Diagnosis for Pinkie Pie

[Shine 166]

So I was reading another thread earlier, which caused me to start analyzing Pinkie Pie's personality and behavior.  I thought about the way she interacts with other ponies and how she's just a little bit different from everpony else.

 

For a while, I've had this theory that Pinkie might have some sort of mental condition that would cause her to act so crazy all the time, and today it finally hit me as I realized these things:

 

• Pinkie Pie is a very sweet and loving individual who never seems to have any hatred at all.
• She has an exceptionally good memory and almost never forgets even the most trivial facts that she's learned about her friends.  (The best example of this trait is show in the episode "A Friend in Deed," in which Pinkie remembers the birthdays of everypony in town and also chats with them about things going on in their lives.)
• She gets obsessive other things.  Whenever Pinkie gets an idea in her head, it takes a lot of convincing to change her mind (if it needs changing, that is), as shown in episodes such as "Bridle Gossip," "Swarm of the Century," and "Luna Eclipsed."
• She isn't always that great at interpreting other ponies' feelings accurately and sometimes does seemingly mean or rude things without realizing it.
• Her entire state of mind is different from everypony else's.  She doesn't seem to grasp what others consider the social norms, and she sees and knows things that other ponies never realize.

my conclusion:  Pinkie Pie is autistic.

 

 

No, that is definitely not an insult; don't even think so for a minute.  I know lots of people who have autism, and they are all delightful people.  Pinkie Pie is even my favourite pony (though not for that reason), and I like the idea that she might represent this group of often badly misunderstood people.  It would certainly explain why her friends put up with her nonsense so much (if they were good friends, they would be understanding of her condition and accept her as she is), but it would also show that a person's mental state shouldn't affect her ability to make friends and be loved.

 

I shared this theory with an autistic friend of mine just now, and he agreed and gave it his "Austistic Approval stamp", although he admitted that he had never thought of it that way before.  lawl

 

What I want to know is what do you bronies think of this?  Is Pinkie Pie autistic?  Do you think the creators of the show intended for her to be portrayed this way?  Would they be willing to accept it if brought to their attention?  Do you think it's a good idea to have autistic ponies in the show, or at least to vaguely reference the idea of autism?  Why or why not?

 

Whatever you post, please do not say anything rude about people with autism, okay?

[Scootalove 10,689]

Good diagnosis. Everything about Pinkie is almost like a mystery that you're trying to solve but you never find the answer to, her personality and everything about her is like a maze where you're looking for the end of it.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Scootalove

[Doctor Evil 2]

Someone should write a list of the mane 6 with all their conditions, and subscribe them pills such as Zoloft and Viagra.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

In a way, possibly.

 

But that's just pinkie being pinkie for her friends, she's just there to have and create a laugh for everyone and herself.

[XxConfusedUnicornxX 834]

Pinkie is just being Pinkie. She's sorta like a class clown. She wants everypony to smile. Im class clown and people think im autistic. Sometimes being crazy makes people smile but... not too over the top crazy

[Shine 166]

Good diagnosis. Everything about Pinkie is almost like a mystery that you're trying to solve but you never find the answer to, her personality and everything about her is like a maze where you're looking for the end of it. I don't think it's good to have autistic ponies in the show because, people will start complaining that it is insulting people with autism and a huge flame war would occur.

 

I have nothing against autism though.

It wouldn't be done in an insulting way, though.  Like, the way Pinkie Pie is now doesn't offend anyone, but if we could somehow get Hasbro to accept the diagnosis of autism, then maybe people would see that it doesn't really make as much of a difference as they generally assume.

 

Someone should write a list of the mane 6 with all their conditions, and subscribe them pills such as Zoloft and Viagra.

1. I think you mean "prescribe" instead of "subscribe."

2. The Mane Six are all female, so none of them would have any use for Viagra.

3. Medications for mental conditions usually do more harm than help, despite what the pharmacists may want you to think.

[Scootalove 10,689]

It wouldn't be done in an insulting way, though.  Like, the way Pinkie Pie is now doesn't offend anyone, but if we could somehow get Hasbro to accept the diagnosis of autism, then maybe people would see that it doesn't really make as much of a difference as they generally assume.

I guess you're right. Hasbro can do it without insulting anyone.

[Shine 166]

Pinkie is just being Pinkie. She's sorta like a class clown. She wants everypony to smile. Im class clown and people think im autistic. Sometimes being crazy makes people smile but... not too over the top crazy

Her clownishness and her possible autism aren't mutually inclusive.  Even if she weren't such a jokester, I think this diagnosis would still apply.  She's still kind, oblivious, and has an insanely good memory, all symptoms of autism.

