The Dysphoria behind “Euphoria” – Season 1

Euphoria gives us an explicit look into the lives of a group of high school teenagers, who steer their ways through the claws of drugs, sex, trauma, social media, love and relationships.

In the midst of dealing with the challenges attached to being a teenager, the issues of identity are largely at play.

Each character is illustrated as the product of what seems to be a dysfunctional/abnormal upbringing. Euphoria seems to candidly and graphically represent the experiences teenagers most likely face.

The show mostly highlights the daily challenges that are faced by teenagers. It is quite ironic that the show’s title means feeling elated and joyous when in reality, most of the characters seem to be deeply depressed and living a dysphoric life.

What mental disorders are prevalent in the characters on the show?

Euphoria is not hesitant to depict characters struggling with addiction, alcohol abuse, relationship issues, and mental illness such as:

• Bipolar Disorder
• Anxiety Disorder
• Depression
• ADHD
• OCD
• Sex addiction Disorder
• Substance Use Disorder
• Conduct Disorder (Aggression)
• Transgender
• Trauma
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• Grief

Does Euphoria glamourize mental illness?

When a mental illness is glamorised, it means that the thoughts around mental illnesses are sugar-coated for individuals to romanticise or beautify it. It rolls off one’s slip to say ‘I am depressed’, all because you are having a bad day. Depression is nothing to desire or jokingly claim over oneself. For those diagnosed with depression, life is extremely difficult and unbearable. There is no desirable aspect of depression or any type of mental illness.

One coherent aspect of Euphoria was the true essence of what a disorder may lead to if not treated accordingly. It indicates the deteriorating journey that a person suffers from, and how drugs, alcohol and sex are used as an escape but adds more suffering and pain. The downside is that the producers need to make the show appealing for entertainment, which could lead to mental illness being portrayed as something desirable or appealing. The impact this show has had has been so substantial that Euphoria has become a trend on TikTok, in makeup looks and themed parties, to the extent that it is labelled the ‘Euphoria effect’.

What psychological impact does exposure to this series have on young people?

The show has received much criticism since it aired in 2019. Many critics believe that the show is too graphic, explicit, and triggering for young people, who make up the show’s largest viewing population. The show is so emotionally loaded that one of the main characters, Zendaya, had to issue a ‘trigger warning’ on social media before the second season aired. It was cautioned that the show is aimed toward more mature audiences, but the show has built such a fan base of young teens that such a warning won’t put them off. Even though the show is extremely thought-provoking, it is based on the creator of the show’s real experiences as a teenager, which contributes to the show’s authenticity and relatability.

There is a risk that Euphoria may portray the image to teens that drug use and unhealthy behaviour depicted in the show is common and normal. Whether the show can have a negative impact on young, impressionable audiences depends on the individual’s life experiences and specific traumas, their genetics, and whether they already have a vulnerability towards substance abuse and other related issues.

Another potential problem of the series is that it does not accurately represent the consequences of the risky behaviour the characters engage in. Some of the characters get away with their actions relatively unscathed, which is unrealistic. This increases the potential for self-destructive behaviour among teens.

On the bright side, the show has opened up a platform for addressing mental health problems among young people, and it has brought more awareness to the complex challenges teenagers deal with daily.

What can be interpreted from the child-parent relationships portrayed throughout the series?

Childhood plays a vital role in how individuals are bound to behave like adults.

Rue’s dad fell ill, and she began using his medication as a means of experimenting, and being diagnosed with Bipolar and OCD from a young age, and the consistent use of medication harmed her developing brain. With a lack of support from her mom, and losing her dad, Rue was hooked on drugs because it was the only thing that made her feel good.

When Nate was young, he witnessed his dad’s wrongdoings, that at no means is appropriate for any young boy. The pressure from both his parents, not being able to communicate with them and carrying the weight of what his dad does, and not receiving any sort of psychological treatment has resulted in Nate’s anger management and aggressive behaviour. His inability to form emotional bonds may stem from him never receiving emotional attention as a child.

Furthermore, Cassie struggles with abandonment issues due to her father leaving them for his addiction to heroin. This leads to Cassie overcompensating through her relationships and letting others take advantage of her so that she doesn’t end up alone. These are just a few examples of the effect that dysfunctional family relationships have on the characters.

What interventions may take place to combat the mental conditions highlighted in the show?

From the characters’ behaviours on the show, it is clear that they engage in various unhealthy coping mechanisms. Sex, drugs, and abusive relationships are all ways that the characters on the show ‘escape’ from their problems and mental health issues. Which is more of a temporary fix, rather than dealing with the root cause. The cover-up now becomes their lifestyle. The show does acknowledge that rehabilitation is one of the ways to treat drug abuse. Many of the characters on the show require professional psychological help, such as Nate for his anger issues for example. However, the show also made a jab at the fact that many parents and psychiatrists believe that homosexuality and transgender are disorders that require psychiatric treatment. Based on what was portrayed in Season 1 of Euphoria, trauma-focused therapy may help many of the characters uncover and heal from their turbulent childhoods. Family therapy can also be explored, especially among the characters on the show who have dysfunctional communication patterns among family members.

In conclusion, Euphoria is a very interesting show to psychoanalyse, as numerous mental conditions are made aware and the producers attempt to portray the true effect of unhealthy behaviours on the show. However, social media and young people downplay and diminish the essence of the show by turning it into trends. Whether the majority of young people grasp the psychological impact of the show, cannot be known.