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In this post I will argue that Baby Houseman suffered from manic-depressive (aka bipolar) disorder, Type 2.
In the following video, Robin Mohilner describes her own first "full-blown manic episode", which occurred when she was 16 years old.
Mohilner was diagnosed as suffering from the disorder's Type 1, which is worse than Type 2.
Mohilner's Type 1 mania began with a Type 2 hypomania ("mild mania"), which she describes in the video's first 4:44 minutes. Mohilner lists the following symptoms of her initial Type 2 hypomania.
* Difficulty sleepingAfter describing her initial Type 2 hypomania -- after 4:44 on the video -- Mohilner describes her full-blown Type 1 mania.
* Increased sex drive
* Changed appetite
* Increased energy
* Agitation, especially with her family
* Obsession with a goal
* Racing thoughts
I am not going to argue that Baby displays each of the hypomania symptoms listed above. Rather I am going to group all those symptoms into one general symptom that I call impulsiveness. Based on that general symptom, I now will diagnose Baby Houseman as suffering from manic-depressive disorder, Type 2, in the movie Dirty Dancing.
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During this article, I will refer occasionally to segments of the following video of scenes that were deleted from the movie.
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Baby is a Danger to Herself
The segment from 4:17 to 5:11 was supposed to begin the movie. The Houseman family is voting whether to go to the Catskills Mountains for their family vacation. Baby is the only family member who votes NO, and she is so angry that she breaks her pencil-point while writing her vote.
Baby is disagreeing vehemently with her family because she wants to go to Washington DC to participate in the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King will speak. The Houseman parents are afraid that Baby might be harmed at the event, and so they are taking her to the Catskills in order to prevent her trip. They fear that if Baby will be at their home in New York City, she will travel to Washington DC by bus or train, without their permission.
Although Baby usually has been an obedient and reliable child, the parents have been alarmed during the past year by Baby's episodes of disobedience and recklessness. Even if the March on Washington will be peaceful, Baby's personal recklessness might cause her harm.
So far, Baby's parents attribute her episodic impulsivity to her adolescence. After all, she is 17 years old, an age when a young woman naturally tries to assert her growing independence from her parents. Nevertheless, Baby's parents worry that without their constant supervision she might be in danger if she travels to Washington DC.
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Baby Is Going to Change the World
The Houseman parents observed that Baby was obsessed with a grandiose goal -- "changing the world". Both parents even joked to other people about Baby's obsession.
Marjorie HousemanAlthough Baby jokes that her sister Lisa likewise has a grandiose goal, the entire Houseman family knows that Lisa's goals really are ordinary and modest. The one family member who is obsessed with unusual, grandiose goals is Baby.
Look at all this leftover food. Are there still starving children in Europe?
Baby Houseman
Try Southeast Asia, Ma.
Marjorie Houseman
Right.
Jake Houseman
(Addressing Robbie)
Robbie, Baby wants to send her leftover pot roast to Southeast Asia, so anything we don't finish, wrap up.
(Addressing Max)
Max, our Baby's gonna change the world.
Max Kellerman
(Addressing Lisa)
And what are you gonna do, Missy?
Baby Houseman
Lisa's gonna decorate it.
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Baby Intends to Read a Lot of Books During Her Vacation
Baby has brought about a half-dozen books along on her vacation. These are serious books. For example, one of them is titled Plight of the Peasant.
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| The pile of books by Baby's bed |
Samantha suffered a Type 1 mania, whereas Baby suffered only Type 2 hypomania, but Baby's big pile of books is one of several indicators.
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Baby's Appetite Is Sometimes Voracious
As I pointed out in an earlier article titled Baby eats like her father, not like her mother, Baby ordered and ate a big, man-sized breakfast platter.
