Since childhood, we have watched the adventures of Harry and his friends, but we could never have imagined that many characters, both positive and negative, demonstrate symptoms of serious psychological disorders. What problems might wizards bring to a psychoanalyst?
Harry Potter - Impostor Syndrome
Although Harry is a kind, sensitive boy who is always ready to help, he suffers from impostor syndrome. This psychological phenomenon occurs when a person constantly fears they won't meet others' expectations, seeks validation for their achievements, and doubts their own abilities. Despite external evidence of their competence, those susceptible to this syndrome continue to believe they don't deserve their success.
Harry expects too much from himself, fearing that others will mock his failures and deem him incompetent. He attributes his victories to being in the right place at the right time, receiving help from others, or even denies his own merits. Often, the root cause of this syndrome is a humiliating or abusive childhood experience, making it difficult for a person to exhibit leadership abilities and believe they are a unique individual deserving respect. We know how Harry spent his childhood, enduring much ridicule and bullying. Therefore, his fear of not living up to Dumbledore's expectations or doubts about defeating the Dark Lord are not surprising.
Modern research indicates that two out of five successful people experience impostor syndrome. In contemporary society, this disorder often affects women, with many successful businesswomen believing that others overestimate their abilities precisely because of this syndrome.
Here you can find a free impostor syndrome test
Ron Weasley - low self-esteem
Ron Weasley is the youngest son in a large family with many children. His older brothers are talented, active, and always in the spotlight, and Ron constantly compares himself to them, to his own detriment. He considers himself too "ordinary" and struggles with low self-esteem.
Ron is sensitive to criticism and others' comments, afraid to express his creative ideas, and yearns for praise and approval from others. Like all people with low self-esteem, he tends to criticize not only himself but also his loved ones. Unable to accept himself as he is and lacking balance and inner harmony, Ron subconsciously begins to seek flaws in friends, family, and the world around him. As he grows older, Ron increasingly expresses his dissatisfaction and criticism.
Such people are easily influenced by others' suggestions (for example, Ron quickly believed that Harry did not consider him a friend). Low self-esteem fosters irritability, jealousy, self-condemnation, and prevents a person from believing they can achieve success and be interesting to others.
Here you can find a free self-esteem test
Hermione Granger - Excellent Student Syndrome
What do we know about Hermione? She has everything planned down to the minute, with a thoroughly thought-out and systematized plan. She is organized, serious, single-minded, and determined. Hermione expects too much from herself, constantly needing to prove her superiority to boost her self-esteem. The worst thing for her is being expelled from school.
Hermione clearly exhibits all the symptoms of Excellent Student Syndrome, as it's crucial for her to achieve the best grades, receive praise from leaders, and gain recognition from fellow students. One might think such a person never experiences stressful situations, but in reality, Hermione lives in constant stress, fearing she won't meet her high standards and being terrified of making mistakes. Any deviation from the rules is horrifying to her. Anything beyond her control causes great stress, especially in the realm of emotions and relationships.
The syndrome of an excellent student gradually turns a person into a high achiever but deprives them of spontaneity and hampers their creative development and abilities.
Luna Lovegood (Schizotypal Disorder)
From the very first glance at Luna, we can notice that something is off about her. People like her feel different from others and special.
Schizotypal disorder is characterized by detachment from reality, eccentric behavior, disordered thoughts and emotions, but it is not yet schizophrenia. Such individuals tend to isolate themselves socially. In addition to her unconventional attire, Luna's behavior and speech also deviate from accepted norms.
Luna immerses herself in her own world of illusions and perceives the real world through the prism of emotions she has experienced and incorrect associations between things.
People with schizotypal disorder tend to believe in the evil eye, telepathy, clairvoyance, and are generally easily suggestible and overly gullible. Such individuals often become victims of cults and con artists. Depression, dysphoria, mood swings, and paranoid thoughts often accompany schizotypal disorder.
Here you can find a free schizophrenia test
Bellatrix Lestrange (Hysterical Personality Disorder)
Bellatrix is known for her high emotionality, theatricality, and exaggerated mannerisms. She suffers from histrionic personality disorder, or perhaps, on the contrary, she revels in it. Bellatrix loves to dramatize everything, flirt, and does so to attract attention, not always in an appropriate way. Along with her eccentricity, she dresses quite provocatively, emphasizing her sexuality and standing out from the crowd.
Her behavior is often provocative. Additionally, she becomes overly attached to people and interprets relationships as closer than they truly are. Bellatrix is dependent on others' opinions and easily succumbs to the influence of people or situations, craving popularity and recognition. In moments of loneliness, she feels inner emptiness and torments herself with the thought that, in reality, she's not worthy of love.
This condition is often accompanied by antisocial or narcissistic behavior. Interestingly, recent studies have shown equal prevalence of histrionic personality disorder among women and men, although it was previously considered a primarily female disorder.
Here you can find a free histrionic personality disorder test
Draco Malfoy (Narcissism)
Narcissism is a trait of the psyche where a person perceives themselves as special, unique individuals, believing themselves to be superior to those around them, which does not always correspond to reality.
