Does Fleabag have BPD? (+7 Mental health issues)
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This brief article will be explaining if Fleabag has BPD. We will also be looking at the other mental health issues and disorders which are showcased in the comedy-drama series ‘Fleabag’, by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Does Fleabag have BPD?
No, Fleabag does not have BPD. The character that appears in the comedy-drama series ‘Fleabag’ is never confirmed to have Borderline Personality Disorder. She is also never confirmed to have any other mental health disorder in the show.
However, a number of fans of the series who have studied the character and personality of Fleabag have felt that she surely struggles with some undiagnosed mental health issues and emotional conflicts.
In the comedy-drama series, Fleabag is a 30 year old single woman who struggles to form relationships. She also ends up having sex with many strangers, never staying in a committed and stable relationship for long.
She also runs a café which is clearly struggling to stay afloat and she is desperate for a business loan which never seems to come. Her instability in relationships is not only limited to her romantic life, but even her family life.
The only person who was very close to Fleabag was her friend Boo, who died when she ran into traffic after she learned that her husband slept with someone else. It is later made known that it was Fleabag who slept with her best-friend’s husband, leaving her incredibly guilty.
Later in the series, Fleabag meets a Catholic priest who is supposed to officiate her father’s and godmother’s wedding. Fleabag and the priest definitely have feelings for each other, but are never able to have a proper relationship due to the priest’s vows of celibacy.
Fleabag might just be another comedy-drama series, but deeply explores guilt, and dealing with past trauma. As a result of this, the series received a lot of appreciation and acclaim from mental health experts and viewers alike.
Fleabag and mental health
In the comedy-drama series ‘Fleabag’ a number of mental health issues have been showcased and discussed, even if their names were never properly mentioned. The mental health issues not only surround the main character Fleabag, but even the other characters in the series.
Some of the mental health struggles and issues which have been showcased in Fleabag have been discussed in detail in the following section.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
One of the most common mental health diagnoses given by arm-chair experts when it comes to the Fleabag is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Fleabag certainly goes through several traumatic incidents and struggles to cope with them, which leads to this assumption.
However, Fleabag does not show many tell-tale signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder like anxiety or stress when she encounters something that reminds her of the traumatic incident, which has led to many fans disagreeing with this theory.
Guilt and its effects
Another important theme that is covered over and over again in the ‘Fleabag’ series is guilt and its effects on the actions and behaviors of a person. All the characters in the series have some type of guilt or the other, which drives their actions and words, especially Fleabag.
On the outlook, it may look like Fleabag is the only character driven by guilt, especially the guilt of sleeping with her best-friend’s husband, which eventually led to Boo running into traffic and killing herself.
As a result of her actions, Fleabag lost the only close friend that she had. The guilt never left Fleabag. She constantly tries to make up for it through impulsive behavior and crappy decisions in her life.
Fleabag is not the only character who struggles with guilt in the series. Her seemingly perfect sister, Claire, also struggles with guilt when she develops an attraction for a coworker, Klare, despite her already being married.
Another place where guilt is used as the main theme in the series is the relationship between Fleabag and the Priest. Fleabag falls for a Catholic Priest. While the two flirt along innocently, the Priest admits that he can never break his vows for a romance.
However, the two go on to have sex. While this makes Fleabag feel great and hopeful of a stable relationship, the Priest certainly does not feel the same way. The guilt eventually wins with the Priest leaving Fleabag for his vows.
Unstable self-esteem
Unstable self-esteem is yet another mental health topic that is covered in Fleabag. This can mainly be seen in the main character, Fleabag herself. Fleabag’s self-esteem is never stable and goes through ups and downs.
She even admits that she does not know what she is doing with her life, and would like someone else to take charge for her. Poor self-esteem is not only caused by the presence of mental illnesses, but can even reflect poor coping mechanisms to the traumas of life.
Dissociation as a sign of BPD
A rare theory about the mental health of Fleabag is that she might have Borderline Personality Disorder. This is not only due to her unstable self-esteem and self-identity, but also because of her habit of breaking the fourth wall.
This is often called out as a sign of Dissociation which is characteristic of Borderline Personality Disorder. Other than Fleabag herself, the Priest also breaks the fourth wall, but does not have a dialogue in that scene.
Feelings of emptiness
Fleabag is a woman full of potential, being highly talented, conventionally attractive and resourceful. But, she is a flawed personality and exhibits chronic feelings of emptiness, or a void as she calls it.
Throughout the series, she constantly tries her best to fill this void with things and people. This mainly explains her frequently jumping from partner to partner. Feelings of emptiness can also be a symptom of several mental health disorders like depression and even BPD.
Taboo relationships
Fleabag beautifully covers taboo relationships, those that are frowned upon in public. A number of taboo relationships take place in the comedy-drama series. Fleabag herself goes through many unstable relationships, with very little commitment, which is itself tabooed.
Fleabag’s overachieving sister Claire also has a tabooed crush on Klare, her Finnish co-worker despite being already married. Her husband earlier kisses Fleabag, and when Fleabag discloses this, Claire has a fight with her which leads to the sisters not speaking for a while.
Fleabag’s own father is going to get married to her godmother, which is not well-accepted by Fleabag and her sister. The most tabooed relationship of all is the one between Fleabag and the Priest, for very obvious reasons.
Despite his stringent vows, the Priest has an affair with Fleabag after fighting his feelings for a long time. But, the story does not end as a fairy-tale, with the Priest breaking up with her to go back to his church, thus exposing the limits of taboos on love and relationships.
Therapy and mental health
Among all the characters in the comedy-drama series, Fleabag is surely the one who needs therapy the most. While she does not exactly believe in therapy, she decides to use a coupon to attend a session which reveals a lot about herself.
While she seems closed off at first, Fleabag eventually first admits to herself openly that she has feelings for the Priest. This goes to show the actual cathartic effects of therapy, which is important for anyone’s mental health.
Conclusion
This brief article has explained if Fleabag has BPD. We have also looked at the other mental health issues and disorders which are showcased in the comedy-drama series ‘Fleabag’, by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
If you like this article, please post your comments and questions in the space below.
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