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| Manic Baby eating a breakfast platter instead of a grapefruit-half |
Research has found that many people with bipolar disorder have eating issues like bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. A recent study found one in five bipolar patients in its group of participants met the criteria for a lifetime eating disorder. ...======
Binge eaters tend to compulsively overeat, but unlike bulimics, they do not purge afterward. They tend to feel shame or guilt over their eating and often eat by themselves and very quickly. Many bipolar patients report periods of binge eating, although whether they have a full-fledged disorder is not certain. Some medications for bipolar disorder promote binge eating.
Baby Remains Alone for a Week
The Houseman family arrived at Kellerman's Mountain House on Saturday, August 10, 1963. That evening, Baby danced with Neil Kellerman in the ballroom. The next time Baby is seen is on Sunday, August 18, when she is walking alone through a woods. (See the segment from 0:00 to 0:55 in the above video of deleted scenes.)
A week has been skipped in the story. During that week, Baby has been involved with Neil Kellerman, but she has not socialized significantly with anyone else outside her family.
For several days during that skipped week Baby perhaps suffered a depressive phase of her manic-depressive disorder. That is why she is essentially alone after an entire week at the resort.
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Baby Chases After Johnny
By the evening of Sunday, August 18, Baby has passed completely through a depressive phase and has entered a hypomania phase. She has become impulsive. In particular, her sex drive has increased.
In the segment from 0:00 to 0:55 in the video of deleted scenes, Baby notices Johnny Castle engaged in some sexual activity with a woman in the woods. The sight arouses Baby sexually.
After Johnny parts from the woman and walks away, Baby follows him impulsively. She will follow him all the way to the area of the bunkhouse, where the "dirty dancing" party is taking place. When she sees Billy Kostecki carrying three watermelons, she will grab one of the watermelons as a tactic to continue following Johnny into the bunkhouse.
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| Baby will grab a watermelon from Billy in order to continue following Johnny. |
The cause [of bipolar infidelity] is the hypersexuality, impaired judgement, poor impulse control, and grandiosity – scary bipolar symptoms – all brought on by mania. ... This behavior is a bipolar symptom and is also generally part of the mania – or the hypomania – infidelity is an issue for Bipolar Type I AND Bipolar Type 2. ...A female reader of the article commented as follows:
A 1975 study that looked at lifetime sexual experience found extramarital sexual experiences to be more frequent amongst bipolar people – 29% had had 10 or more experiences.
According to figures quoted by Goodwin and Jamison, hypersexuality was reported in 57% of manic individuals, based on averages across seven studies, with a range of values from 25% to 80%!
Hello, I am recently diagnosed Bipolar Type 2 and I have struggled with bipolar infidelity ever since I was 18. I just couldn’t stop having sex with random people, many of whom I didn’t find attractive. I thought I was just going through my young years of hooking up. I was wrong.======
When I entered my first relationship, I cheated. I did it with a smoker. How gross! I was honest and told my boyfriend. We broke up after because of that
Then, I entered another relationship and things were fine for about three months. And then I lost control and cheated again. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I figured it was just personal and a sign that he wasn’t my type. So I broke up with him.
Next, I entered a relationship with a really cute and caring guy. Again, about three months into it, I cheated. It was very frustrating. I broke up with him.
At this point, when friends asked me how many guys I’ve been with, I couldn’t give an honest answer. Should only be three, right? I really wanted it to be three. But it wasn’t -- it was over 100. I lost track. And so many of them were unwanted. I really just couldn’t control it.
When I graduated, I figured it was a sexual addiction. I chose to stay single to work on it. So I started taking steps to end that. But then I noticed that my sexual behavior was getting riskier. I was scared a few times of an STD.
But then I met a really great guy, who I am now with. I am worried because I am getting the urges again, and I really don’t want them. He knows I have Bipolar and we’re still in the relationship. I started taking a mood stabilizer from a psychiatrist, but I’m worried it’s not helping with the hypersexuality.
I don’t want this! So I made some appointments with a counselor to talk about everything. I really don’t want another relationship to end because I chose to cheat during a manic episode (although honestly it feels like I have no choice).
I will continue this article in Part 9.
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