Katawa Shoujo Forums

Five out of nine symptoms are required for a diagnosis!

- Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
- A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation
- Identity disturbance, such as a significant and persistent unstable self-image or sense of self
- Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating)
- Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior
- Emotional instability due to significant reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)
- Transient, stress-related paranoid thoughts or severe dissociative symptoms

Nope.

- Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
Frantic? No.

- A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation
A pattern would imply she's actually had interpersonal relationships

- Identity disturbance, such as a significant and persistent unstable self-image or sense of self
No, her feelings of self loathing are pretty stable.

- Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating)
We see her drinking once and sex seems to be something she's thought about for a while. Nothing impulsive there.

- Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior
Nothing even hints to that

- Emotional instability due to significant reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)
possibly

- Chronic feelings of emptiness
maybe

- Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)
Nah, her one outburst of anger was fairly appropriate

- Transient, stress-related paranoid thoughts or severe dissociative symptoms
not even close

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria isn't the only thing that garners evidence to a diagnosis.

That being said, the answer is no.

Thanks for the feedback, Oddball. I'm curious about that last one, though. You don't think Hanako becomes more paranoid when stressed?

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:Thanks for the feedback, Oddball. I'm curious about that last one, though. You don't think Hanako becomes more paranoid when stressed?

EVERYONE gets more paranoid when stressed.

Steinherz wrote:

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:Thanks for the feedback, Oddball. I'm curious about that last one, though. You don't think Hanako becomes more paranoid when stressed?

EVERYONE gets more paranoid when stressed.

I'm not sure if Hisao, Emi, or Shizune do.

I have BPD (Official diagnosis anyway, its gotten better over the years so I think I'm past the worst of it)

And no, Hanako does not have BPD, the main factor of BPD is powerful mood swings which are uncontrollable.

Hanakos doesn't have any 'I'm amazing, wait no, I'm a piece of shit moments" just sticks with the latter..

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:

Steinherz wrote:

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:Thanks for the feedback, Oddball. I'm curious about that last one, though. You don't think Hanako becomes more paranoid when stressed?

EVERYONE gets more paranoid when stressed.

I'm not sure if Hisao, Emi, or Shizune do.

Emi begins to think of her own mother as a traitor in one particularly stressful scene, depending on your choices.

Five out of nine symptoms are required for a diagnosis!

You know what else is required for a diagnosis?
Going to a psychiatrist instead of ticking off a checklist on the internet!

If anyone in the VN has BPD, it's Emi, not Hanako. (But, it'd require a mental health professional to make that diagnosis, and this is Japan, so there won't be a mental health professional unless she just can't function at all (like Hanako's case), and she can.)

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:- Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment

Check.

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:- A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation

Well, 2 might be a bit too early to define a pattern, but it sure looks like one.

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:- Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating)

Sex and running until her stumps are bleeding.

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:- Emotional instability due to significant reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)

Yeeeeeep.

Emi's 6th Boyfriend wrote:- Transient, stress-related paranoid thoughts or severe dissociative symptoms

That too.

My, my... Emi you poor thing let me hug it all better.

And actually, I just thought of another one that could be stretched to fit that list... Lilly.

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment? Check, even when she abandons the guy (but in efforts to avoid (or undo) a different abandonment).
Identity disturbance? I can actually make a case for this one, but it's weak. Including it to get to 5.
Impulsivity? Sex, alcohol, and caffeine.
Emotional instability? She's good at hiding it, but...
Transient, stress-related paranoid thoughts? Yep.

Admittedly, that's stretching it, and I don't think Lilly's got BPD.

And, how about Shizune?

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment? Check.
The unstable and intense interpersonal relationships? Check.
Identity disturbance? She even admits to this one.
Impulsivity? Spending, sex, and overwork.
Emotional instability? We'll go with it.
Chronic feelings of emptiness? Check.
Difficulty controlling anger? Check.

I just came up with seven for her. And, she actually fits the description of BPD, not just a checklist of symptoms:

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) (called emotionally unstable personality disorder, emotional intensity disorder, or borderline type in the ICD-10) is a cluster-B personality disorder, the essential feature of which is a pattern of marked impulsivity and instability of affects, interpersonal relationships and self image. The pattern is present by early adulthood and occurs across a variety of situations and contexts.[1]

Other symptoms usually include intense fears of abandonment and intense anger and irritability, the reason for which others have difficulty understanding.[1][2] People with BPD often engage in idealization and devaluation of others, alternating between high positive regard and great disappointment.[3] Self-harm and suicidal behavior are common.[4]

Let's try Rin, too...

Unstable and intense interpersonal relationships? I'll give this one to her.
Identity disturbance? Oh, this, so very much this.
Impulsivity? How about the several things she does to destroy herself?
Speaking of which, self-harm? Yeeeep.
Emotional instability? Yep.
Chronic feelings of emptiness? Yep.
Difficulty controlling anger? Yep.
Stress-related severe disassociative symptoms? Yep.

Eight of nine.

Hanako, I can maybe come up with four, and that's stretching a lot.

tl;dr: Hanako doesn't have BPD. Emi may well have BPD, I'd be surprised if Shizune or Rin didn't.

Now that it's mentioned, Rin seems a very likely candidate.
Lilly not so much, just do sent seem likely, much too calm and collected normally, simply stress breaks her though. (Maybe dependancy disorder, though.)
Shizune again, seems likely.

Emi seems more PTSD in my eyes, though

I don't think so. Someone could have symptoms of something, but not actually have it. I actually thought I had Borderline Personality Disorder myself about four years ago, but I actually didn't/don't, despite being an almost perfect example of the symptoms.