The Therapist Gamer

Princess Peach, also known as Princess Toadstool, has appeared in at least sixty-five games.  She has been kidnapped over a dozen times, almost always by the same person - Bowser.  Her boyfriend, Mario, has been with her for about three decades, and has rescued her each time she is kidnapped.  She participates regularly in a variety of activities, including go-kart racing, nursing, tennis, soccer, golf, motorcycle riding, playing board games, pugilism, gardening, baking cakes, baseball, and has even entered several events in the Olympic games.  

 

It should be noted that I have not interviewed Peach in person.  However, after examining many hours of data provided over many years by multiple sources, my diagnosis can be made with a reasonable degree of confidence.  

 

My initial diagnostic impressions include:

-Histrionic Personality Disorder

 

Other individuals have opined the following diagnosis, and I will examine its validity:

-Bipolar I Disorder

 

 

 

 

HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER

The essential feature of Histrionic Personality Disorder is a pervasive and excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior.

 

Diagnostic Criteria:

 

A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

 

     (1) is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention

     (2) interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior

     (3) displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions

     (4) consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self

     (5) has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail

     (6) shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion

     (7) is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others or circumstance

     (8) considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are

 

Analysis of Criteria

One should have nothing but empathy for the victim of a kidnapping, let alone the unfortunate victim of two of these horrific experiences.  However, Peach has been kidnapped over a dozen times, including at least eight times by the same person.  This highly unusual sequence of events seems worthy of clinical scrutiny.

 

Peach's serial kidnappings cause me to wonder if she is somewhat passive about being kidnapped, and may even be complicit in them.  Why would she do this?  Perhaps in order to garner the attention of Mario and the entire Mushroom Kingdom.  Other people familiar with Peach have posited similar theories: In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Viridi states "Peach has been in plenty of scrapes herself, so she ought to be quite experienced.  And yet she never learns.  Sometimes I wonder if she just lets herself get kidnapped for fun."  In the previous Smash Bros. game, Snake states "If [Mario] was smart, he'd tell her to stop getting kidnapped."  One especially incriminating statement made by Peach occurred toward the start of her relationship with Mario; after being kidnapped and apparently held captive while Mario risked his life to save her, Peach remarks  "Thank you, but our princess is in another castle! . . . Just kidding!  Ha ha ha!"  I have worked with kidnappers and read the first-hand accounts of their victims and, by comparison, Peach's remarks upon rescue are extraordinarily bizarre.  Such a theory of complicit kidnapping would be compatible with both criteria 1 and 6.

 

Though perhaps not too unusual considering her culture and the fact that she is a princess, Peach is always dressed in ornate pink clothing, including to events for which clothing is inappropriate (criteria 4).  For example, she wears a full ball gown to participate in street fights and go-kart races.  

 

Peach's speech seems excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail (criteria 5).  Some notable examples include:

"Yeah, Peach is the superstar!"

"Mario, you're my knight in shining armor!"

"I can't believe I got kidnapped . . . again."

"I bet my floating parasol would come in handy here.  Jump, jump!  Tee hee!"

"YAWN!  Standing in line at the bank is so boring!" (Note she says the word "yawn" rather than actually yawning)

"Yay I won hooray for me!"

"Go Peachy, Go Peachy, Go Peachy, Yay!  Woohoo!"

 

Some excerpts from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) seem particularly relevant to Peach.  The following are from the section describing Histrionic Personality Disorder:

"Individuals with Histrionic Personality Disorder are uncomfortable or feel unappreciated when they are not the center of attention . . . If they are not the center of attention, they may do something dramatic (e.g., make up stories, create a scene) to draw the focus of attention to themselves."

"Individuals with Histrionic Personality Disorder may have difficulty achieving emotional intimacy in romantic relationships.  Without being aware of it, they often act out a role (e.g., 'victim' or 'princess') in their relationship to others."

 

Though Peach only meets four of the five required criteria for Histrionic Personality Disorder, it is my clinical opinion that the severity and consistency of her behavior is sufficient to warrant this diagnosis.

 

 

 

 

BIPOLAR I DISORDER, MOST RECENT EPISODE UNSPECIFIED

The essential feature of Bipolar I Disorder is a clinical course that is characterized by the occurrence of one or more Manic Episodes or Mixed Episodes.

 

Diagnostic Criteria:

A:  Criteria, except for duration, are currently (or most recently) met for a Manic, a Hypomanic, a Mixed, or a Major Depressive Episode.

 

B:  There has previously been at least one Manic Episode or Mixed Episode.

 

C:  The mood symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment is social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

 

D:  The mood symptoms in Criteria A and B are not better accounted for by Schizoaffective Disorder and are not superimposed on Schizophrenia, Schizophreniform Disorder, Delusional Disorder, or Psychotic Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

 

E:  The mood symptoms in Criteria A and B are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, medication, or other treatment) or a general medical condition.

 

Analysis of Criteria

Of all of the data available, I am not aware of any that indicate Peach has experienced a manic, hypomanic, mixed, or depressive episode (criteria A and B).  Mania is characterized by at least one week of elevated, expansive, or irritable mood.  Grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, flight of ideas, pressured speech, and distractibility are also common symptoms.  Manic symptoms are often severe enough to warrant hospitalization to prevent danger to oneself or others.  Since Peach has not had a manic episode (or mixed episode, which means a person has symptoms of both mania and depression simultaneously), criteria C, D, and E are irrelevant.

 

The narrator in this video states that Peach's rapidly shifting moods in one game (Super Princess Peach) are symptomatic of Bipolar Disorder.  This exemplifies a commonly held belief that those whose moods shift rapidly have Bipolar Disorder, which is incorrect and a gross oversimplification.  In Bipolar Disorder, individuals need to have had at least one manic episode and usually (but not always) have depressive episodes.  These episodes typically have at least several months in between them, but in some cases can happen relatively quickly.  However, a manic episode, by definition, lasts for at least one week.  Ergo, the perception that rapid mood shifts within the same day are characteristic of Bipolar Disorder is simply inaccurate.  Rapidly shifting moods may or may not be symptoms of a mental health diagnosis, but it is most closely aligned with Borderline Personality Disorder.  The narrator of the video also asserts "Bipolar Disorder also comes packaged with unhealthy eating habits" and implies this is why Peach bakes cakes.  As can be ascertained from the criteria above, this assertion is completely inaccurate and appears to be a blatant fabrication.

 

 

 

 

Final Diagnosis:

 

What is this?  Click here!

Axis I: V71.09 No Diagnosis on Axis I

Axis II: 301.50 Histrionic Personality Disorder

Axis III: No issues reported or observed

Axis IV: Unemployment

Axis V: GAF=82