Does The Winnie The Pooh Characters Represent Different Mental Health Disorders?
I have just begun to think that his creator or more so the author A. A. Milne may also be one of my favorite psychologists. Naturally, it takes a lot of skill and talent to write a children’s book filled with lovable and quirky characters, who teach children the true value of friendship, tolerance, unconditional acceptance, and playfulness. But it is something else entirely to be able to imbue these characters with personality traits and characteristics that we intuitively feel drawn to, perhaps without fully understanding why.
The animals of the Hundred Acre Wood imperceptibly introduce children to the intricacies of the adult world. But I bet you did not realize that each beloved character could also be interpreted as illustrating certain symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Their most exaggerated personality characteristics can actually be seen as common responses to trauma and, even though we are not kids anymore, they can teach us a lot.
Reports was shown from an article 20 years ago or more by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) that has diagnosed each of the different characters of Winnie the Pooh. The term “learning disability” wasn’t even introduced until 1963 but as thought that Milne himself may have consciously linked each of the character to a known type condition we hear and use to this day.
Why PTSD?
There have long been so many speculations that each animal in Milne’s books represents a different psychological disorder. Almost 20 years ago, an article appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that argues exactly this. It stated that Pooh to be suffering from ADHD, inattentive type, and possibly OCD. Piglet was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, while Eeyore was seen as dysthymic (a type of depressive disorder). Tigger, naturally, was a representation of ADHD, hyperactive/impulsive subtype and Rabbit was declared to suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. There have also been rebuttals, which the curious reader can look up online. Yet in the next section will talk about the different characters different ‘diagnosed’ conditions which may be different from what I wrote just earlier.
This embarrassment of diagnostical riches when it comes to our beloved childhood friends is natural. Twenty years ago or more, as we know and understand that many different clinicians from any different field of work had much less understanding of the impact of trauma. The diagnosis of PTSD itself continues to be revised with each iteration of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM), which is the DSM5 and we are only now beginning to grasp the wide range of impact that trauma has on our every day functioning in and around us.
Looking at each character separately and giving them a diagnosis based on a sample of behaviors also illustrates a challenge for clinicians, as well as those experiencing the impact of trauma, today. I frequently see PTSD or complex trauma misdiagnosed as Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, or even on occasion Bipolar Disorder.
Developmental trauma (not yet an official diagnosis), on the other hand, frequently results in problems like addiction or eating disorders in adulthood (but not necessarily straightforward PTSD). The problem is that the trauma responses and PTSD may encompass signs and symptoms from all of these mental health problems, or more so it masks them despite it can also overlap with one another too of these said signs/symptoms and only noting the one that is most prominent jeopardizes proper diagnosis and treatment. It is only through looking at the full forest of the Hundred Acre Wood that we can accurately appreciate how it is more than a sum of its characters.
In addition, let us not forget that A. A. Milne himself was a war veteran. Even a cursory glance at his biography reveals that he was part of both World Wars, serving in combat at one of the bloodiest battles of WWI (Battle of Somme). He is known to have never been the same after his return and it is not a stretch to speculate that he himself was intimately familiar with the impact of trauma and PTSD. Some accounts of his life report that he had a difficult time adjusting to being a parent to his son, Christopher Robin (also not uncommon when one is struggling to recover from trauma). It is highly probable that using his children’s stories, Milne was attempting to heal and connect with his child through the only means available to him—the creative expression of his own experience.
Why Is This Important?
Living with PTSD, or with someone who is contending with PTSD, is not always easy. The aftermath of trauma does not happen in a vacuum and reverberates through the fabric of families and the community as a whole. Winnie and friends normalize some of that impact. They are cute and fluffy, kind and caring, and each has its own quirks. They remind us that irritability does not mean a lack of kindness, and that fear and anxiety may be “inconvenient” sometimes, but they are something that we experience, not something that defines our essence.
A. A. Milne likely found a creative way of talking about his struggles and those of many other individuals affected by trauma. He did this in a way that elicits compassion, a sense of community, and even laughter. Unconsciously, trauma overwhelms us and we may want to “shut down” or turn the other way, in order to not look at it. But when we do not look at it, it remains unprocessed within us, often impacting our feelings, behaviors, and relationships without us realizing it. We may also find ourselves unable to offer support to loved ones who are dealing with their own emotional burden. In breaking down the full picture of PTSD into smaller, more easily digestible characters, Milne allows us to see them as coexisting with all the other positive characteristics in our personalities, that may sometimes get lost or unnoticed when we are struggling.
