Skanky Vamp
Sniffin' the Slayer
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The Mary Sue has a Psychology of Inspirational Women series, in which Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Janina Scarlet talks them through the mindset of their favorite female characters. After going through Buffy's history up until she came back from the dead (the second time) and then basing the diagnosis on her behaviour here is what she determined:
The Diagnoses
Given the state of her symptoms and knowing a little bit about her history, Buffy may have been experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD).
PTSD is a mental health condition that occurs when someone has experienced or was exposed to (or learned of a loved one who has experienced) a traumatic event with the following symptoms:
Since Buffy also has a history of depression (for example, after she had to banish Angel), it would also be important to evaluate her for major depressive disorder (MDD).
MDD is a mental health disorder characterized by 1 or more episodes of at least 5 of the following symptoms for at least 2 weeks. The symptoms must cause severe distress and impairment, and not simply be due to a medical condition or substance use. The bolded text symbolizes the symptoms that Buffy seems to exhibit:
The Recovery
When Buffy first returned from the dead, she was so overwhelmed by her experiences that she couldn’t face them, shutting out everyone around her and only engaging in violent or risky behaviors. In the short term this might have been a bit of a relief for her, because it meant that she didn’t have to deal with her painful feelings; however, in the long term, she felt worse and more disconnected from others. When Buffy was finally able to open up about her experiences, get the support from her friends, and get back to the activities that really mattered to her – helping others, that was when she seemingly started to feel better.
One of the patients I’ve worked with is a sexual assault survivor. She really identified with Buffy especially because, just like Buffy, she also felt alienated from her loved ones. The patient’s family could not understand why, six months after the incident, the patient still had a difficult time with the symptoms and could not simply “get over it.” The patient told me that, like Buffy, she felt that she was pulled out of Heaven and now everything she felt was “excruciating.”
As a part of Superhero Therapy, we watched an episode of Buffy together, the one where she tells Spike about being pulled out of Heaven and feeling like she is in Hell. We then worked on experiencing the client’s feelings with mindful attention and curiosity (this is called acceptance) and worked on her values (the things she cares about the most, like helping others). Over time, like Buffy, this patient was able to reduce her symptoms and was even able to show that same episode of Buffy to her family, helping them understand what she was going through. By getting in touch with her feelings and experiences, by following her values, and connecting with the people she cares about, this person was able to recover from her diagnosis and graduate from therapy.
There are no two characters and no two patients that are exactly alike. Buffy will always have a warm place in my heart as a wonderful reminder that even if the world feels like Hell, things can get better if we let them. By connecting to the very people and actions that mean everything to us, we are more likely to become physically and psychologically resilient, and perhaps, as in the case of Buffy Summers, be able to defeat some monsters along the way.
Check out other entries in the Psychology of Inspirational Women series: Storm, Korra, Carol and Michonne
Dr. Janina Scarlet is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, a scientist, and a full time geek. She uses Superhero Therapy to help patients with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and trauma at the Center for Stress and Anxiety Management and Sharp Memorial Hospital. Dr. Scarlet is also a professor at Alliant International University, San Diego. Dr. Scarlet has presented her work at professional psychological conferences, as well as a number of pop culture conventions, such as San Diego Comic-Con. She has been interviewed about her work on Huffington Post Live, as well as numerous podcasts.
If you would like to learn more about Superhero Therapy, please feel free to contact Dr. Janina Scarlet via Twitter, Facebook, or via her website at www.superhero-therapy.com.
The Diagnoses
Given the state of her symptoms and knowing a little bit about her history, Buffy may have been experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD).
PTSD is a mental health condition that occurs when someone has experienced or was exposed to (or learned of a loved one who has experienced) a traumatic event with the following symptoms:
- Intrusive memories (nightmares, flashbacks, distressing memories of what happened, and/or feeling very upset if anything triggers a memory of the event)
- Avoidance of any reminders or thoughts of the traumatic event
- Changes in thinking and feeling (negative thoughts, like “I’m bad” or “I’m broken,” feeling horrified about what happened, feeling alienated from others, not enjoying things that the person used to, difficulty experiencing positive emotions)
- Physiological and behavioral changes (being irritable or aggressive, reckless or self-destructive behavior, being jumpy/hypervigilant, trouble sleeping)
Since Buffy also has a history of depression (for example, after she had to banish Angel), it would also be important to evaluate her for major depressive disorder (MDD).
MDD is a mental health disorder characterized by 1 or more episodes of at least 5 of the following symptoms for at least 2 weeks. The symptoms must cause severe distress and impairment, and not simply be due to a medical condition or substance use. The bolded text symbolizes the symptoms that Buffy seems to exhibit:
- Depressed mood, feeling sad or empty (required for diagnosis)
- Loss of interest in things that used to be pleasurable (required for diagnosis)
- Weight changes
- Sleep changes
- Feeling restless or slowed down (when she first returns home, Buffy just seems to be going through the motions)
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Recurrent thoughts of death
The Recovery
When Buffy first returned from the dead, she was so overwhelmed by her experiences that she couldn’t face them, shutting out everyone around her and only engaging in violent or risky behaviors. In the short term this might have been a bit of a relief for her, because it meant that she didn’t have to deal with her painful feelings; however, in the long term, she felt worse and more disconnected from others. When Buffy was finally able to open up about her experiences, get the support from her friends, and get back to the activities that really mattered to her – helping others, that was when she seemingly started to feel better.
One of the patients I’ve worked with is a sexual assault survivor. She really identified with Buffy especially because, just like Buffy, she also felt alienated from her loved ones. The patient’s family could not understand why, six months after the incident, the patient still had a difficult time with the symptoms and could not simply “get over it.” The patient told me that, like Buffy, she felt that she was pulled out of Heaven and now everything she felt was “excruciating.”
As a part of Superhero Therapy, we watched an episode of Buffy together, the one where she tells Spike about being pulled out of Heaven and feeling like she is in Hell. We then worked on experiencing the client’s feelings with mindful attention and curiosity (this is called acceptance) and worked on her values (the things she cares about the most, like helping others). Over time, like Buffy, this patient was able to reduce her symptoms and was even able to show that same episode of Buffy to her family, helping them understand what she was going through. By getting in touch with her feelings and experiences, by following her values, and connecting with the people she cares about, this person was able to recover from her diagnosis and graduate from therapy.
There are no two characters and no two patients that are exactly alike. Buffy will always have a warm place in my heart as a wonderful reminder that even if the world feels like Hell, things can get better if we let them. By connecting to the very people and actions that mean everything to us, we are more likely to become physically and psychologically resilient, and perhaps, as in the case of Buffy Summers, be able to defeat some monsters along the way.
Check out other entries in the Psychology of Inspirational Women series: Storm, Korra, Carol and Michonne
Dr. Janina Scarlet is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, a scientist, and a full time geek. She uses Superhero Therapy to help patients with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and trauma at the Center for Stress and Anxiety Management and Sharp Memorial Hospital. Dr. Scarlet is also a professor at Alliant International University, San Diego. Dr. Scarlet has presented her work at professional psychological conferences, as well as a number of pop culture conventions, such as San Diego Comic-Con. She has been interviewed about her work on Huffington Post Live, as well as numerous podcasts.
If you would like to learn more about Superhero Therapy, please feel free to contact Dr. Janina Scarlet via Twitter, Facebook, or via her website at www.superhero-therapy.com.
