Does Rue Bennett have bipolar? (+7 Signs of bipolar)
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This detailed article will be explaining if Rue Bennett has bipolar. We will also be looking at the various signs and symptoms of bipolar and other issues that Rue Bennett portrays in the series ‘Euphoria’.
Does Rue Bennett have bipolar?
Yes, Rue Bennett has bipolar. In the series ‘Euphoria’, Rue Bennett is first doubted to have bipolar disorder by her doctor, since she suffers from many mental health struggles then. In the latter episodes, Rue Bennett is properly diagnosed and confirmed to have bipolar disorder.
Rue Bennett’s portrayal of bipolar disorder in the series ‘Euphoria’ was widely acclaimed, with the actress who portrayed her, Zendaya receiving a lot of praise from fans and critics alike. In the media, Rue Bennett’s bipolar disorder is definitely one of the most accurate ones.
In the series, Rue Bennett is depicted to not only have bipolar disorder, but many other mental illnesses as well. The various other mental illnesses that Rue Bennett has been diagnosed with are:
- Depression: Depression of the mental illnesses that Rue Bennett is diagnosed with and this is mentioned in the pilot episode of the series itself. Rue is also clearly aware of this depression diagnosis and the effects that it has on her life.
One of the most popular quotes of Rue Bennett surrounds depression. She says that, “The other thing about depression is it kind of collapses time. Suddenly, you find your whole days blending together to create one endless and suffocating loop.”
- General Anxiety Disorder: Rue Bennett has also been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Her anxiety levels are spiked in the presence of even small trigger factors. Unfortunately, she abuses substances to cope with this.
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Another diagnosis that Rue Bennett’s psychiatrist has thrown at her is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. One of the symptoms of Rue’s OCD in the show is her constantly counting the lights in an office.
However, her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder was not well-received by fans who studied the show and her character arc very closely. Many felt that the OCD diagnosis was given without Rue ticking off all the diagnostic criteria and that she was just a very moody child.
- Substance Use Disorder: Rue Bennett also definitely suffers from Substance Use Disorder. In many cases, Rue Bennet actually uses substances to cope with the diagnosis of her other mental illnesses.
Throughout the series, the character slips deeper and deeper into substance abuse. She has also undergone overdoses in the first and second seasons of the series, ‘Euphoria’ and can be seen mainly trying to get back those feelings from her initial euphoria after doing drugs.
In Rue’s back story, viewers will be able to see that she first started getting addicted to drugs when she was just 13 years old. She started stealing her father’s cancer medication to deal with not only her own issues but even with the knowledge that her dad was slowly dying.
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Another diagnosis that Rue Bennett’s psychiatrist gives her is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As a result, she finds it hard to focus and concentrate on long-duration tasks.
Apart from these diagnoses that Rue Bennett’s psychiatrist gives her, some fans and viewers of the show have felt that she might be struggling with other mental illnesses and emotional issues as well. A couple of these are:
- Borderline Personality Disorder: Some viewers feel that Rue Bennett suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. As a result, she shows a lot of impulsive and reckless behavior which can mainly be seen in relation to her substance abuse.
- Autism: Another diagnosis that viewers of the ‘Euphoria’ series have come up with in relation to Rue Bennett is Autism. This is mainly due to her meltdowns and her inability to cope with normal social interactions and situations.
Signs of Rue Bennett’s Bipolar
Rue Bennett’s bipolar is shown pretty accurately in the series, ‘Euphoria’. As a result, the series and the actress, Zendaya were highly praised for increasing public health awareness about mental illness.
Some signs of Rue Bennett’s bipolar disorder which can be clearly seen in the series, ‘Euphoria’ have been discussed in the following section.
She abuses substances freely
One of the main signs of mental health issues and bipolar disorder in Rue Bennett is that she abuses substances pretty freely. Substance abuse is not exactly a diagnostic criterion for bipolar disorder, but comes under the risky and impulsive behavior factor.
Rue Bennett can be seen popping pill after pill without giving much thought to their negative effects on her body. The substance abuse of Rue Bennet actually worsens the symptoms of her bipolar disorder.
She is seen to go through the highs and lows
Throughout the ‘Euphoria’ series, Rue Bennett goes through the classic highs and lows which are characteristic of bipolar disorder. These have also been portrayed very carefully with both her manic and depressive phases lasting together for days at a time.
Her topics overlap with each other
In her manic phases, Rue Bennett can also be seen talking really fast. This is another characteristic sign of this mood disorder. In the manic phase of bipolar disorder, the person often speaks very fast, without actually making a lot of sense.
In one of the episodes, Rue Bennett and her friend Lexi dress up as Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt from the movie Se7en. In this scenario, Rue Bennett can be seen speaking very fast and also shows continuous overlapping of her topics, which is another sign of bipolar disorder.
She shows changes in her sleep patterns
Bipolar disorder brings about many changes in the daily life of the person. One aspect which it definitely affects is the sleep pattern. During the manic phase, the person may not have the need to sleep much and actually feels pretty energetic even after a long period of no proper rest.
At the same time, during the depressive phase of the mood disorder, the person may sleep for a long time, and may not even leave the bed for days together. Rue Bennett also portrays both these extremes.
In her manic episode, Rue Bennett can be seen avoiding proper sleep and also seems unable to focus properly on what she is doing. On the other hand, she is also seen stuck to her bed binge-watching ‘Love Island’ during her depressive phase.
She shows hyper-focusing
During her manic phases, Rue Bennett can also be seen portraying signs and symptoms of hyper-focus where she is concentrating on a particular task with more energy and focus than usual. This hyper-focus is beautifully shown when she tries to rescue Jules from Nate.
She is reluctant to pee
In one of the most depressing scenes of the series, Rue Bennett is stuck in her bed binge-watching ‘Love Island’ in 22-hour marathons during one of her depressive phases. Even though she badly needs to pee, she cannot find the energy and the volition to go to the bathroom.
Due to this, Rue Bennett suffers from kidney pain and gets an infection. This particular episode which covers these scenes was highly praised by viewers as it accurately showed the effects of bipolar disorder on even normal day to day lives and bodily functions.
She has unhealthy relationships
Rue Bennett also does not have healthy and stable relationships throughout the series. The many effects of bipolar can also swerve social relationships in the person, away from the normal, steady course.
One relationship is that of Rue Bennett and Jules, a transgender teen. Many people were rooting for the couple. But, in looking closer, it can be seen that Rue simply replaced her need for drugs with her feelings for Jules which does not exactly point to a healthy relationship.
Conclusion
This detailed article has explained if Rue Bennett has bipolar. We have also looked at the various signs and symptoms of bipolar and other issues that Rue Bennett portrays in the series ‘Euphoria’.
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