There is no bigger joy something that brings to us other than when our beloved childhood books continue to teach us about life even in adulthood. (OK, maybe there are bigger joys, but this comes pretty close.)
For the wider audience, like yourselves, the dwellers of the Hundred Acre Wood can offer unique insight into what it is like to live with symptoms of PTSD.
Whether that’s you or someone you love, a neighbor, a war veteran, or a friend coming out of an abusive relationship, we all gain more from knowledge. Each animal in our beloved cast of characters represents characteristics consistent with a trauma response, but not everyone who contends with PTSD will have all symptoms. You may see yourself more in Piglet and less in Owl, or more in Eeyore. Or you may be a different character every day, depending on the circumstances and stressors of your environment.
A Cast of Our Beloved Characters of the Different ‘Diagnosed’ Conditions
Piglet
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder.
Piglet is a representation of the anxiety and hypervigilance that commonly arise in the aftermath of trauma. Adverse experiences overwhelm the nervous system, leaving us in a perpetual state of anticipating danger. Loud noises may startle us more than before the traumatic event took place. Tight spaces may seem tighter, eliciting increased heart rate. The whole world may seem as if hidden dangers are lurking from behind every corner. Trauma can leave us feeling like we have to constantly watch our back, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
What is more, Piglet also experiences significant social anxiety. This is not uncommon when the trauma we have experienced is interpersonal in nature. Once we have been hurt or betrayed by others, especially those who had a caregiving or intimate role in our lives (e.g. parents, grandparents, siblings, romantic partners), we may react by automatically becoming suspicious or even frightened by emotional closeness. Some may also say that piglet may have generalized anxiety disorder. This known theory that could be behind all of these conditions that are listed was because he may have suffered from an injury, crippling his self-esteem and the stuttering problem he has most likely developed from the said injury.
On the one hand, we may become untrusting and guarded, while, on the other hand, constantly seek reassurance. (“Pooh!” he whispered. “Yes, Piglet?” “Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”)
Tigger
ADHD
If we were asked to describe Tigger, the first thing that comes to mind is that he is constantly bouncing around. He is impulsive and sometimes rather reckless. He is unsettled and hyperactive. Rather than simply describing him as having ADHD, I argue that Tigger is experiencing some of the arousal and reactivity symptoms of PTSD. Difficulty concentrating, for example, and constantly feeling like your mind is racing, moving faster than your ability to catch it, is a prominent feature of the trauma response. Yet, we always see him bouncing around and never stays in one place for a long period of time.
In addition, impulsivity and engaging in risky behaviors are also recognized as symptoms of PTSD. For someone who has survived a life-threatening or terrifying situation, survival guilt may also lead to daring fate.
Eeyore
Depressive Disorder or Depression.
He had a bleak outlook on life, never feels positive emotions like happiness or excitement.
“Could be worse. Not sure how, but it could be,” is quintessential Eeyore—depressed, kind of gloomy, and unable to experience joy. Eeyore illustrates several cognitive and emotional symptoms of PTSD. On the one hand, trauma can impact the ways in which we view the world, others, and ourselves. Eeyore is perpetually self-critical and surprised that his friends care about him. He also finds it much easier to withdraw from social interactions than to seek them.
On the other hand, the aftermath of trauma can leave us feeling ashamed, alone, and drowning in self-criticism, much like self-deprecating Eeyore. In addition, it can rob us of the experience of joy or pleasure, even in activities that we used to enjoy before the trauma occurred.
These are some of the most prominent, and also most insidious consequences of trauma. They can color our whole view of ourselves and others, leaving us feeling sure the world is an awful, gloomy, barren place, devoid of joy, and that we are never going to be unable to experience love or happiness again. Not infrequently, these consequences are accompanied by a sort of cynicism, also evident in Eeyore’s dry wit (“It’s not much of a tail, but I’m sort of attached to it.”)
Rabbit
OCD
Oh, poor, busy, impatient Rabbit! In this character, Milne vividly illustrated several possible consequences of trauma—an obsession with rules, inflexibility, and irritability. At first glance, they are not characteristics that endear us to Rabbit. However, consider their roots: Traumatic events inherently threaten our understanding of the world and world order; they are frequently unpredictable or terrifying, leaving (emotional) chaos in their trail. Very orderly and obssessive. Also, there Sayers has also questioned his sexual orientation due to his feminine behaviour.
