A recent study diagnosed the characters in ‘Winnie the Pooh’ with certain disorders. The lead character, Winnie the Pooh, was diagnosed with three behavioral disorders. Shocking, right? Let’s learn about disorders in all the characters in this classic cartoon.
3 Winnie the Pooh Disorders
Firstly, Winnie the Pooh has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (the inattentive subtype). It is experienced when the patient suffers from inability to pay attention to what the other person is saying or portrays an indifferent behavior towards the individual. However, he does not show any signs of narcissism.
The second disorder Winnie the Pooh was diagnosed with is the impulsivity with obsessive fixations. He is obsessed with honey and grabs it anywhere he can find it. Winnie the Pooh is even willing to take risks in order to attain some. Moreover, his obsession and fixation led him to become obese.
Lastly, Pooh also suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This can be seen when he counts repeatedly and starts from all over when someone interrupts him. Pooh not only likes to count but simply does not stop counting. In addition to this, he was also diagnosed with ADHD which has similar symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. This is said to eventually lead to Tourette syndrome as time progresses.
Disorders in Other Characters in Winnie the Pooh
Besides the above mentioned Winnie the pooh disorders, there are other disorders in the cartoon:
Piglet--Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The little pink piglet has been diagnosed with GDA which stands for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. He is constantly seen as worrying and stressing about one thing or the other, which could be embedded in his low self-esteem starting from an early age. A self-esteem injury during his youth may have caused him to experience high levels of anxiety, stress and nervousness. In addition to this, piglet also experiences problems with his speech. The distinct speech impediment, in other words known as stuttering, can be related to the irrational anxiety that piglet seems to suffer.
Piglet cannot stop thinking of the worst case scenario and finds himself helpless to his condition. This is the most common form of symptom found in patients who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Marked by stress, anxiety and nervousness, our favorite character is always in a pickle and is constantly worried about what will happen next.
Kanga Roo-- Social Anxiety Disorder
Kanga Roo suffers from Social Anxiety Disorder which derives from overprotective and pampering mothering during childhood. She is seen as being overly attached to her young ones, and suffers from anxiety if she is unable to control them. Kanga Roo does not let her young ones make decisions and mistakes on their own. She probably does not want her children to repeat the same mistakes she made when young. However, her overprotectiveness reaches a point of suffocation.
Rabbit--Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
This is the same with one of the Winnie the pooh disorders.The over organized Rabbit suffers from a disorder called the OCD, which is an abbreviation for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Rabbit is seen to be obsessed with keeping things organized and under some sort of method. Although he is a male character, Rabbit acts quite femininely. This might give clues about homosexuality.
Christopher Robin-- Schizophrenia
Christopher Robin imagines most of the characters to being a part of his hallucinations. The characters are formed in his mind which is a clear symptom of Schizophrenia. This is commonly found in those individuals who have trouble expressing their feelings in the real world. The characters he envisions represent feelings that he may have experienced early on in life. However, since Christopher Robin is only a child, it may be that he is only learning how to function in socially, and interact with individuals. Hence, each character that he has made up may be a form of feeling or experience that he is still learning to cope with.
Eeyore-- Depressive Disorder
Eeyore is gray and old donkey who is a friend of Winnie the Pooh. Eeyore is mostly seen upset throughout the episodes. It has been concluded that Eeyore suffers from a condition called the Depressive Disorder. Eeyore finds it difficult to express any kind of emotion whether it is joy or excitement. He is usually seen as being unwilling to move and has a negative outlook towards life in general. He does not expect anything good to happen around him and is majorly depressive. Hence, the purple donkey is mostly gloomy, upset and unwilling to participate in real activities. The most pessimistic character in the entire Winnie the Pooh series is Eeyore, who is sarcastic, cynical, gloomy yet wise and observant.
Tigger-- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
This again is the same with one of the Winnie the pooh disorders. Tigger, one of the most loved characters of the show also suffers from a disorder called the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. One can spot Tigger jumping around everywhere as he is unable to control his hyperactivity. He is also prepared to taste food regardless of what it may contain. In addition to this, Tigger is seen as extremely impulsive and does things in the spur of the moment. This makes him one of the worst role model for kids. Although he is quite popular and is a social magnet, he somehow always runs into some sort of danger and puts the group and himself in risky situations. The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Tigger can be seen in the way he is always jumpy and simply does not settle down to even catch his breath.
Owl--- Dyslexia
The Owl suffers from a condition called Dyslexia. However it should be noted that the Owl is quite a bright character in the Winnie the Pooh series. He is the wisest and most intelligent character, although it often gets spellings wrong. He usually mixes up two letters or swaps the letters around. Sometimes, Owl has been spotted to write the words back to front.