fear, Dean takes on bad habits like too much drinking, unsafe sex and even drives very dangerously. Impulsive behaviors like these actually become his go-to move at the sign of any stress or anxiety that he experiences later on.
These high levels of impulsivity and recklessness are often seen in Borderline Personality Disorder. It can also be seen in the manic phases of bipolar disorder and even Impulse Control Disorder.
He has difficulty in controlling his anger
Dean Winchester definitely has anger-management issues. He finds it hard to control his anger and even his other emotions. Most of the time, he takes his anger out through physical means like fights with others.
In many other times, he expresses his anger and displeasure through the maladaptive coping habits as mentioned in the previous point. This intense anger of Dean Winchester had affected many of his relationships and even in his reasoning.
He can be seen dissociating
At many instances in the series, Dean Winchester shows dissociation, where he acts like a completely different person. This is often brought on by some undue stress, or when Dean feels that he is being abandoned or taken for granted.
He has chronic feelings of emptiness
Another important sign of Borderline Personality Disorder which Dean Winchester shows in the series is chronic feelings of emptiness. Dean does not seem to have an aim apart from avenging his mother’s death and playing keeper to his brother, Sam.
At many times when Dean is hunting, he depicts chronic feelings of emptiness. In one episode, Dean even gets told directly that he is already dead inside, which is more or less true, considering his many maladaptive and endangering behaviors.
Dean Winchester’s mental health disorders
In the series ‘Supernatural’, Dean Winchester shows many negative mental health traits, apart from his strong character. This has led many people to assume that he actually has Borderline Personality Disorder.
Apart from this probable diagnosis for Dean Winchester, many other alternate diagnoses have also been discussed for the character. Some of the alternate mental health diagnoses for Dean Winchester are listed in the following points.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Many fans of the series who have studied the character of Dean Winchester feel that he most-definitely has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Specifically, Dean has Complex-PTSD.
Dean does not only suffer from one single traumatic incident, but goes through many incidents which traumatize his mental health. These incidents happen mainly as his father trope him and his brother around the country, leaving them alone for extended periods of time.
- Alcohol Use Disorder: Dean Winchester certainly has a drinking problem as seen in a variety of instances in the series. His use of alcohol actually becomes his coping behavior, and follows any stressful incident which happens to him.
- Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: This is a rarely accepted theory when it comes to Dean Winchester, but the human/hunter is often thought to have ADHD. He shows high difficulty in waiting and cannot sit still for long periods of time.
Another sign of ADHD in Dean is that he cannot think flexibly and tends to think in a black and white pattern. Unlike Sam who can think of multiple ways to reach a solution, Dean finds it hard to think of a gray area, which makes problem-solving a major difficulty for him.
In addition to this, he also shows high levels of impulsivity, which is another main sign of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. At the same time, many fans of the series definitely disagree with this theory since his signs are not too overt in terms of ADHD.
Conclusion
This info-rich article has answered if Dean Winchester has BPD by listing out the various signs and symptoms that he portrays in the drama series ‘Supernatural’. In addition to this, we have also checked out the different other mental health disorders that Dean suffers from.
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