Does Sherlock Holmes Need Therapy? - Issuu (2024)

Alysha Wong, Year 12, Keller

Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle over one hundred years ago, fictional private detective Sherlock Holmes rose to fame and became the most portrayed literary human figure in film and television history. A significant part of why his character is so engrossing owes to his eccentric personality: who knew a recipe for a crimesolving protagonist would be a cocaine-user with numerous arrests and legal involvements?

Before proceeding to answer the question at hand, we must first remind ourselves that he is a fictional character, and naturally, each element of his personality would have been attentively designed by the author. It is therefore impossible —despite the convincing writing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—to fully analyse Holmes as a fullyfunctioning person. The focus of this article is on the BBC television adaptation.

Psychopathy, Sociopath, Or Neither? The most frequently associated traits with this character are sociopathy and psychopathy, often referred to as Antisocial Personality Disorder. Watchers of the show may agree that Holmes displays a handful of psychopathic traits: coldness, narcissism, disinterest…

The most significant way in which Holmes obtains his evidence to draw accurate conclusions is through successful deception. Although not the first example of this habit, the episode The Lying Detective, as the title suggests, certainly is the most concentrated example of deception. A bolder example of his deception was when he faked his own death for two years in the last episode of Season Two, after being threatened by his eternal nemesis, Moriaty, to jump down the roof or both Watson and Mrs Hudson, their housekeeper, would be shot. After a series of events, Sherlock has no choice but to leap to his death—or so it seems. The camera pans to Watson racing towards his body, then his visiting of Sherlock’ s grave. He weeps, “Don ’t be dead. ” This long was followed immediately by focusing on a tall mysterious figure watching Watson from afar: it’ s Sherlock, with a mischievous grin on his face.

Let’ s examine the end scene: it is evident Sherlock took pleasure in knowing he fooled Watson. Many fans and critics have used this specific scene as evidence for their “diagnosis ” of Sherlock as a high-functioning sociopath. Indeed, it is highly unusual to smile at the sight of a mourning friend; however, a mere expression is insufficient to diagnose him. It would be reductionist and inaccurate to analyse a person based on one expression.

One of the most famous to have come out of the show is Holmes ’ quote, “I’ m not psychopath, I’ m a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research!” Holmes himself believes he has an antisocial personality disorder who lacks understanding of social norms. While he certainly is eccentric, would that point to such a daring diagnosis?

Interestingly enough, neuroscientist James Fallon believes the opposite: Holmes is not a sociopath, but a psychopath- a primary psychopath, specifically. A primary psychopath lacks empathy and doesn ’t respond to external stimuli like fear and disapproval, and is often genetic.

Much like all forms of representation, issues arise when portraying mental illness. Researchers have actually found that our exposures to fictional depictions of psychopaths impacted our notions about them. This heightens the social responsibility television has—the romanticism of psychopathic protagonists, like Holmes—may lead to further change in social attitudes towards them, from demonised to heroic. The shift of psychopathic traits from manipulative to “ adept” , from unempathetic to “ rational” is a dangerous one. Many agree that psychopathy and sociopathy should not be taboo or idealised, but rather known for what it truly is: a form of mental illness.

It seems likely that Holmes is neither a sociopath or a psychopath. Deceit is one of Holmes ’ more prominent traits; however, in every situation there is a good reason for it: to solve his crimes, to save lives, or both. Thus, deceit and manipulation not for the purpose of personal gain should be discounted. Fallon also points out that primary psychopaths do not feel emotion, although they may mimic them. This is a strong indication that Holmes cannot be a psychopath, as he shows signs of emotion even when alone, with no one watching. Yes, his demonstrations of emotion differ drastically from his partner ’ s, but there are a few clear instances that reveal his emotional side: at the end of Season One, when Watson, initially strapped to a bomb by Morarity, was finally freed, Holmes rips the bomb of him, repeatedly yelling frantically “Are you alright?” Even though there are more qualities to psychopaths and sociopaths than being emotionless and manipulative, because they are such vital aspects to these conditions, they can be confidently ruled out.

Asperger ’ s Syndrome Sharp, observant, witty… The BBC adaptors have added “Asperger ’ s ” , also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), to the list of Holmes ’ traits. Some argue that his crime-solving pursuits, that often take up most of his days and nights, leading to the dismissal of basic necessities like food and sleep, point to the same “ overwhelming excitement” that those who suffer from ASD describe.

Those who have ASD also describe reduced interest in forming friendships and trouble with elements of social interactions like eye contact and nonverbal expressions. Whilst it is undeniable that Holmes identifies with the former, it is difficult to tell with the latter, as he may not necessarily have “trouble ” with it. Oftentimes it comes off as him not caring enough to make an impression, feeding back to the “ reduced interest” trait.

There are issues with psychiatric labels of Autism, which may perpetuate inaccurate and harmful representations in mainstream media. Exploring Holmes as a character who may display traits of ASD is different from clearly labelling him as such, especially since television values entertainment over education. Portraying characters with autism sparks debate: we can see how representation in mainstream television is absolutely crucial for a more accepting community; however, we must be cautious not to mislabel or allow the character to be limited to only the labelled “traits ” of the condition. One can

see the problem with adding ASD to Holmes ’ characteristics as a plot device. In some ways, this distinction promotes unhealthy stereotypes of the antisocial genius.

Bipolar Disorder Holmes ’ swings between hypomania and depression point to a very probable diagnosis of bipolar disorder. His oscillation of energy levels seem to stem from his crime-solving: when he worked, he was frenetic; when he did not, he was idle.

Those who suffer from bipolar disorder could greatly benefit from various forms of therapy. Whilst more general therapy types such as CBT are available, Holmes could benefit from interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, geared more towards coping with bipolar disorder. This form of therapy consists of 3 sections: psychoeducation, social rhythm therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy. Psychoeducation is more about learning information to cope with this disorder. Social rhythm therapy identifies the situations which may provoke or upset stability. In Holmes ’ case, we can see apart from his crimesolving, his frequent cocaine use also correlates with his depressive episodes, so the removal of drugs could help ease his swings. It’ s probable that interpersonal psychotherapy is what would aid Holmes the most: it focuses on interpersonal issues that provoke signals of the beginning of his episodes, such as interactions with Moriarty that may excite or anger him. However, it’d be very unlikely that Holmes would make an effort to reduce situations that cause harm to his emotional wellbeing if it compromised his crime-solving. As an alternative, Holmes could be prescribed mood stabilizer medication, which may treat symptoms of his depression and manic episodes. We also seldom see Holmes doing exercise except for when he ’ s chasing his suspects down, so implementing a regular schedule would further benefit his wellbeing.

In conclusion, there are a plethora of ways to treat these illnesses, and as psychological findings advance and new treatments arise, representation of mental illnesses in mainstream media should strive for accuracy: this can be executed through not only using the textbook, trademark symptoms that the internet provides, but also through conducting primary research with case studies who suffer from the illness. It is great that mental illnesses are gaining more representation, and hopefully it can be a way to attract the masses to reading about psychology. To answer the question at hand, though, “Does Sherlock Holmes Need Therapy ” , the answer is probably not. He is a stubborn individual who seems to have little regard for his mental wellbeing. Therapy is only effective if the client is willing to improve, and that doesn ’t seem like it’d be Holmes ’ priority.