Does Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie have Schizophrenia?

[Inazuma 53]

A thought occurred to me today. Twilight and Pinkie Pie both seem to have the symptoms of Schizophrenia. A mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thought proccesses  and by impaired emotional responses. Common symptoms include delusions, such as paranoid beliefs; hallucinations; disorganized thinking; and negative symptoms, such as blunted affect and avolition. Schizophrenia causes significant social and vocational dysfunction. Symptom onset typically occurs in young adulthood.

Genetics, early environment, neurobiology, and psychological and social processes appear to be important contributory factors.

 

The disorder is thought mainly to affect cognition, but it also usually contributes to chronic problems with behavior and emotion. People with schizophrenia are likely to have additional (comorbid) conditions, including major depression and anxiety disorders; Social problems, such as long-term unemployment, poverty, and homelessness are common. The average life expectancy of people with the disorder is 12 to 15 years less than those without, the result of increased physical health problems and a higher suicide rate (about 5%).

 

Knowing that Twilight and Pinkie both have displayed one or more of the symptoms of Schizophrenia on different occasions  and in different ways. In fact it may be the reasons why Twilight was turned into an Alicorn. Plus one of the known things that "cure" Schizophrenia is Social Rehabilitation. Twilight making friends and staying in Ponyville. Pinky and her obsessiveness with parties, making friends and craving for constant interaction.

 

Well what do you guys think?

[Scootalove 10,689]

They always have mental breakdowns in some cases by emotional responses, you could be right but that's just me. It is just a part of their personalities, because like the other five they have breakdowns in which they express their mental or psychological breakdowns by their emotions.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Scootalove

[AnonBrony 1,469]

No. Of course they don't. Just because they displayed a few 'symptoms' on a few occasions does not mean they have the disorder. Twilight and Pinkie act the way they do because that's who they are. It's in their personality man. Twilight is known be paranoid, which is normal, and she has social issues because she's introverted. Pinkie is very extroverted meaning she likes having a bunch of friends and likes attention. The only reason she went nuts in Party of One was because she loved her friends; they were everything to her and realizing they probably weren't her friends caused her to have a mental breakdown. But that's all pretty normal. None of that has to mean they have to have the disorder. Their 'symptoms' they have displayed are just characteristics of their personality. 

[Shanks 10,816]

I would say out of the two that Pinkie Pie is probably more likely to have some form of Schizophrenia, one common effect of Schizophrenia is split personalities and we have clearly seen some evidence of this with Pinkie Pie's meltdown in Party Of One. While her "Pinkamena" persona in the show is not anywhere near as unstable as in gorefics such as Cupcakes is clearly a extremely drastic side of her that given the minor percieved neglect and short period of time I do in fact believe counts as a seperate personality.

 

We all have insecurities and even the cheeriest of us can be in dreary moods sometimes but Pinkie's drastic change from the Pinkie Pie we know to Pinkamena in Party of One over one incident indicates a much more serious problem that could indicate Schizophrenia or some other mental illness. I think much of it stems from her childhood growing up on a rock farm made her very emotionally needy and vulnerable, yes she is happy most of the time however she also has some very glaring insecurities and fears of rejection as well as personal space issues. It is still no guarantee that Pinkie Pie is Schizophrenic though as it is possible to have symptoms of Schizophrenia as well as many other neurological conditions without having said condition.

 

As or Twilight most of her problems stem from a very severe case of OCD and most of the symptoms of Schizophrenia that apply to her are also common symptoms of OCD making a diagnosis even more complicated. This is also the case with her anxiety and paranoia, all of her major freakouts in some way and some forms revolved around her OCD combined with her deep seated insecurities and fear of failure especially fear of being "tardy" or failing Celestia. It is indeed possible for her to have Schizophrenia as this one nobel prize winning mathematician whom the movie A Beautiful Mind is based on had Scizophrenia. Though if Twilight does in fact have it it is likely a minor case of it and the OCD would have a much much more significant influence.

Edited January 24, 2014 by EarthbendingProdigy

[Blaze Bronson 343]

I don't believe Twilight is that bad, she basically just becomes ignorant to her surroundings and loses her morals. Like any emotionally rushed person would be.

Pinkie Pie however completely loses grip of reality, starting to talk with objects, and takes a turn to a completely different type of character. More like a split personality.

[Jammo 986]

Twilight has OCD and major anxiety problems.

Schizophrenia is a no. Schizos often have a very poor grasp on reality and believe in realities that aren't real". Twilight can really lose her shit sometimes and have mental breakdowns but they were routed in her insecurities and obsession of proving herself. In Lesson Zero if her fears were over aliens or some unseen cosmic force that's keeping her from learning a lesson, that's more schizophrenia than an unhealthy eagerness to please her teacher.

