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Since it premiered in 2019, HBO’s drama Euphoria has been a hot-button topic for its gritty subject matter, mature content, and explicit nature. But what does this have to do with mental health? Euphoria’s main character, Rue (played by Zendaya) is alluded to as suffering from bipolar disorder, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Throughout the show, the audience hears Rue’s thoughts, putting us closer to the character’s lived experience. This gives a front-row seat to her struggle as she continues to use drugs to escape her symptoms – including when she overdoses. For as long as she can remember, Rue has suffered from mental turmoil and emotional chaos, and has used some kind of substance to cope. She has an entire background of trauma she wasn’t equipped to cope with and is simply doing the best she can every day. This is a story a lot of people can relate to. What makes Euphoria such an engaging story is that Rue’s struggles aren’t all that uncommon. The drive to self-medicate with dangerous substances to numb her mental illness symptoms is a relatively common practice. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 8 million U.S. adults today are battling co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. About half of individuals who experience a substance use disorder will also experience a co-occurring mental disorder – often anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, or schizophrenia. There’s a good reason why the show rings true for a lot of people. Sam Levinson, the show creator, struggled with drug addiction, anxiety, and depression himself as a teenager. He uses the show to give a voice to those struggles. The fact that the show is coming from someone who knows those struggles firsthand will be encouraging for many. As Levinson put it (speaking about Zendaya’s character), “What I really wanted to get at the core of is the pain and the same about what you’re doing and your inability to get clean despite the havoc and destruction you’re wreaking around you.” One looming question is whether the show raises awareness for mental illness or whether it exoticizes and makes light of these issues. Some people have raised concerns that the show sends teenagers the message that this behavior is acceptable or even glamorous. That decision is ultimately up to its viewers. But it’s undeniable that for people struggling with substance abuse and mental illness, seeing their struggles portrayed in media can be invaluable for making them feel less isolated. For people with undiagnosed mental illnesses, seeing their unidentified symptoms on-screen can help them realize when it’s time to seek help. This can help prevent their mental health from getting worse and ultimately put them on the path to healing. In this way, accurate media portrayals of mental health can certainly be helpful. Since it premiered in 2019, HBO’s drama Euphoria has been a hot-button topic for its gritty subject matter, mature content, and explicit nature. But what does this have to do with mental health?Euphoria’s Ties to Mental Illness
An All-Too-Familiar Struggle
Grounded in Truth
Awareness or Sensationalization?
The Value of Representation
FAQs
How does euphoria portray mental illness? ›
Euphoria's Ties to Mental Illness
Euphoria's main character, Rue (played by Zendaya) is alluded to as suffering from bipolar disorder, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Throughout the show, the audience hears Rue's thoughts, putting us closer to the character's lived experience.
In the 21st century, euphoria is generally defined as a state of great happiness, well-being and excitement, which may be normal, or abnormal and inappropriate when associated with psychoactive drugs, manic states, or brain disease or injury.
What is euphoria followed by depression? ›Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is a mood disorder that is characterized by periods of extreme swings of euphoria (positivity and happiness) to depression (sadness and negativity). These symptoms result from a chemical imbalance in the brain.
What mental illness does Cassie have euphoria? ›Some fans have speculated that Cassie has undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a mental health disorder characterized by intense, unstable emotions and relationships as well as insecurity and self-doubt.
What lesson does Euphoria teach? ›The most important takeaway any parent of a teen can get from 'Euphoria' is that addiction is a real, complex, deeply ingrained behavioral health disorder. It is not simply choosing to get drunk or high all the time and it definitely isn't something that will just go away.
What is the main message of Euphoria? ›The intended message in “Euphoria” aims to humanize substance use disorders, but the show glorifies drug use. Since the release of the second season in Jan. 2022, over 13.1 million people have streamed the popular show “Euphoria” on HBO Max alone.
What social issues does Euphoria have? ›The show became increasingly popular after the first season due to its depiction of dark problems in adolescence and social issues such as substance abuse, trauma, anxiety, mental illness and more. “I think it portrays addiction in a really accurate way,” said Jen McLaughlin, Honors and Scholars Program coordinator.
How is Euphoria relatable? ›Teens find the show to be relatable because the show portrays teenagers in high school and many different situations which take place in real-life high schools. Teens relating to the characters of Euphoria can help them feel better about certain issues because they see other people going through similar struggles.
Does Euphoria reflect reality? ›The show Euphoria captures all of these life elements. From the introduction to drugs, relationship troubles, and self identity journey. This makes the show more realistic than others, depicting the true struggles of young adults.
What is euphoria trying to tell us? ›Euphoria—the most tweeted-about TV show of the decade in the U.S.—has thrust teenage drug use into the cultural spotlight. The HBO show follows 17-year-old Rue Bennett, a sweet but troubled teen played by Zendaya, as she navigates a deepening drug use disorder.
What are the topics in euphoria? ›
“Euphoria” stars Zendaya and an ensemble cast featuring rising stars like Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi and Alexa Demie. The show has gained both acclaim and notoriety for its gritty portrayals of topics like drug addiction, sexuality and mental illness in a high school setting.
What happens in the brain during euphoria? ›Pleasure or euphoria—the high from drugs—is still poorly understood, but probably involves surges of chemical signaling compounds including the body's natural opioids (endorphins) and other neurotransmitters in parts of the basal ganglia (the reward circuit).
Which Euphoria character am i? ›Euphoria
What was Cassie addicted to? ›Some have speculated online that Cassie is a character foil for Rue, both of them addicts, with the show telling the story of their desperate needs. For Rue, the object of her addiction is opiates, for Cassie, it's love.
