DISCLAIMER: read at your own risk – this is known to shatter your image of children stories and will cause you to reminisce about the good old times!

I was originally researching autism and the different TV characters that seem to portray many of their traits when I stumbled across a post about the different mental disorders each character in the Winnie The Pooh books depict. This isn’t the first time a big part of my childhood has been damaged by the apparent “truth” behind the story but, nevertheless, my curiosity got the better of me and I began to ruin yet another memory…

Christopher Robin: Schizophrenia – this is when there is a malfunction in the perception of reality which is certainly evident in Christopher having hallucinations where he imagines his stuffed toys are alive

Winnie The Pooh: Eating Disorder – though you may not think of this as a mental disorder, the cause of it is Pooh’s low self esteem which is psychological resulting in his excessive need for honey

Piglet : Panophobia – a mental condition where you fear everything. Piglet gets overly-nervous several times and this is apparent in the way his ears subtly twitch.

Tigger: ADHD – condition of the brain which results in hyperactivity and trouble paying attention (for more info, go to ADHD). I think this video says it all:

Rabbit: OCD – an anxiety disorder in which the person suffers from obsessive thoughts and compulsive tendencies. These can be seen in Rabbit having uncontrollable actions such as cleaning and, basically, being a “neat freak” (but to an extreme level)

Owl: Narcissistic Personality Disorder – being excessively preoccupied with themselves. Owl believes that he is the most clever animal in the wood, boasting how he has brains whilst “the others have fluff”

Eeyore : Depression (OK, even I worked out that much) – mental state characterised by a dejected and gloomy feeling surrounding them and a lack of activity. I hope no explanation is needed for how this relates to Eeyore

Now that I know about it, it’s so obvious that I’m shocked at how I could have missed it! It’s just not something you think about when you’re 6 and are spellbound by the playfulness of Tigger’s bouncy tail.

Of course, the author did not base the characters around these disorders on purpose and someone who likes their coloured pens to be in a specific order doesn’t mean they’ve got OCD; they’re just traits that people have observed over time and made a big deal out of because they feel, being a children’s story, it shouldn’t contain “darker” meanings like these.

The creator of these gifs is Matthew Wilkinson