Does Ena have bipolar? (+7 Signs & symptoms)
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OptimistMinds
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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.
This info-rich article will be discussing if Ena has bipolar. We will also be taking a close look at the different signs and symptoms of Ena’s bipolar disorder. Finally, we will be showcasing a few reasons which may have caused this mental illness in Ena.
Does Ena have bipolar?
Yes, Ena has bipolar. Ena’s clinical diagnosis is not actually confirmed by the series ‘Ena’ which portrays the humanoid character as the main protagonist. The series constantly shows Ena going through mood swings and depicting highs and lows as seen in bipolar disorder.
However, many viewers who have studied the show say that Ena cannot be diagnosed with bipolar disorder or even any other mental illness since she is basically a computer program which has been fed into a humanoid robot.
At the same time, the consensus is that Ena definitely suffers from bipolar disorder. Apart from bipolar disorder, experts who have deeply studied the character have tried to pin other mental illness diagnoses on Ena, such as,
- Schizophrenia: Some viewers of ‘Ena’ have felt the character actually suffers from schizophrenia and not bipolar disorder. This is mainly due to the character experiencing hallucinations. However, others argue that hallucinations are experienced in bipolar also.
- Autism: Many people who have closely followed the series, ‘Ena’ have expressed that the humanoid robot actually has autism. Ena’s autism is the reason for her poor social skills and communication skills.
At the same time, autism does not lead to hallucinations and other psychotic thoughts that Ena actually goes through. But, autism can also lead to development delays in language and speech which can further distort words and sentences, making the original though seem abnormal.
- Borderline Personality Disorder: Borderline Personality Disorder is another differential diagnosis that is referred to when it comes to Ena. This is because the character can be seen to be increasingly impulsive and reckless in nature.
- Dissociative Identity Disorder: Ena may also be suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder according to many other viewers who have watched the show. But, this is mostly unlikely since there is no presence of alter-egos or alter-personalities in Ena.
Signs of Ena’s Bipolar
Ena’s bipolar disorder is pretty clearly explained and depicted in the ‘Ena’ series. In the following points, we have mentioned the different signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder that Ena shows throughout the series.
She clearly has different moods
Ena can be seen to possess a trio of different moods which are clearly distinct from each other. She has a sad side, a depressed and even a manic side. This is the reason why many viewers side with her bipolar diagnosis.
When Ena is in her sad mood, her can be seen to have crying fits and also easily loses focus and concentration on whatever she is doing. She also fumbles with her words and does not form clear sentences.
On the other hand, when Ena is depressed, she can demonstrate physical symptoms and may stomp around and even cover her face. She might also throw up in this situation. Her posture also changes in this state.
Ena also has a manic state when is too excited or too happy about something. This is also called her ‘drunken’ side. In this state, Ena can be seen laughing at anything and everything. She also speaks in a slurred manner, as if she is really intoxicated on something.
She often has crying episodes
When Ena is sad she is constantly crying and perpetually depressed. Her crying episodes are on the extreme and not like the normal crying fits someone might have. This can also indicate the presence of some underlying mental illness, most probably bipolar disorder in Ena.
She has suicidal thoughts
Furthermore, Ena also has many suicidal thoughts. This is seen especially when she is very depressed. While she does not directly harm herself or hurt herself as a suicide attempt, she may beg others to kill her.
Suicidal thoughts and suicidal ideations can also be a major sign of some mental illness, most probably in Ena’s case, bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder can lead a person to attempt suicide, which can sometimes be unfortunately successful.
She shows physical manifestations of stress
Apart from going through many emotions and feelings when she is sad or depressed, Ena also shows physical manifestations. For instance, she is known to throw up or vomit when she is going through a lot of stress or when she is depressed.
Bipolar disorder can cause a person to experience sadness in such an extreme manner that even their body reacts to it. In Ena’s case, this can be further proved by her slumped posture and her covering her face.
She can be seen to be dissociating
In certain cases, Ena’s physical form completely changes whenever she is stressed or is sad. Basically her body morphs into another being, to respond appropriately to whatever feeling or emotion she is going through.
This can also be considered dissociating. Dissociation is seen in many mental illnesses, and may also be a sign of dissociative identity disorder. In many cases, bipolar disorder can also lead to a person dissociating.
She has hallucinations
In one episode, Ena mentions that she hears voices in her head, which basically refer to auditory hallucinations. Auditory hallucinations are pretty characteristic of psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia.
At the same time, in extreme cases, bipolar disorder can also lead the person to hallucinate and hear voices. This sign also indicates that whatever illness that Ena is dealing with, it might be chronic and severe in nature.
She goes through many mood swings
While Ena has developed a set of characteristics to match her current mood, it can also be seen that she has many mood swings. While at one point she might be happy and elated, a simple trigger factor can easily set her off into a depression spell.
This is also largely seen in bipolar disorder which further confirms her diagnosis. In fact, the primary characteristic trait of bipolar disorder is that the person goes through frequent mood swings, which can also be extreme in nature.
Causes of Ena’s bipolar
Ena’s bipolar in the series ‘Ena’ is pretty overtly portrayed and all the main signs and symptoms of the illness are clearly shown. However, the main cause of this humanoid character developing this illness is not discussed in the series.
Looking at Ena’s life, her environment and her difficulties, some causal factors which could have indeed led to her bipolar disorder can be speculated. For instance, her identity is neither human nor robot, which leads to an identity issue which could have led to her mental illness.
She also is dressed and styled that way, to basically reflect a couple of identities at once. To some people, it may be a sign of dissociation or even multiple personality disorder. However, it can also be to reflect her different moods and mindsets, which are common in bipolar disorder.
Another reason for Ena’s bipolar disorder can be attributed to some software malfunction. This is again assumed considering the fact that Ena is not completely a person and therefore should not have feelings or emotions.
Conclusion
This info-rich article has discussed if Ena has bipolar. We have also taken a close look at the different signs and symptoms of Ena’s bipolar disorder. Finally, we have showcased a few reasons which may have caused this mental illness in Ena.
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