Does Esme from ‘Degrassi’ have BPD? (+3 Alternate diagnoses)

This detailed article will be answering if Esme Song has BPD or Borderline Personality Disorder. We will also be discussing the other mental health disorders or mental health issues Esme Song portrays in the series ‘Degrassi.’

Does Esme from ‘Degrassi’ have BPD?

No, Esme does not have BPD. Esme Song, who appears as a main character in the series ‘Degrassi’ surely suffers from numerous mental health issues, but her diagnosis is never actually confirmed in the series.

Esme Song appears as a very confident and interesting student in Degrassi community School, but soon makes everyone understand that she is truly suffering from numerous emotional conflicts and issues.

Due to her mental health struggles, Esme often lashes out at others and depicts a number of anger outbursts. As a result of this, she is nicknamed ‘The Bad Influence.’ She also is very attention-seeking and puts on a number of shows and tactics to manipulate the feelings of others.

The main reason for Esme’s mental health struggles is because her mother killed herself when Esme was just ten years old. Esme was the one who found her body and this incident stayed with her throughout her life.

She feels very guilty for not being able to save her mother, especially since she inadvertently tilted her mother’s head back. She remembers this very well and applies this knowledge to save Maya’s life when she tries to kill herself in a future episode.

Esme’s mental health disorders

Esme Song in ‘Degrassi’ was known more for her mental health issues, rather than her actual personality. ‘Degrassi’, as a series, has thrown a lot of light on the mental health issues of teenagers, and has received critical acclaim as a result.

It is clear from the outlook that Esme was deeply struggling with a variety of mental health issues. However, her actual clinical diagnosis was never confirmed in the series. Some of the possible diagnoses when it comes to Esme’s mental health issues are explained below.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

When Esme was ten years old, her mother committed suicide. Esme found her barely alive and accidentally tilted her mother’s head, which if not had been done, could have prevented her mother’s death.

Seeing her mother in such a condition traumatized Esme to the core. Along with this painful scene, Esme also felt very guilty for tilting her mother’s death and not helping her live instead. This guilt has bullied Esme from the inside for the rest of her life.

The pain lived with Esme and according to her is the sole reason why she acts the way she does. This is quite characteristic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, since Esme is not able to let go of her mother’s death in front of her.

In another situation, Esme is actually able to save someone’s life purely since she learnt from her mother’s suicide. When Maya tries to kill herself, Esme avoids tilting her head, therefore keeping her alive to see another day.

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Esme is known to be quite attention-seeking, especially from those whom she personally likes. She even pulls up a number of manipulative tactics, even going to the extent of self-harming, all for the sake of attention.

As a result of these high levels of attention-seeking behavior, some people feel that Esme Song might actually struggle with Histrionic Personality Disorder. In HPD, the person often has a distorted self-image and experiences intense shifts in emotions, as seen in Esme.  

Anxiety disorder

Another possible diagnosis for Esme Song is Anxiety disorder. It is made known that Esme is taking anti-anxiety medication, in the form of Lorazepam. However, she does not exhibit many symptoms of anxiety and therefore, this medication may be just for stabilizing her emotions.

Conclusion

This detailed article has answered if Esme Song has BPD or Borderline Personality Disorder. We have also discussed the other mental health disorders or mental health issues Esme Song portrays in the series ‘Degrassi.’

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