The cast of characters for JrEg's The Mental Illnesses.
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In General
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Most characters are personifications of mental illnesses, including mood disorders, developmental disorders, personality disorders, and neurodegenerative disorders. The sole exception would be the neurotypicals, who are personifications of how non-mentally ill people treat those who are mentally ill.
- Dysfunction Junction: The residents of the Mad House are generally this, considering they're anthropomorphic personifications of mental illnesses, this is an understatement to say the least.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: In the original "The Mental Illnesses" video, characters were differentiated with only the signs on their foreheads. In the series, individual characters wear different clothes and have different visual effects to match their character.
Mad House
Characters who reside in the Mad House.
ADHD
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
"I guess it all worked out. What were we talking about again?"
The personification of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He's hyperactive, forgetful, and impulsive. He describes himself as living in a world "built for the very thing [he] can't do."
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: He tells Neurotypical that, despite society using him as the butt of jokes, his disorder very negatively impacts his life. But he still gets distracted easily in the cliche ADHD fashion ("Hey, a bug!" *clap*).
- Delayed Reaction: As BPD causes the house to shake, ADHD briefly looks around confused before registering that the house is shaking. Those with ADHD tend to have slower reaction times than those without.
- Motion Blur: His visual distinguishing trait is his motion blur.
- Motor Mouth: ADHD’s dialogue is sped up.
- Stealth Pun: ADHD is constantly out of focus.
Anxiety
Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD
"I have no evidence to believe him but he's giving me a reason to be scared so he's probably right!"
The personification of generalized anxiety disorder. The neurotic of the Mad House. Constantly jumpy and willing to believe the worst will happen.- Nervous Wreck: This trope taken to its extreme. Anxiety always jumps to the worst case scenarios when faced with situations.
- Personality Powers: Anxiety's precognition fits with his anxious personality, as he is always scared about future events.
- Precognition: Anxiety has the ability to foresee future events, although the power is limited to some degree.
- Quaking with Fear: He's constantly shaking.
- Shy Finger-Twiddling: One of his Character Tics and the first thing we see him do.
BPD
BPD, Borderline Personality Disorder
"But seriously, if any of you even think about leaving me I will kill all of you and then myself."
The personification of borderline personality disorder (BPD). They have trouble controlling their emotions and have a deep fear of being abandoned.- Emotional Powers: When upset, BPD can cause their surroundings to shake. According to Anxiety, they have the ability to destroy the foundation of the house around them. Their power may be a Psychoactive Power. At the end of the first episode they were close to destroying the house in a fit of rage before 180ing their mind and abruptly changing their mood, causing the shaking to stop.
- Mood-Swinger: Exaggerated since intense mood shifts are a common symptom of BPD.
- Stealth Pun: The personality disorder BPD is characterized by instability; unstable emotions, relationships, and behaviours. And what is BPD's power? Making their surroundings unstable.
Dementia
Dementia
"Who are you?"
The personification of dementia. He solemnly speaks and appears confused most of the time.- Composite Character: From a psychiatric perspective. Dementia is not one disease but an umbrella term for a group of cognitive conditions which include disorders like Alzeheimer's and vascular dementia.
- Power Incontinence: He appears to have little control over his powers due to perpetual confusion. His powers include causing his surroundings to become staticky and inducing dementia-like symptoms on people near him.
- Scatterbrained Senior: While his age is never stated, dementia looks like an old man since dementia mainly affects the elderly.
Depression
Depression, Major Depressive Disorder
"I want StockholmSyndrome with the feeling
The feeling of being alive."
The feeling of being alive."
"This is a good thing, but I'll find a reason to spin it negatively later."
The embodiment of clinical depression. He feels like his life is pointless and that life is an oppressive force. He's revealed to be Bipolar Disorder at the end of "The Fountain of SSRI".- Black Blood: When he tries to shoot himself, his blood is black.
- Death Seeker: Attempts to get Sociopathy to shoot him in the head in "Robbery."
- Deliberately Monochrome: Depression is the only character in monochrome. See Gloomy Gray.
- The Eeyore: This trope taken to its logical extreme with Depression literally being a personification of clinical depression. He's the most pessimistic and downer member of the illnesses, and is proven to be suicidal.
- Gloomy Gray: He's in monochrome to visually represent his seemingly never-ending despair.
- Immortality: Depression cannot die.
- Perpetual Frowner: Constantly frowns. The only time he's smiled in The Mental Illnesses is when he thought he was about to die.
- Self-Harm: Depression alludes to being a self-harmer in "Stockholm Syndrome With Being Alive".But if I could view it all as a good somehow
Every scar on my arm would be healed by now - Who Wants to Live Forever?: In "The Mental Illnesses 4", it is revealed that his power is Immortality. When you're suicidal, that's the worst power you could possibly have.
