Written by: Evangeline Halim
Edited by: Maggie Huang
The famous British detective, “Sherlock Holmes”, is a fictional character who solves crimes as a hobby and was created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Through many variations, his character was often portrayed as a brilliant detective whose strengths include solving complex problems, great memory retention, and creating incredible observations. However, he is often cold and aloof with others throughout the story, and he distances himself from any personal or intimate social interactions. This led followers and fans of the story to believe that he could be informally “diagnosed” with a psychological disorder, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
In detail, ASD has several noted traits such as an individual’s deficits in social interactions, interests in specialized subjects, and repetitive behaviors (Hodges et al., 2020). Nonetheless, ASD does not restrict itself to these few, distinctive traits. In other words, traits related to ASD lie on a spectrum, as the name signifies, and it has numerous ways of presenting itself in individuals diagnosed with such.
Contrary to popular belief, experts have stated that Sherlock does not officially have autism, and that he may simply be another representation of how ASD is portrayed in popular culture (Loftis, 2014). It’s significant to acknowledge that in most, if not all, cases, “diagnosing” a fictional character can help perpetuate inaccurate and misleading ideas. Fans likely have no formal or legal qualifications to diagnose an individual, which means that their unreliable judgments may spread through media and strengthen harmful stereotypes. For instance, many news articles and readings suggest that while Sherlock has ASD, he is also a cold-blooded person who is incapable of emotional attachment (Loftis, 2014). Not only is this dehumanizing for those who live with autism, but it also deems Sherlock as a singular form of ASD representation. (An important reminder: he is strictly a fictional character.)
However, Sherlock Holmes does, in fact, obtain certain characteristics that can be linked to a certain mental disorder. So the question still stands- what is a possible diagnosis for Sherlock when properly assessed? A peer-reviewed research article suggests that Sherlock’s personality is closely related to characteristics found in Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), such as his tendency to treat himself with superiority as well as his need for admiration (Rumain, 2021). Although NPD is not portrayed in the media as much as ASD, it has its fair share of being oversimplified and overused when labeling individuals as simply “narcissistic”. Nevertheless, it is still important to spread education on the matter of NPD and factual acknowledgment based on how the DSM-5 recognizes it. It is a disorder that is characterized by a pattern of grandiosity, lack of empathy, and need for admiration (Rumain, 2021). Based on how Sherlock has lived his life with John Watson, his loyal companion, it is evident that he displays traits that are heavily connected to NPD.
Overall, Sherlock Holmes will always be a fictional character who may present several realistic characteristics, but he lives a life that revolves around an even greater amount of unrealistic events. His possible representation of NPD, and mistaken media portrayal of ASD, stands no comparison to those in the real world who truly face these disorders. Those who are diagnosed with ASD and NPD are undoubtedly human, and it’s vital to learn about their individual circumstances before raising false and harmful judgments.
References:
Hodges, H., Fealko, C., & Soares, N. (2020, February 1). Autism spectrum disorder: definition, epidemiology, causes, and clinical evaluation. Translational Pediatrics; AME Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.21037/tp.2019.09.09
Loftis, S. (2014, December). The Autistic Detective: Sherlock Holmes and his Legacy. Disability Studies Quarterly. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/3728/3791#:~:text=Ultimately%2C%20no%20one%20representation%20can,is%20not%20an%20autistic%20person
Rumain, B. (2021, January). A Study in Sherlock: Our Fascination with Pathological Narcissism and the Narcissistic Personality. PSYART (Gainesville, Fla.) Retrieved from https://psyart.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Rumain_A-Study-in-Sherlock-revised.pdf
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