Does Lestat have borderline personality disorder?
I am convinced Sam Reid’s Lestat has BPD—and I say this as a bisexual with BPD myself who loves and identifies with this crazy babygirl. While reading the books, I thought he was more likely to have bipolar because his highs and lows last for months/years, but in the show he has like EVERY common symptom of BPD (some of these I copy directly off of Mayo Clinic):
1. Mood-swings or little control over emotions, lasting from moment to moment or for hours/days.
2. Inappropriate, intense anger, such as frequently losing your temper, being sarcastic or bitter, or having physical fights.
3. A pattern of intense, unstable relationships.
4. Intense fear of abandonment.
5. Suicidal threats or behavior or self-injury, often in response to fear of separation or rejection. (Lestat threatens to set himself on fire—one of the few means of vampire suicide—when he feels like Louis is rejecting him/choosing Claudia over him. Also, in the books, Lestat frequently considers and eventually attempts suicide.)
6. Impulsive and risky behavior.
7. Rapid changes in self-identity and self-image. (We haven’t seen this as much in the show, but in the books Lestat loves, adores, and worships himself but, at the same time, loathes himself and feels unworthy of love. And Sam Reid mentioned this too: Lestat is a narcissist but, at the same time, has a lot of suppressed self-hatred.)
8. Ongoing feelings of emptiness. (Again you get this more in the books, with Lestat being depressed and feeling like the world is meaningless.)
Also want to note, in episode 1, Lestat says he “inherited his father’s tempter,” and people are often more likely to have a mental disorder if their parents have it too. I do think Lestat’s symptoms and behavior are very affected by the trauma he has been through and possible PTSD, on top of BPD or another mental disorder or mood disorder.... What are your thoughts?