OCD
OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
"Gotta open the door. Gotta close the door. Gotta open the door. Gotta close the door."
"Everyone would die if I don't keep the doorknob clean!"
The personification of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Insane Troll Logic: OCD's thoughts tell him that if he doesn't keep the doorknob clean, everyone will die. This leads him to compulsively clean the doorknob.
PTSD
PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
"My... problem?"
The personification of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reminding him of his trauma sends him into flashbacks. He takes the role of Team Dad in the Mad House.- Big Brother Instinct: He stands up for Schizophrenia when Sociopathy bullies him.
- Dark and Troubled Past: What else would you expect from a character who’s literally PTSD?
- Flashback Effects: Although subtle, PTSD's movements are slightly blurry, resembling common film techniques used in flashbacks.
- Noodle Incident: In a too-horrible-to-mention example, the event that traumatized PTSD is a never outright stated.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: In the pilot episode, he mentions spending time in Iraq. Sociopathy holds a gun and pretends to be ISIS to intentionally trigger him. In the official series, he wears a Bulletproof Vest, also hinting at his past. Interestingly, he shows no hesitation to use guns in "The Fountain of SSRI", showing that guns by themselves don't trigger him, and that he has prior experience in using guns.
- Talk to the Fist: Delivers a swift punch to Sociopathy when he continues to encourage Schizophrenia's delusions. Same thing happens when Sociopathy tries to push his Trauma Button.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Experiences this in the first episode.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, Paranoid Schizophrenia
"My entire framework to interpret the world has crumbled."
The personification of paranoid schizophrenia. His life was going well up until the age of 19 when he developed schizophrenia. He interprets reality differently from the others.- A Day in the Limelight: "Schizophrenia Explains Schizophrenia || The Mental Illnesses 3.5". Schizophrenia explains to the audience (who are actually the voices in his head) his condition. He explains what can cause schizophrenia and what it's like to live with it. He elaborates on the stigma surrounding his disorder and urges the audience to treat schizophrenics like normal people, while also accommodating for their delusions.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: In “Laugh Track”, it’s revealed that Schizophrenia is aware him and the other characters are in a web series. He observes the Laugh Track, the 2D medium, and
the fact that everyone is played by the same actor. He’s even aware they’re part of a show considered the “spiritual successor to a web series about political ideologies [Centricide].” As the series progresses, he becomes more aware of his world, casually alluding to living in an online series, along with being aware of its controversial status. However, his observations are written off by the others as one of his delusions. - Odd Friendship: With PTSD. Schizophrenia and PTSD have different causes and different symptoms, but both are commonly treated with antipsyhotics. PTSD describes flashbacks as being pulled out of reality similar to psychosis. Schizophrenia's first psychotic episode was also very traumatic for him. PTSD often hangs around Schizophrenia because of these reasons.
- Properly Paranoid: He's paranoid that his reality is fake and that they're all living in a contrived sitcom premise created by a higher power. He's correct, but, as it stands, has no way to prove it.
- The Schizophrenia Conspiracy: Exaggerated and parodied in the initial "The Mental Illnesses" video where Schziophrenia believes his tea was poisoned, the CIA is near, and that someone is reading his thoughts, all in quick succession. Aspects of The Schizophrenia Conspiracy also appear in other videos.Schizophrenia: [Positive symptoms of schizophrenia include] believing things that aren't really true.
Voices: Like that the FBI is after you?
Schizophrenia: No that's - that's not a delusion. That's real. They are. - Talking to Themself: Invoked and justified in "Schizophrenia Explains Schizophrenia". The audience knows he's speaking to the viewer. In-Universe, it appears as if he's speaking to himself.Anxiety: Uh, Schizophrenia, who are you talking to?
- Voice of the Legion: The voices in his head speak like this.
Sociopathy
Sociopathy, Antisocial Personality Disorder, ASPD
"Sorry about that BPD. I mean, not actually, but I figured you'd appreciate the formality."
Sociopathy is the personification of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Has a Lack of Empathy. He's skilled with guns.- Accidental Truth: He tells Schizophrenia that the neighbors next door might've bugged their house and are all laughing at them, which explains the sounds of laughter (that only Schizophrenia can hear). He only says this to feed into Schizophrenia's (alleged) delusions. Unknown to Sociopathy, he's spot on.
