Disorders are not what occupied our minds while watching our favorite cartoon characters on the screen during childhood. In fact, we may have brushed off some of these quite blatant psychological patterns as comedy.
As the world moves towards keeping itself more aware of the mental and psychological world, it is easier to recognize these patterns of behavior now. That character we thought to be weird because they were always occupied with numbers may be suffering from OCD, or that one character who is always distracted by a thousand things at once may have ADHD.
Today, we will be looking at 10 Known Cartoon Characters with Psychological Disorders. We will mostly consider characters who were given an official diagnosis either on the show itself or by the creator. However, there are a few who show clear signs of the disorder, even if the show never addresses it.
It goes without saying, but we don’t want anyone to use this as a cheat sheet for diagnosing themselves. It’s important to go to a licensed psychologist if you believe something is amiss.
Let’s start without further ado!
Table of Contents
10 Known Cartoon Characters with Psychological Disorders
10. Michelangelo (Mikey) from Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesÂ
Diagnosis: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
The youngest of the Ninja Turtles, Mikey is a free-spirited mutant who uses nunchucks as his weapon. To call him a ball of energy is an understatement because he never seems to get tired of fighting or eating pizzas. Known as the wild one of the team, he is the funniest of his brothers (his words) and is always ready to prank them.
Mikey has severe ADD and is quite impulsive. He is not the one to focus or ever plan ahead and seems to follow wherever his heart takes him.
9. Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers
Diagnosis: Aspergers Syndrome
The first child and oldest daughter of Bob and Linda Belcher, Tina Belcher is the obsessive deuterogonist of Bob’s Burgers. She is a hopeless romantic and has a big sex drive. Sadly for her, though, her social skills are almost non-existent.
Tina shows traits of having the highly functioning Autistic spectrum disorder, Aspergers Syndrome. The most obvious sign is her social awkwardness and difficulty in understanding social norms. She also has a weird obsession with horses and zombies and often finds herself drifting into an imaginary world.
8. Lapis Lazuli from Stevens Universe
Diagnosis: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A blue gem with water-bending powers who was once poofed by Bismuth, Lapis Lazuli is one of the characters from Steven Universe. She was imprisoned within a magical mirror after being abandoned by the Homeworld Gems, fleeing the Corrupting Light until Steven rescued her.
The suffering of a 6000-year entrapment would make anyone go crazy. Lapis suffers from clear traumatic and avoidance symptoms that stem from being trapped wrongly by the Homeworld. She mistrusts the other gems and suffers from self-hate. She does get better after meeting Steven, as he shows her that not everyone is bad.
7. Charlie Brown from Peanuts
Diagnosis: Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD)
For most of us, Charlie Brown has been that one character that was in those comic strips in newspapers that we often saw during childhood. A lovable loser, he was the endearing underdog of the Peanuts gang who often reminded us that even in the face of misfortune, there’s always hope for a baseball-swinging good time.
Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD) is defined by feelings of severe social inhibition, inadequacy, and sensitivity to negative criticism and rejection, all traits Charlie clearly displayed. He often has the idea that no one likes him and is constantly afraid of rejection. Despite everything, he hopes for the best and tries as much as he can.
6. Norma Khan from Dead End: Paranormal Park
Diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Norma Khan is part of the main cast of the Netflix series Dead End. The daughter of Swati Khan, she is an introverted and logical girl. Fighting monsters actually comes easier to her as she prefers ghosts and supernatural beings over people.
Norma has an official diagnosis for Autism. She struggles socially, is unaware of social cues, and has some level of face blindness. Not to mention, her special interest in Pauline Phoenix borders on hyperfixation.
5. Entrapta from She-Ra: Princess of Power
Diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder
One of the non-elemental princesses from Dryl, Entrapta, is a member of the Rebellion. Many fans already speculated so, and ND Stevenson, the creator of the series, later confirmed her to be on the autism spectrum.
Entrapta is a bubbly, hyperactive, intelligent girl. She may be different from others, but that is fine because her imperfections are what make her perfect. She is always eager and passionate but sometimes can get ahead of herself.
Entrapta is aware of her lack of understanding of social cues but tries her best to make up for this through her other strengths.
4. Luz Noceda from The Own House
Diagnosis: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
The eccentric, lovable geek of The Owl House, Luz Noceda, is a favorite among many. Always ready for an adventure, she is always determined to be who she wants to be without caring what others think of her.
It may not have been explicitly stated, but the neurodivergent coding is quite clear. Luz has clear signs of ADHD. Her incessant habit of being easily distracted gives it all but away. She also has trouble focusing and prefers to let herself be lost in her daydreams. Her hyper-fixations can get pretty out of hand, too.
3. Bart Simpsons from The Simpsons
Diagnosis: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
The spiky-haired 10-year-old of the Simpsons family, Bart’s name is basically synonymous with rebellious antics and witty one-liners. Some may dismiss him as just a naughty kid, but he’s a relatable character who challenges authority and knows how to stand up for himself.
Bart was diagnosed with ADHD in season 11 of the series. Well, one will be hard-pressed to find anyone who is willing to do algebra to avoid his actual homework. In fact, many people undermine his intelligence due to his inability to focus in school, but he is actually extremely good at science, art, and even sports like skateboarding.
2. Rick Sanchez from Rick and Morty
Diagnosis: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Richard “Rick” Sanchez is the mega genius and one of the titular protagonists of Rick and Morty. With an IQ bordering on the nonsensical and a portal gun perpetually holstered, Rick flits through dimensions, evading galactic federations and scoffing at the very fabric of reality.
Rick’s mental health is anything but well. Everyone knows of his overly pessimistic outlook on life and sociopathic tendencies. His depression also seems to be comorbid with PTSD and alcohol use disorder.
1. Bojack from Bojack Horseman
Diagnosis: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Mental health is a pretty big part of Bojack Horseman, so we just had to include it at the top. Our eponymous main character of the series is a “self-pitying masochist,” as described by his ex-girlfriend. The show is basically built on the backbone of BoJack’s pitiful but narcissistic nature.
MDD doesn’t seem to be the only thing that Bojack suffers from, but it is the biggest one. His utter self-loathing makes it harder for him to accept herself. He fears rejection but often drives away those who care about him.
Depressive episodes are quite common and lead him to turn to alcohol. However, it is not that he doesn’t WANT to get better, he rather he CAN’T. Still, he has started struggling more to be well, making efforts to cut down on drinking and keeping in touch with his loved ones.
And that brings us to the end! Always remember that mental health is important. There is always light at the end of the tunnel and no amount of disorders or illnesses can take that away from you.
Do small things with great love.
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