Bipolar Disorder viewed through the Hundred Acre Woods

Friday April 4,2017

    As Winnie the Pooh looked around he saw that he was not alone in this world with depression. He was glad he had friends around him for support. But he also noticed that along with himself having depression, Tigger had manic phase bipolar disorders and Eor had depressive phase bipolar disorder. He thought to himself and realized that these two were examples of Bipolar disorder that Christopher Robin had discussed about with him earlier.

    Bipolar disorder according to the NIMH( National Institute of Mental Health) is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day to day tasks. So lets take a deep look into these individual characters and see if they can show us a better example of what a manic person and a depressive person look like.

    So when we look at Tigger, he is a very jumpy and wired person who has very increased activity levels. We always see Tigger with a lot of energy almost like he never sleeps. He does a lot of risky things with no regard for consequences. He talks very fast sometimes to the irritation ,of his friends. Tigger is what we call a manic person. Someone who experiences the manic phase of bipolar disorder will act very similar to Tigger. All the signs described here are what the NIMH describes as signs of someone who is currently experciencing manic phase bipolar disorder. However this lifestyle has its opposites. This opposite is seen in the other character Eor.

     Eor is by far the most loveable creature on Winnie the Pooh. However it seems from a quick mental diagnosis that Eor suffers from Depression. The reason is , he feels very sad and hopeless through most of the adventures. He has very little energy, causing him to sleep all day. Eor feels as if he cant enjoy life. He spends a lot of time eating and feeling very tired. One could suppose that if Winnie the Pooh was an adult show ,that they might even show Eor contemplate suicide. However the ratings would never go for that.  Eor has a good foundation of a social group, which is key for getting someone help who has depression.

  In conclusion,Winnie the Pooh realized that even though his friends may have problems the best thing he could do was be a good support for his friends. No matter their highs or their lows. Pooh realized the best thing that both Tigger and Eor can do is seek expert consultation by a licensed medical professional. He also realized that they both can live healthy ,productive lives.

Have a wonderful Friday guys , be safe out there, and save lives.

You must become the change you wish to see in the world.
                                        
                                                                       ~Gandhi