Is Batman Mentally Ill? A Look at the Psyche of the Dark Knight

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Let's talk about Batman.

I know, I know, another post about Batman. Just bear with me.

I know many people ask why Batman doesn't just get over his parents' death and why he has to be so "emo" about it. It's probably been one of the reasons people may not like Batman as much, or at least it's one of the things they poke fun at. They feel he dwells on his past too much, that he's too depressing and dark. The biggest argument people have against Batman is they wonder why he doesn't just "get over it."

See, that's the whole issue: I don't think he can get over it.

Like physically, emotionally, mentally can't.


I'm going out on a limb here, and it could be that I'm just reading waaay too much into this, but what if Batman is a metaphor for mental illnesses? How many times have those with anxiety and depression been told to just "get over it" or "move on"? What if Batman represents those who couldn't move on? What if his burden, his obsession, is a symbol of the burden those with mental illnesses have to bear? Again, this may be stretching things, but it makes sense.

You could easily argue that Batman has PTSD (you could even argue that he has a split personality). He is driven by a traumatic event in his life, and it haunts him in flashbacks and nightmares.

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Did he pick the healthiest way to deal with it? Of course not.

Should he have gone through some therapy? Probably.

Would it have helped? Who knows? (I think in some versions Alfred did send him to some child psychiatrists, but it didn't help much.) But you have to admire that he got this far without much professional help.

The way I see it, Batman isn't giving in when he's dealing with his parents' death; he's fighting. He's fighting that pain and grief that threaten to overwhelm him, and he's fighting the scene that plays over and over in his mind. He's taking on his mental illness the best way he can. No, he can't get over it because it's something that's become a part of him and it's not that simple.

And to those that say, "Well, other superheroes have lost someone close to them, and they didn't get all emo about it," that may be true. But this just showcases Bruce's own personal issues. I don't think it's just a matter of losing his parents; that night, Bruce's entire world completely shattered. And while he may have tried to put the pieces back together, they didn't quite fit right. And instead of turning to others for help, he turned inward.

But here's the issue: everybody deals with trauma differently. Everybody deals with mental illnesses
differently. And trying to compare one hero's trauma to another's isn't really fair. The human brain is so complex that there isn't really one set way to combat mental illness. For Bruce, becoming Batman was a way for him to combat his.

It may not have been the healthy choice for him, but that's what he did.

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A good example is the difference between Bruce and Dick, both who have experienced trauma as kids. Unlike Bruce, Dick turned to to others for help. Bruce is naturally pretty introverted, and it just got worse after his parents' death.

That's probably why I think Dick somehow adjusted a bit better than Bruce did. Instead of pushing others away, he opened up. And I think Bruce encouraged this because he didn't want Dick to turn out like him. He wanted Dick to be able to heal from his trauma and not make the same mistakes he made.

People say Batman has issues. Heck, even Batman has said that Batman has issues. And it's true.

That's the thing: Bruce is very self-aware. He knows he has problems, and he knows that he can't seem to move on past his parents' deaths, that his life continues to be driven by that one event. He knows that he probably shouldn't push people away, but he still does it because it's easier.

He knows that half the things he does isn't healthy or beneficial to him.

But he still does it because that's how he knows how to deal with it. He's too afraid of appearing vulnerable that he'll do whatever it takes to avoid asking for help. Because that's what he's always done.

Batman has a lot of problems, emotionally and mentally. And he's all too aware of it.

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But that's what makes him more human.

And that's why I always go back to him, because as much as I love other superheroes, none have affected me the way Batman has.

Batman is likely one of the most imperfect superheroes out there: he's obsessive, arrogant, standoffish, paranoid, and a complete perfectionist.

And yet to me he's one of the most intriguing people. Because those few moments when he does open up, when you catch a glimpse of the real Bruce Wayne hiding behind the protective shell of Batman, it's something incredibly beautiful and powerful.

So there we go, yet another reason why Batman is my favorite superhero. And if you still don't like Batman, that's fine; there's still plenty of other superheroes who are awesome!