Does Meredith Grey have BPD? (+7 Signs of issues)
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This detailed article will be explaining if Meredith Grey has BPD. We will also be checking out the various signs of psychological issues that Meredith Grey shows on Grey’s Anatomy. Additionally, we will look at some of the factors which could have caused these.
Does Meredith Grey have BPD?
Yes, Meredith Grey has BPD. In Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith Grey who is training to be a surgeon depicts a number of signs that she is struggling with Borderline Personality Disorder. However, this is never confirmed in the series.
In looking closely at Meredith Grey’s actions and behaviors, it can be understood that she might actually have a combination of mental health disorders, one of which might be Borderline Personality Disorder.
In Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith definitely shows a variety of signs of Borderline Personality Disorder such as impulsivity and recklessness and even intense mood swings which go from one extreme to another.
At the same time, many of her symptoms are well-masked because of her career growth and focus on her work. As a result, some fans and critics of the show feel that Meredith Grey might actually have High-Functioning BPD.
Along with Borderline Personality Disorder, Meredith seems to struggle with a number of other mental health disorders as well. Some of the other diagnoses which have been theorized in regards to Meredith Grey have been discussed as follows.
- Major Depressive Disorder: Meredith Grey is easily one of the most depressing characters in Grey’s Anatomy. She simply seems to have a negative point of view on most things and is rarely seen smiling or ecstatic.
She also does not seem to have a healthy sleep pattern and is often fatigued or tired. She also seems to find it hard to concentrate on her tasks and her work. As a result of these symptoms, Meredith Grey is often touted to have Major Depressive Disorder.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Another theory regarding Meredith Grey’s mental health status is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Throughout the series, Meredith goes through a lot of trauma which she is never really able to get over.
Signs of Psychological Issues in Meredith Grey
Grey’s Anatomy brought many characters of various backgrounds and personalities to the screen. One of the most interesting characters is Meredith Grey. A vast majority of fans of the show detest Meredith, while others empathize with her and call her a trauma survivor.
Meredith Grey is a deeply flawed character who carries a number of burdens on her shoulders. She definitely struggles with her mental health, even if she has not received a formal diagnosis in the series. Some signs of Meredith Grey’s psychological issues have been explained below.
She definitely has poor self-esteem
Meredith Grey struggles with poor self-esteem throughout the series. Although she has a number of accomplishments to her name, she still is not confident about her skills and her abilities. In the series, it is her poor self-esteem that has led to her getting stuck in sticky situations many times.
She is a workaholic
All that Meredith Grey knows is work. She does not know anything else other than work, and she does not find anything wrong in this. Being a workaholic can in itself lead to a number of mental health issues; in Meredith it simply worsened them.
Meredith’s tendency to work herself to death can also be a sign that she is trying to escape facing her actual psychological demons. She needs to be surrounded by a fast-paced environment and other aspirational people to feel alive all the time.
She has no fear of death
Meredith Grey definitely has no fear of death. At several instances in the series, she has voluntarily and aggressively exposed herself to death and life-threatening situations to help herself or someone else.
For instance, in one episode, Meredith begs a mentally ill person to shoot her instead of Derek. She does this to keep Derek safe. But she also puts her life in danger and also that of her baby’s since she was pregnant at the time.
Another example of Meredith staring death in the eye is when she was treating the patient who had a bomb in his body. When others were hesitant to approach the patient, Meredith simply went ahead and held the bomb in her own hands.
These actions of Meredith may look like she is actually a very confident and highly skilled person. However, they also depict that she has no aim or desire to preserve herself and is not ready to fight for her life.
She chose the wrong guy
For a large portion of the series, Meredith Grey has a romantic relationship with Derek. Their relationship was highly loved by fans and critics alike. Meredith continued her rocky relationship with Derek until his death.
In taking a close look at the romantic relationship of Meredith and Derek, it can however, be assumed that their partnership was not exactly a positive one. Derek was way too focused on his career and only considered Meredith secondary to his life.
Meredith actually knew this very well and still continued to date Derek. After his passing, she also has a relationship with a number of other people, which all followed the same toxic and unstable pattern that she often opts for.
She shuts out people often
Throughout Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith Grey can be seen shutting people out in an instant without thinking much about it. In fact, shutting people out and ghosting them is Meredith’s only coping-mechanism.
She practices this with not only her romantic partners, but even her friends and coworkers. After Derek’s death, Meredith even completely shuts out his own family. She also can be seen shutting out Lexie Grey, her own sister at another instance in the series.
Shutting someone out can reveal a lot about the person, especially in the case of Meredith Grey. It shows that Meredith is not capable of having an adult conversation and discussing uncomfortable topics, which can point to emotional immaturity.
She has addiction issues
Another sign of psychological issues in Meredith Grey is her addiction issues. Meredith Grey has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and often turns to drinking in order to cope with daily stress, especially from her work.
However, this is only prominently shown in the earlier part of the series. Much later on, Meredith does not actually struggle with alcoholism and seems to have a better control over her drinking behaviors.
She can be quite promiscuous
Meredith Grey also seems to show a great deal of her promiscuous side in the Grey’s Anatomy series. She even has a number of random flings with guys she has picked up in the bar. This can also signify some emotional void that she is trying to fill with casual sex.
Causes of Meredith Grey’s Psychological Issues
Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy definitely struggles in her mental health. Some causal factors which could have led to her psychological issues and her emotional distress in the series are listed below.
- The main cause of Meredith’s psychological issues is because of her mother’s lack of attention towards her as a child. Her mother constantly made Meredith feel that she was never good enough which damaged her self-esteem.
- Meredith also grew up without a father, since her father choose to go after his career rather than spend his energy on his family. Being raised in such a dysfunctional family such as this could have severely traumatized Meredith.
Conclusion
This detailed article has explained if Meredith Grey has BPD. We have also checked out the various signs of psychological issues that Meredith Grey shows on Grey’s Anatomy. Additionally, we have looked at some of the factors which could have caused these.
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