[XxConfusedUnicornxX 834]

Her clownishness and her possible autism aren't mutually inclusive.  Even if she weren't such a jokester, I think this diagnosis would still apply.  She's still kind, oblivious, and has an insanely good memory, all symptoms of autism.

i guess is it me or does the fandom judge pinkie too much?

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Yeah that sounds about right. She would also have some ADHD too. In that case, best super pink party pony has the same disabilities I have. That is just great.

Edited February 21, 2014 by ChikoritaBrony

[Shine 166]

i guess is it me or does the fandom judge pinkie too much?

I dunno.  I think all of the Mane Six get judged a lot.

Pinkie Pie is my favourite pony, though, so I generally only see the good side of her.  :b

Yeah that sounds about right. She would also have some ADHD too. In that case, best super pink party pony has the same disabilities I have. That is just great.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the ADHD.  I guess the two conditions overlap so often that I forgot they are two separate things.  lawl

 

Don't think of your condition as a disability.  It just makes you who you are.  c:

[Rebel the Wolfgirl 5,605]

Heh, Viagra. PINGAS!

 

BACK ON TOPIC...

Ihave Aspergers (high-functioning autism), and I don't display a lot of these symptoms.

 

MY VERDICT?:

Maybe.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

I dunno.  I think all of the Mane Six get judged a lot.

Pinkie Pie is my favourite pony, though, so I generally only see the good side of her.  :b

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the ADHD.  I guess the two conditions overlap so often that I forgot they are two separate things.  lawl

 

Don't think of your condition as a disability.  It just makes you who you are.  c:

No that's just what I call it since I didn't know if there was like another word for it.

[Shine 166]

Heh, Viagra. PINGAS!

 

BACK ON TOPIC...

Ihave Aspergers (high-functioning autism), and I don't display a lot of these symptoms.

 

MY VERDICT?:

Maybe.

Wally (my friend who gave this theory the "Autism Approval stamp"  xP) was originally diagnosed with Asperger's, but according to a medical texbook he read just for the fun of it, that particular diagnosis no longer exists.

Anyway, the reason I came to this conclusion for Pinkie Pie is because she's basically just like him, and she also shares a lot of characteristics with my other autistic friends.  I'm not a medical expert, so I can't say for 100% certainty that this is an accurate diagnosis, but does seem pretty logical, right?

 

No that's just what I call it since I didn't know if there was like another word for it.

Oh, okay.

[Rebel the Wolfgirl 5,605]

Aspergers is still a valid diagnosis.

[PsychedelicPony 440]

I think Pinkie Pie has atypical bipolar in the fact that she is most of the time in a hypermania state, but on the same coin she can have spikes of major depression. Also she may have ADHD due to her hyperactive nature with trouble focusing on one thing at a time.

[Koelath 445]

Pinkie Pie is a very sweet and loving individual who never seems to have any hatred at all.

As an autistic person, I fail to see how this is at all relevant to your theory. I'm perfectly capable of hatred, as are many autistic people I have known.

And frankly, if a person truly has no hatred, they are an incomplete person. Same as a sociopath who has no love.

 

 

As to the questions...

 

Do I think she is? No.

 

Do I think the writers intend her to be? No.

 

Do I think they'd embrace the idea? Not in the show because it's entirely unnecessary and somewhat ridiculous to tack a condition onto Pinkie just for the hell of it. But they might joke about it via non-canon avenues.

 

Should they have autistic characters? Eh...Not really. There's this weird new obsession with forcing what I guess people think are progressive concepts into places they simply do not belong and it's unsettling, tiresome, and a bit offensive. "Oh, they should make Big Mac gay!" "I bet they wrote Scootaloo as a cripple!" "Pinkie Pie is totally autistic!" Oi, enough already!

 

 

No characters should ever be given arbitrary special-snowflake status - especially retroactively - because it's asinine and serves no point. If the writers want to say something about autism, they can introduce a new character. But Pinkie Pie is not autistic.

 

(I'm reminded of a story about a woman who asked a man about ways to turn her son gay because having a gay son would prove how open-minded she is...Never quite grasping that arbitrarily enforcing such things is the very opposite of open-minded.)

Edited February 21, 2014 by Koelath

[Shine 166]

Aspergers is still a valid diagnosis.

Are you sure?  I've heard from several sources that it's been changed to what they now call "Autism Spectrum Disorder."  Again, though, I'm not an expert, so I could be wrong.

 

I think Pinkie Pie has atypical bipolar in the fact that she is most of the time in a hypermania state, but on the same coin she can have spikes of major depression. Also she may have ADHD due to her hyperactive nature with trouble focusing on one thing at a time.

This is true.  She does seem very ADHD in nature and also shows some signs of bipolarity every now and then.