Malfoy has excessively high self-esteem and an inflated ego. He suffers from pathological narcissism, believing himself to be of the highest class and despising and openly exploiting others. He deliberately displays his superiority and arrogance, thinking that doing so will gain him the respect of others. Manipulation and lies come naturally to Draco; he will easily find excuses for any reprehensible actions if they lead to personal gain or flatter his vanity.
Draco Malfoy only regards those who belong to the elite of society. Behind the mask of his vanity, he hides the fear of being humiliated and not recognized. Such people constantly need praise, privileges, and demonstrative subservience.
Here you can find a free narcissism test
Lord Voldemort (Psychopathy)
Heartlessness, lack of empathy, callousness - these traits all describe Voldemort. His behavior clearly exhibits signs of psychopathy. This disorder can be congenital or acquired in early childhood and is a serious disorder of the nervous system. Such a person is capable of deceit and crime to achieve their goals.
Pathological deceit and a tendency toward fraud aid him in his pursuits. Such individuals are often charismatic and know how to win people over to their side, but only to satisfy their own ambitions. If they fail to achieve their desires, they become even more callous and cruel. One can never know what to expect from such people, as a psychopath can unleash a wave of anger at any moment. It's easy for such people to violate established social norms; they would rather step on people's faces to achieve their goals, caring about nothing except their own ego.
The feeling of guilt is foreign to Voldemort; he only exhibits indifference and contempt for the problems of other people. Voldemort harms others, both physically and psychologically, like a true psychopath.
Here you can find a free psychopathy test
Severus Snape (Severe Depression)
Severus is a person who has experienced unrequited love and the pain of loss. Snape doesn't want to let go of the past, and he lives with his tragic memories. His soul is full of pain that he can't share with anyone. He tries to hide it behind a cold personality and a stern look, although this is just a mask. His diagnosis is dysthymia, a type of prolonged depression.
Joanne Rowling describes the symptoms of severe depression in the Potions professor in great detail: he doesn't really care about hygiene, wears the same clothes, and doesn't keep his own living space tidy. He's not interested in meeting new people, nor does he pay special attention to those he has known for a while. It's difficult for him to let go of past events and enjoy life. Despite his emotional turmoil, he's able to remain calm in stressful situations.
Over time, severe depression is accompanied by additional disorders - panic attacks, extreme social anxiety, and a tendency toward destructive addictions.
Here you can find a free depression test
Fred and George Weasley (ADHD)
In the Weasley twins, we can observe pronounced hyperactivity that accompanies attention deficit disorder. They are smart and talented but would rather spend their time doing more interesting things than studying.
Both brothers are carefree and chatty, disliking following instructions or performing routine tasks. Being organized and meeting deadlines is definitely not the Weasley twins' strong suit. It is difficult for them to sit in one place, so creative activities are more appealing to them.
They are easily distracted, switching from one activity to anotherand always full of different ideas. Their ambitions sometimes even exceed their capabilities.
Here you can find a free ADHD test
Albus Dumbledore — Dissocial Personality Disorder (Sociopathy)
Dissocial personality disorder, or sociopathy, might not seem applicable to Dumbledore at first glance. However, if we examine the symptoms of this disorder more closely, we will see that such people are unable to conform to social norms, can be somewhat irresponsible and risk-taking, hypocritical, and struggle with thorough planning.
Dumbledore is empathetic because he helps people with problems, but he often disregards social boundaries. It's easier for him to set his own limits. He knowingly gets Harry into all sorts of trouble, fully aware that this could end badly.
He can deceive people to take advantage of them. But despite everything, he's still kind, and his intentions are good because his sociopathy creates more difficulties for him than for anyone else.
Here you can find a free sociopathy test
Rubeus Hagrid - Autism Spectrum Disorder
We don't want to say that Hagrid struggles with learning or lacks mental development, as that's not true. It's just that Hagrid prefers to immerse himself fully in his interests, not paying attention to what is happening around him.
He is somewhat asocial, and his circle of acquaintances is very narrow. Hagrid lives in a house on the outskirts of Hogwarts, doing what he loves, and he seems quite content.
The friendship between the trio of young wizards and Hagrid is quite understandable: Hermione wants to "save" him, Ron feels confident in the giant's presence, and Harry appreciates that Hagrid doesn't expect incredible achievements from him.
Here you can find a free autism test
Neville Longbottom - PTSD
Many people who have experienced traumatic events suffer from conditions such as PTSD. Such a severe mental disorder can lead to various consequences and cause new symptoms and diagnoses.
Neville developed this syndrome due to severe childhood trauma. Neville's parents were driven insane after being tortured by the Death Eaters. He was only able to prove himself as a wizard after his grandfather pushed him out of a window upside down. Of course, such events didn't leave Neville unscathed - he experiences heightened anxiety, difficulties with focus and attention. Neville struggles with emotional instability and decision-making, making it hard for him to feel happiness.
PTSD can lead to nightmares, psychopathic re-experiencing of events (flashbacks),and loss of one's own identity. Such a person will try to avoid any associations, events, and people that may remind them of the trauma, causing negative reactions and emotions.
Here you can find a free PTSD test