Does Devi from ‘Never Have I Ever’ have BPD? (+7 Signs of issues)
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The current article will be answering if Devi from ‘Never Have I Ever’ has BPD. We will also be checking out some of the signs of mental health issues and struggles that Devi depicts in the comedy series ‘Never Have I Ever.’
Does Devi from ‘Never Have I Ever’ have BPD?
No, Devi from ‘Never Have I Ever’ does not have BPD. Devi Vishwakumar from the comedy-drama series ‘Never Have I Ever’ does not portray all of the characteristic signs of Borderline Personality Series.
However, she definitely struggles with her mental health early on in the series, after the death of her father. Devi also shows a number of emotional conflicts which affect her social relationships in the series, causing everyone else to call her ‘Crazy Devi.’
Devi can be seen going to therapy during her appearances in the series, but the actual diagnosis has not been confirmed. Some of the mental health issues and disorders that Devi might be struggling from are:
- Conversion Disorder: After the death of her father, Devi develops paralysis in her legs. In the event of a traumatic incident, this type of experience is called a psychosomatic reaction or basically a conversion disorder.
In a conversion disorder, the person’s medical tests and physical tests will be completely normal, since the problem rests in their mental state of mind. Devi is paralyzed in her legs and requires the use of a wheelchair after her father passes away due to a heart-attack.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Throughout the series, Devi finds it hard to come to terms with her father’s death. Apart from the paralysis of her legs, Devi also goes through severe emotional swings which are the signs of PTSD.
However, many people disagree with this and don’t feel that Devi does not fit the category of any mental health disorder, even PTSD. They say that she is just a normal teenager who has lost her father recently, and all her behaviors and reactions are quite common.
- Prolonged Grief Disorder: Another possible mental health disorder which Devi might be struggling with is Prolonged Grief Disorder. Devi was very close to her father, and his death was too difficult for her to comprehend.
The death of her father brought on a lot of changes to Devi, and further strained her relationship with her mother. Devi also kept having flashbacks of her father, leading some fans of the series to assume that she may have Prolonged Grief Disorder.
Devi’s mental health issues from ‘Never Have I Ever’
The comedy-drama series ‘Never Have I Ever’ was lauded by critics and viewers for its very accurate portrayal of mental health in teenagers. Devi, the main character of the series, goes through a number of emotional struggles, even requiring therapy.
While Devi cannot be exactly clubbed under a particular mental health disorder for lack of information, she surely exhibits a number of signs of mental health issues. Some signs of struggles that Devi portrays in the series are discussed in the following section.
She develops a psychosomatic reaction
After the death of her father, Devi develops a paralysis or weakness in her legs, and needs to use a wheelchair to move around. This type of reaction is usually brought on by high levels of stress or a sudden traumatic incident; in Devi’s case the death of her father.
This type of psychosomatic reaction from Devi shows the extent of her trauma and how deeply she was affected by the loss of her father. This reaction and her following negative behaviors bring her to therapy with Dr. Ryan.
She avoids talking about her father
When she goes to therapy sessions, Devi clearly avoids talking about her father. Dr. Ryan, a trauma-informed therapist, allows Devi to take her own path during therapy sessions and only brings her father up when Devi initiates it.
However, for the majority of her appearances, Devi actively avoids talking about the loss of her father. This is not only with Dr. Ryan, but also with her mother, her friends and her family. But, she is clearly traumatized on the inside looking at her actions and behaviors.
At one point, Devi feels that her father has been reborn as a coyote. At yet another point, she gets mad at her mother for trying to sell her father’s scooter. All of this shows how much sadness Devi is holding within her, but how much she is also trying to avoid the subject.
While avoiding talking about something painful is not exactly a sign of mental health issues, it is a dangerous habit since it can lead to the development of many other illnesses and problems in the future.
She does not have a good relationship with her mother
Devi only had a solid relationship with her father and does not seem to do well with her mother. This relationship between the two only strained even further after the death of her father. This weak relationship between Devi and her mother was a common topic in Devi’s therapy sessions.
She finds it hard to control her anger
Devi’s moods are seen to swing between extremes, and the troubled teenager surely has anger issues. In many instances, Devi’s anger can be seen to boil up from a baseline, as a result of which many of her friends and even her romantic partners have been affected.
She can be quite attention-seeking
She can also be quite attention-seeking, and loves attention from the opposite sex. Right from the start of the series, Devi is not so confident in her looks and aims to become more out-going and popular in nature.
She tries her best to do this by acting more sexually open with boys around her. At many instances, Devi even ditches her friends just so that she can spend more time with boys. Attention-seeking behaviors are signs of poor self-esteem and even narcissism.
She can be quite impulsive and reckless
In order to avoid talking about her father’s death and how it affected her, Devi becomes more and more impulsive and reckless in the series. She acts without thinking things out and without realizing the dire consequences of her actions.
For example, in one episode, she climbs up on a neighbor’s roof to spy on someone. Impulsive actions are often the sign of mental health disorders like Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and even ADHD.
In Devi’s case, this sign does not exactly point to the presence of any diagnosable mental health condition, especially considering her young age. It simply points to her coping mechanism of avoidance and how she basically does anything to stay distracted from her father’s death.
She clearly has poor self-esteem
Devi definitely struggles with poor self-esteem throughout the series. She goes through an identity crisis, especially as an Indian-American. She gets the wrong idea that her identity stems from her mixed cultures, and this is immediately deflated when another Indian joins her class.
After this, the already struggling Devi further has her self-esteem lowered and she yearns to be noticed by others. This poor self-esteem of hers has many times driven Devi to bad decisions and even dangerous situations.
Poor self-esteem is quite common in teenagers since this age-group is yet to find their identity. However, in many cases, poor self-esteem and low confidence issues are the by-products of mental illnesses like depression.
Conclusion
The current article has answered if Devi from ‘Never Have I Ever’ has BPD. We have also checked out some of the signs of mental health issues and struggles that Devi depicts in the comedy series ‘Never Have I Ever.’
If you like this article, please post your comments and questions in the space below.
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