- Artifact Name: ASPD used to be called "sociopathic personality disorder", or simply "sociopathy", in previous editions of the DSM. As of the 3rd edition, it's called antisocial personality disorder. Yet this character is called "Sociopathy". This can be Hand Waved away as other characters are referred to with their common name rather than their DSM-approved name, such as Anxiety being called "Anxiety" instead of his full name, Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: His shows off his fighting skills in episode 5 during the battle with neurotypicals. Along with being a badass, he always wears a suit.
- Brandishment Bluff: He tries to rob a fast food place with an empty gun.
- The Gunslinger: Uses guns frequently and is pretty good at them.
- Heroic Comedic Sociopath: He tends to fall into this category.
- It Amused Me: Encourages Schizophrenia’s delusions just to mess with him.
- Lack of Empathy: Exaggerated in the first episode where Sociopathy can’t be bothered that the house might collapse and kill everyone, until Anxiety reminds him that “everyone” includes him.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: He wears a suit, referencing the fact that people with some form of ASPD are quite common in the top CEO world, or making fun of the stereotypes that emerged from that statistic.
- The Sociopath: It's in his name, after all.
- The Unapologetic: Due to not being able to feel guilt, he tends to be this.Sociopathy: Sorry about that, BPD. I mean, not actually, but I figured you'd appreciate the formality.
Chasm of Eating Disorders
Characters who reside in the Chasm of Eating Disorders. Pica
Pica
"Are these bullets made of lead? Delicious!"
The personification of pica. She habitually eats non-nutritive, sometimes dangerous things like hairties and lead. She lives in the Chasm of Eating Disorders.
- Bizarre Taste in Food: She describes lead (lead bullets for that matter) as "delicious".
- Extreme Omnivore: Will eat anything if she were craving it.Schizophrenia: I would not touch [the Chasm of Eating Disorders] with a ten-foot-pole. Mainly because Pica would eat that pole.
- Giant Woman: Pica is ginormous and was able to withstand PTSD's direct gunfire with little resistance.
Anorexia
Anorexia, Anorexia Nervosa
The personification of anorexia nervosa.
- Dem Bones: The disorder causes sufferers to have a distorted body image, leading to an obsession with losing weight. They may see themselves as overweight when they're average or even underweight. This causes serious health problems when the disorder worsens. Thus, Anorexia is represented with a skeleton.
Other mental illnesses
Bipolar Disorder (UNMARKED SPOILERS)
Bipolar Disorder, Manic Depression
The personification of Bipolar Disorder. At the end of episode 5, it's revealed the Depression was Bipolar Disorder the whole time.
- Deliberately Monochrome: When depressed, he's in monochrome.
- Laughing Mad: Laughing represents his mania.
- Monochrome to Color: As he shows himself to be Bipolar Disorder, he gains color, representing the transition from a depressed state to manic.
Neurotypicals
Characters with no mental disorders. In general
- The Generic Guy: All the Neurotypicals appear to be the same, generic character. The "normal" people.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. There are multiple characters named Neurotypical.
Neurotypical (black shirt)
Neurotypical
"Have you tried drinking water?"
The Neurotypical with a black shirt appears early in the series. He was BPD's short-lived friend and works with Depression at their Mc Job.
- Innocently Insensitive: Neurotypical tells Depression that his disorder "isn't an excuse", approaches Anxiety despite knowing Anxiety is clearly uncomfortable, tells ADHD to "just drink water!", and generally doesn't regard the others' mental illnesses as serious problems.
- Unexplained Recovery: He's thrown out of a window and lands with a big crash. But by the next episode, he's fine.
Frat House
Neurotypicals
"What I like most is laughing at their pain."
"It sure is great not being mentally ill!"
The Neurotypicals who inhabit the Frat House live directly next to the Mad House. At the end of episode 3 "Laugh Track", it's implied they have bugged their neighbors to watch and mock them.
- Jerk Jock: This is implied from the tank tops they wear and their attitude, along with them living in a literal frat house.
- The Psycho Rangers: They're the Evil Counterpart to the Mad House if one views them as evil.
Fountain of SSRI Neurotypicals
Neurotypicals, Horde of Neurotypicals, Depressions
Unmedicated
The Neurotypicals guarding the Fountain of SSRI appear to be neurotypical, but are actually medicated depressed people. They guard the Fountain of SSRI to keep the fountain contents for themselves.
- Dark Secret: When Depression dramatically unmasks one of the Neurotypicals, he reveals they're not actually neurotypical, but are medicated. When the neurotypicals drink from the fountain, they replace the signs on their foreheads reading "Depression" with "Neurotypical".
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Their motivations for guarding the fountain.
- MacGuffin Guardian: They guard the Fountain of SSRI and prevent people from drinking from it. When Depression and his friends come to the fountain, a battle ensues.