 

Pinkie however is another story. She's a big maybe for me. I usually just see her as her own thing with her own rules and level of existence. Not conforming to any actual mental condition.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Jammo

[Tigerpop198 696]

No, I don't think they do. Sure they do have break downs, but even then they keep some sort of sanity. If they had Schizophrenia, I would suggest them to see a doctor, to help control the "moments."

[NavelColt 22,883]

Twilight's got anxiety and CDO issues out the ass, as others have said. Though, she's greatly suppressed these since the days of Lesson Zero.

 

Pinkie would be borderline personality disorder if not outright multiple personality disorder, as her emotions cause emotional unbalance to the point where she almost becomes a different character from them, as shown in Party of One. Though, we've seen little to no real Pinkamena time since then so, it's really hard to actually give a label.

 

Neither of these are examples of schizophrenia, though Pinkie's example is a tad closer in relation, what with talking to inanimate objects and hearing them talk back.

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,178]

I have schitz.... yeah... they don't have it. They don't appear depressed, have suicidal thoughts, Nor do they talk to themselves as if theres some1 else there.

[Deesinn 393]

I think Pinkie exhibits many symptoms of Bipolar.  She seems to have very manic like episodes (speaking very fast, appearing almost high and overly optimistic, racing thoughts, jumping from topic to topic very quickly, impulsive behavior, ect..), and clearly from Party Of One seems to show some signs of mild psychosis.  Since we don't see any depressive episodes, and none are ever brought up or talked about, I would have to throw her in the Not Otherwise Specified spectrum, which is apparently very rare.     

 

Lithium solves every problem. 

Edited January 25, 2014 by Deesinn

[Acchan 232]

Pinkie Pie seems to show more symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. In all honesty, I believe that Fluttershy may have schizophrenia. That would explain the whole "talking to animals" thing a bit better than it being her special talent.

[DukeofCanterlot 158]

Nah. Twilight is totally OCD though.

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

Nope. But I do believe that Pinkie Pie is bipolar and Twilight has serious OCD. That's no problem with character, that kind of helps me relate to them a little bit in fact, because I believe that I have a less major form of Bipolar Disorder called Cyclothymia, in which there's an in-between, but manic states exist and depressive states certainly exist.

 

I know who does have Schizophrenia though... The Angry Video Game Nerd.

But also Fluttershy is a maybe here. I'm too lazy to offer support for this at the moment.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Twilight Sniper

[Brotaku 18]

Interesting and amusing idea. Given Pinkie Pie's discussion with the inanimate objects in Party of One, I could see that diagnosis. Once she no longer perceived herself as moving them and providing their voices she seemed genuinely deluded. Would what happened in Too Many Pinkie Pies be considered a form of Multiple Personality Disorder? Hmm... 

 

Twilight Sparkle on the other hand I think just has general anxiety issues that can cause paranoia. Though she did get quite unhinged in Lesson Zero, to the point of talking to herself, she still seemed grounded in reality. She wasn't seeing things that weren't there or hearing voices. 

[Noodles 109]

 

 

Pinkie however is another story. She's a big maybe for me. I usually just see her as her own thing with her own rules and level of existence. Not conforming to any actual mental condition.

 

and I wonder if that coupled with her "element power" could explain why she as the clear ability to tweak reality.

[Wayzer 1,418]

Well after party of one, I definitely believe Pinkie is. I'm not really sure about Twilight though, I don't think she has it.

[Singe 2,111]

Pinkie Pie is the most unstable. She has resorted to stalking others like Cranky Doodle just to keep her "everyone in town is my friend" belief.

 

When it comes to point where some of the Mane 5 have to leave Ponyville for good, I wouldn't put it past Pinkie Pie to snap then throws one final party and poisons her friends so that they would be together forever.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Singe

[Gone for good 1,593]

I can actually answer the question for both as I have done extensive psychological research on these two characters! The answer is nope! They do not have schizophrenia.

And because every thread I see has someone come in here and be all like "that one guy on the forums says pinkie pie has BPD" she does not have it that entire thing was wrong wrong wrong. Pinkie Pie, as crazy as this sounds, is normal but just weird. I'm serious, too. Check out both the old DSMIV and the brand spanking new DSMV and no matter what disorder you can find she doesn't really qualify to any. The most she can qualify as is either PDD:NOS or ADHD:NOS but certain things that happen in season 3 and 4 completely break those up.

Twilight Sparkle is basically the same thing. She's actually normal but she's more of just an insanely hard worker. Like I was originally thinking she had some form of a developmental disorder or some form of autism because she's kind of weird but in the end these weird social traits that she exhibits at the beginning of the show are because she was just literally working so hard she never actually socialized that much and she just literally didn't know certain things.

Both of them don't even fit under the schizophrenia spectrum so go figure. I know a lot of people are going to say Party of One but aaaghhh if the forums didn't delete my giant 18 page essay on Pinkie Pie's brain I'd reference up some stuff about stress and grieving and I'd totally be able to show that the crazy episode she had is actually somewhat normal.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Lord Bababa