Is Cassie a victim Euphoria? ›Her issues seem pale in comparison when you consider the struggles of some of the other characters, like Rue or Jules, but it is still trauma. A victim of revenge porn, sexual coercion, and recovering from a recent abortion, Cassie is coping with deep wounds by masking her pain through a facade of perfection.
How does Euphoria reflect society? ›'Euphoria,' a show that discusses serious issues like drug use, self-harm, assault, domestic violence and other serious matters, reflects Generation Z's experience with these difficulties. It all comes down to how social media affects our state of mental health.
Why is Euphoria so influential? ›The show has since created quite the buzz because of its controversial nature and daring creative decisions. Euphoria focuses on several different characters' personal lives, most of them navigating American high school and struggling with various traumatic events. One of the characters is an underage cam-girl.
What is Euphoria short summary? ›Summaries. A look at life for a group of high school students as they grapple with issues of drugs, sex, and violence. An American adaptation of the Israeli show of the same name, "Euphoria" follows the troubled life of 17-year-old Rue, a drug addict fresh from rehab with no plans to stay clean.
Why do people like Euphoria? ›But the main reason most viewers seem to return is that the show holds their attention: with its eye-catching fashion and makeup, its stunning visuals and the twists and turns that keep people talking.
What are the effects of Euphoria? ›Intoxication. Euphoria, increased energy, overconfidence, increased pulse, increased blood pressure, elevated temperature, elevated BMR, dilated pupils, and peripheral vasoconstriction occur.
Does Euphoria show everything? ›
Euphoria's desire for excess and everything may be what makes it what it is, but if you pay attention you will start to notice the cracks. Euphoria is every show, not just every high school show, but every style of show.
Is Euphoria a good representation of high school? ›These points of view have sparked a debate as to whether or not “Euphoria” accurately portrayed high school correctly. According to several articles, “Euphoria” isn't totally spot-on, but there are several topics that it gets right such as mental health issues, substance abuse, and toxic relationships.
Why is it called euphoria? ›Did you know? Health and happiness are often linked, sometimes even in etymologies. Nowadays euphoria generally refers to happiness, but it derives from euphoros, a Greek word that means "healthy." Given that root, it's not surprising that in its original English uses euphoria was a medical term.
Who is the hot girl from Euphoria? ›Brooklyn Brailsford is an actress who portrays the Hot Girl in Euphoria.
What personality type is Rue from Euphoria? ›Rue Bennett – ISTP. Rue is an unhealthy ISTP who seems hell-bent on her own destruction. Like most unhealthy ISTPs, she appears aloof, detached, and non-committal. Though she has deep feelings for Jules, she often keeps them inside until she reaches a breaking point.
How many Euphoria are there? ›| Euphoria | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
The clothes she wears throughout the episodes are usually blue, which symbolizes the character's sadness and loneliness.
Is Euphoria about trauma? ›HBO's hit show, “Euphoria,” has provoked controversial conversation over the lens by which teenage life is portrayed. HBO's hit drama “Euphoria” revolves around teenage trauma not meant to be seen by teens.
What did Cassie put on her face in Euphoria? ›In the famous scene, Cassie uses Mount Lai Jade Gua Sha after using two other rollers on the same spots: collarbone, neck, and face.
Who was the villain in Euphoria? ›Type of Villain
Nathaniel "Nate" Jacobs is the central antagonist of the HBO series Euphoria, serving as one of the two main antagonists (alongside Cal Jacobs) of the first season and one of the two main antagonists (alongside Cassie Howard) of the second season.
Do Nate loves Cassie? ›
In “Euphoria” Season 2, Nate fell in love with Cassie, or at least that is what we can conclude. Cassie was the perfect woman, according to him, one who was submissive, dressed up the way he liked, and could be the perfect wife that he always desired.
Who did Cassie get pregnant by Euphoria? ›It is also worth mentioning that Cassie got pregnant in Season 1 of Euphoria. She found out that she was pregnant with McKay's baby and eventually decided to have an abortion.
What issues does Euphoria show? ›HBO's show, Euphoria, has sparked controversy with its depiction of teenage drama, violence, and addiction. Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the HBO show Euphoria, as well as discussions of abuse, drug addiction, gun violence, self-harm, and suicide.
How is Euphoria traumatizing? ›What makes this different from other series of the same genre is the manner in which it dramatizes these disturbing issues to an overly explicit and unfiltered level as in exposing statutory rape, full-frontal nudity, pornographic sex acts, drug ingestion, alcohol addiction, self-harm, and sexual assault right before ...
What issues are explored in Euphoria? ›The show covers various topics from drug use, rape, relationship abuse, and the drama that comes along with going to high school.
What is Euphoria trying to tell us? ›Euphoria—the most tweeted-about TV show of the decade in the U.S.—has thrust teenage drug use into the cultural spotlight. The HBO show follows 17-year-old Rue Bennett, a sweet but troubled teen played by Zendaya, as she navigates a deepening drug use disorder.
How do you explain what the show Euphoria is about? ›Euphoria shows the viewers a raw representation of what it is like to be a teenager today for many people, and also the problems with drugs and sex that can possibly come with it. It has, however, received a lot of backlash due to the amount of explicit substance use shown in the series.
Who gets abused in Euphoria? ›Fictional or not, “Euphoria” is a difficult show to watch for survivors of domestic violence. Both season one and season two of “Euphoria” showcase domestic violence and abuse at the hands of Nate.