It is not uncommon, then, to see people who have been traumatized become more rigid in their insistence on order and predictability, or irritable when such does not exist. The obsession with rules and regulations serves a purpose to ward off the existential anxiety that if rules do not exist or are not followed to the letter, a new and overwhelming catastrophe may occur.
Kanga
Social Anxiety Disorder.
As we know when we see her inside the story line that she is really overprotective of her son and never let her son make his own decisions.
Roo
Autism
Lacks awareness of danger and has an attachment for staying in his mom’s pouch for safety.
Owl
Dylsexia and Short-term memory loss
And then, there is Owl, sitting atop his house on a tall, tall tree. He pontificates and lectures, seemingly oblivious to the impact of his long speeches on his friends. Owl has been described as dyslexic in some analyses of the Hundred Acre Wood characters. But here, I direct your attention to the more subtle dynamic that Owl creates—through his air of superiority and his patronizing approach, Owl is really demonstrating his own difficulties with intimacy. He is aloof and can only connect through intellectualizing, which is in stark contrast to his friends. Despite it all, we see owl as being exceptionally bright and it has shown that had trouble reading –classic example is when watching Pooh’s Grand adventure when he mistook the word “Schools for skull.” Owl tend to show that he does forget things as quickly as he says them.
This kind of difficulty is not uncommon in individuals struggling with PTSD. The internal energy and resources it takes to manage anxiety can frequently cause one to feel so emotionally exhausted, that no room is left for genuine intimacy and connectedness. In fact, withdrawal and isolation, physical or emotional, are a hallmark symptom of PTSD. And so are the loss of playfulness, imagination, and creativity, seen in both Owl and Rabbit.
Christopher Robin
It was a thought that he suffered Schizophrenia as this is because all the characters above are manifested depending on his moods.
And then…there is the main hero himself:
Pooh
Eating Disorder and ADHD and possibly autism.
It is not easy to characterize Pooh in a single sentence, and I do not believe that his inattentiveness can simply be attributed to ADHD, inattentive type. Pooh is lovable, yet can be naïve and a bit scattered. He has to remind himself to stay grounded and “think, think, think.” Add to that a single-track mind for chasing honey pots, and we have a picture that very much resembles what we call dissociation.
Dissociation is not a primary symptom of PTSD, but rather a sort of quality of our presence of mind. The mind resorts to “dis-associating” itself from reality, or from a traumatic situation, so to speak, when the situation is so unbearable that the alternative is to lose one’s mind. Simply put, when our body cannot leave the traumatic situation, the mind does, in order to protect us. Many trauma survivors report that they left their bodies during the experience, that they observed themselves from afar, or that the world simply did not seem real at the time of the event.
Then again meaning for Pooh our beloved bear, it’s hard for him to focus and also has an impulsivity with obsessive fixations Taoist principle – non-action or simple being.
In the aftermath of trauma, once the mind has resorted to dissociation, it may become a frequently used coping strategy, especially when triggers are present in the environment. It is as if your unconscious notices something that it reads as dangerous, and immediately alters your presence of mind.
Some of us may experience this as physical symptoms of unease, or cognitive symptoms of feeling like our mind is fragmented or hard to reign in (“think, think, think”). Others may go to greater lengths and engage in behaviors that result in somewhat altered states of mind in order to avoid painful emotions, and not even know they are doing it. An obvious strategy is using alcohol or drugs. Less obvious ones are preoccupation with food or exercise, for example.
The Bigger Picture
When I was writing this article, I re-read every Pooh book I own. Not only is it a joy to be able to say “Do not disturb, I’m reading Winnie the Pooh for research!” but I was also reminded of why the bigger picture in mental health is important.
Some of you may say that it is unfair to “pathologize” our childhood friends, but here is how I see it: These characters are not simply a sum of symptoms, just like those of us struggling with mental health difficulties are so much more than the sum total of our difficulties. Pooh is not only obsessed with food—he is also a good friend. He is kind, funny, and adventurous. Piglet may be anxious, but he is also loyal, loving, and lovable. Tigger is hyperactive, sure, but at the same time, he is energetic and entertaining.
Taken together, all of the animals also make a creative and collaborative bunch, one capable of chasing great adventures and tackling great challenges with laughter, camaraderie, and compassion. And while living with the aftermath of trauma can be at times frightening, inconvenient, or tiring, hopefully these adorable characters will remind you to not lose sight of the forest while staring at each individual tree (symptom)—especially when times become challenging.