 

No characters should ever be given arbitrary special-snowflake status - especially retroactively - because it's asinine and serves no point. If the writers want to say something about autism, they can introduce a new character. But Pinkie Pie is not autistic.

I'm not saying they should make her autistic; I'm saying I think, based on what I've observed both in the real world and in Pinkie Pie,  that she is autistic.  There's no need to get offended about it.  

Accepting that a person and/or character might have a mental condition has nothing to do with "forcing progressive concepts", either.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Pudu (Rainshine)

[PsychedelicPony 440]

This is true.  She does seem very ADHD in nature and also shows some signs of bipolarity every now and then.

 

 

 

I might be a little more informed than some of the other ponies on the forums since I'm a psychology major haha, but what I know so far seems to point to this.

[Koelath 445]

I'm not saying they should make her autistic; I'm saying I think, based on what I've observed both in the real world and in Pinkie Pie,  that she is autistic.  There's no need to get offended about it.  

Accepting that a person and/or character might have a mental condition has nothing to do with "forcing progressive concepts", either.

I was referring more to the "Would they be willing to accept it if brought to their attention?" bit. If the creators did not intend it yet accept it once brought to their attention, that is in effect retroactively making her autistic as the creator's word is law. But anyway, not to discredit your theory (because frankly, no theory has any credit until canon addresses it anyway - I just like to talk) but a lot of that is just fairly basic traits:

 

• Pinkie Pie is a very sweet and loving individual who never seems to have any hatred at all. - She could be a hippie. Or a pacifist. Or a guru. Or even a protagonist in a bright and happy feel-good cartoon.

   

• She has an exceptionally good memory and almost never forgets even the most trivial facts that she's learned about her friends. - Theoretically, any suitably-dedicated person can develop a memory of such quality. The way the brain works, sufficient repetition and association will burn even mundane details into memory. She may just be incredibly dedicated to her friends, particularly given that her behavior in various episodes shows her obsession with friends bordering on outright neurosis. Checking the mail every second, door-to-door singing telegrams, redundant birthday parties, Party of One in general, her first meeting with Twilight... (The More You Know: It's impossible to truly forget anything. It's still in there, it's just misplaced. Pinkie might also just be super organized inside her own head...Which may drive her outward insanity because keeping everything straight is a pain. XD)

   

• She gets obsessive other things.  Whenever Pinkie gets an idea in her head, it takes a lot of convincing to change her mind - This is called being stubborn.

   

• She isn't always that great at interpreting other ponies' feelings accurately and sometimes does seemingly mean or rude things without realizing it. - This is called being a flawed individual.

• Her entire state of mind is different from everypony else's.  She doesn't seem to grasp what others consider the social norms, and she sees and knows things that other ponies never realize. - She could just be insane. In fact, Party of One supports that in a very disturbing way.

 

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

 

 

3. Medications for mental conditions usually do more harm than help, despite what the pharmacists may want you to think

 

 

My god... Isn't that the truth? Specially in "borderline" cases. And it is HARD making some parents understand this sometimes.

[Shine 166]

but a lot of that is just fairly basic traits:

All those things you said are valid points, yes, but those things still are pretty commonly found in people with Autism.

[ShadOBabe 19,013]

 

 

Are you sure?  I've heard from several sources that it's been changed to what they now call "Autism Spectrum Disorder."  Again, though, I'm not an expert, so I could be wrong.

 

Technically, yeah they just group it all under Autism now.

Which I think is freakin' stupid. I really think they're different things, at least in subtle ways.

But on a more important note, WHY ARE THEY CHANGING THE NAME OF A CONDITION FOR PEOPLE THAT HATE CHANGE??

I've been told I have Aspergers, but now they've decided I'm autistic. Graagh, no, I have Aspergers!!

Stop messing with my identity, doctors!! *flails*

[Koelath 445]

Technically, yeah they just group it all under Autism now.

Which I think is freakin' stupid. I really think they're different things, at least in subtle ways.

But on a more important note, WHY ARE THEY CHANGING THE NAME OF A CONDITION FOR PEOPLE THAT HATE CHANGE??

I've been told I have Aspergers, but now they've decided I'm autistic. Graagh, no, I have Aspergers!!

Stop messing with my identity, doctors!! *flails*

 

If "Aspergers" is your identity...Put your face in your palm.

[ShadOBabe 19,013]

If "Aspergers" is your identity...Put your face in your palm.

 

It's an identifying characteristic.

So, part of my identity. And me and the other students in the Aspergers/Autism support I used to go to group all agree.

And so does my best friend, who also has it. We want to keep using the term "Aspergers". 83

Edited February 21, 2014 by ShadOBabe