It’s interesting that discussion about a show ostensibly about mental health awareness tends to come with a bunch of people saying “he’s not mentally ill!”, which really says something both about our fundamental cultural misunderstanding of mental illness and the show’s own clumsy handling of its subject.
Who is saying he's not mentally ill? I'm saying one cannot toss around a diagnosis without taking a moment to actually read what it is. For what it's worth, I am literally a social worker with a specialization in youth, and do a lot of mental health work. I can't think of any way Evan would be diagnosed 'sociopathic' (which is not a real diagnosis) or a pathological liar.
The main labels I would consider relevant are, as noted, anxiety and potential autism spectrum. One could make an arguement for cluster c but I don't think he fits well enough. For anything more specific I'd have to rewatch, I'm not overly fond of the show and it's been a while.
As someone on the "high-functioning" end of the spectrum, myself, there's not a doubt in my mind that Evan is autistic. In some ways, it's obvious. He's very black-and-white in his thinking (in a show that prides itself on its morally gray characters, making this feels like an intentional choice), he's got a clearly defined special interest (trees), and just about every actor who plays him has given him lots of physical tics and fidgets (ie stimming).
But even further than that, he is shown to be very unaware of how his actions and words will be taken by other people (not realizing the Murphys would want to see the emails, ditching Jared in spite of his desperate attempts to cling to him, etc) and oftentimes, he does wildly inappropriate things without even realizing how bad it is until later (kissing Zoe on her brother's bed, spinning the lie even further when he could have kept his mouth shut, etc). He hides in a fantasy world and talks to an imaginary friend, he only picks up on a lot of things when they're explicitly laid out for him, he over-explains and corrects himself when it's not even necessary ("I love jazz. Well, not all jazz, but definitely like, jazz-band-jazz"] , and most of the big turning points in the show stem from him trying to make people stop yelling/expressing strong emotion (giving the note to Cynthia in the principal's office, telling the story in "For Forever", tearing down his loved ones in "Good For You," and even finally confessing the lie). He obviously feels very powerful emotions, but often doesn't seem to know how to express them, and he gets uncomfortable when others wear their feelings on their sleeve.
And, what's most interesting, he stops taking his meds and sees no real negative consequence. If he just had anxiety, that would be questionable writing at best. But, if the story becomes about a misdiagnosed autistic kid, suddenly that plot point makes more sense and gives a stronger reason for his belief that he's broken, and that his mom is trying to "fix" him. The medications and therapy wouldn't have been working, because treatment for anxiety doesn't take away autism. Nothing does. And if he was doing all this work and not seeing any relief to the symptoms, of course he'd feel hopeless and different, like there was something inherently wrong with him. Not to get dark, but autistic kids are ten times more likely to attempt suicide than neurotypical ones, and though there haven't been studies yet, I would not be surprised if that number was even higher for those who are undiagnosed, and that only makes Evan's own attempt make more sense.
I've seen some people argue that he can't be on the spectrum because he "gets better" during the peak of the Connor Project and in the ending scene at the orchard. But life as an autistic person isn't constant suffering and self-doubt. With a strong support system and things to do that make you feel valuable, it's very possible to reach that place of self-assurance and comfort. It all does makes sense. And if you watch the musical with the idea in mind that Evan is on the spectrum, it immediately becomes a better, more cohesive show, and he becomes much more sympathetic as a character.
As another person on the autism spectrum, and with a 16 year-old son who is too, I think you're absolutely right. Seeing this show was like looking in a mirror while it kicked me in the teeth. I'm sure the characterization differs from actor to actor, but when I saw it, there was no question in my mind that I was seeing a portrayal of the type of ASD I live with.
I too am a retired teacher, in my case from teach college freshmen and women, so roughly the same age. It's true that adolescence is a time of changing bodies, behaviors and minds, so naturally teens tend to be self-focused.
That is not the same as clinical sociopathy. It's no aid to clarity to conflate the two, IMO. (But I do know what you mean.)
I'm a parent of a high functioining autistic and the show still pisses me off. The only time it did touch me were the scenes with Evan and his Mom because I 100% felt them. My own parental guilt destroyed me, that feeling of wanting to "fix" my child all the while knowing my child is aware of this. I guess the rest of the show irks me because of Connor's family. The fact that they fall for all this? Come on. They really didn't know their own kid?! I was rolling eyes like crazy into the second act, especially with how out of hand it got. I have never seen a show make me angry like this. And the music...bleh. But then I didn't see Ben Platt and Groundhog Day completely stole my heart as well as Andy Karl. So maybe I couldn't open my heart up to it.
joined:8/12/11
joined:
8/12/11
Posted: 3/14/19 at 9:15am