Since the debut of the hit CW show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in 2015, the emerging cult classic has built up quite the reputation- even bringing home three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. The series follows Rebecca Bunch, played by co-creator Rachel Bloom, and explores themes surrounding trauma, mental illness, and coping, from a lens that's both psychologically sound and full of lighthearted fun.
Binge-watching the show has become a rite of passage for many diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, and is even hailed by Psychology Today as "a funny, unflinchingly honest look at mental illness, romantic obsession, and, as Bloom puts it, “the truth behind stereotypes.” Want to find out why this is your new favorite series? Check out 14 Reasons 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Is Your Life. Now that the series has come to a close, you've got to hear these 9 Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend songs.
Fear Of Abandonment: Settle For Me
"Settle For Me" concisely captures the hopeful ignorance of not caring if you're someone's first pick, so long as you're their pick at all. It's an attitude that goes hand in hand with the fear of abandonment: It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be. This number is performed by one of Rebecca Bunch's love interests, Greg Serrano (Santino Fontana). As a disorder presented in wide variation, it's not uncommon for people without Borderline to experience symptoms of the disorder, but for a complete diagnosis, you must experience at least five of the nine symptoms.
The choice to characterize the most well-known symptom in characters other than Rebecca is a smart and subtle nod to fans, in that just because some of the content feels relatable, doesn't mean you necessarily have Borderline Personality Disorder. The music video for this track, currently the fourth most listened to song by the cast on Spotify, features Greg and Rebecca dancing a Fred-and-Ginger inspired dance number that perfectly suits Greg's crooner style and is absolutely worth a watch.
Extreme Emotional Swings: Tell Me I'm Okay, Patrick
"Tell Me I'm Okay, Patrick" is sung by Rebecca to her UPS delivery driver, Patrick (Seth Green), in the season 2 episode "Is Josh Free In Two Weeks?" Viewing him as an unbiased third party, she spends this song begging a stranger for validation that she's having trouble giving herself while trying to plan an impromptu wedding.
While a majority of Rebecca's pleas are emotional, she suddenly escalates the conversation into a monologue, accusing Patrick of hiding things from her that might help. Almost immediately after, she recognizes her mistake and calms down to apologize to him, all within a few seconds. "Tell Me I'm Okay, Patrick" shows viewers the ups and downs that come with a difficulty to emotionally self-regulate.
Chronic Feelings Of Emptiness: The Darkness
Chronic feelings of emptiness as a symptom is a major reason Borderline Personality Disorder is often misdiagnosed as similar or comorbid illnesses, such as depression. In "The Darkness", Rebecca realizes that after cutting all of the romantic relationships she had started throughout the series, she has one more 'ex' to deal with - the Darkness, whose name is apparently Tyler.
She feels like she's known 'him' forever, they've been high school sweethearts and then had a fling again in college, he's always been in and out of her life. Chronic feelings of emptiness can feel like a lingering relationship in itself, keeping Borderline patients from making real meaningful connections with new partners until they're 'handled.'
Unstable Relationships: Hello, Nice To Meet You
Whether conflicts arise with her romantic partners, friends, or coworkers, it seems as though Rebecca's cast of characters is constantly changing. Potentially most turbulent was her relationship with Greg Serrano, her ex-boyfriend's best friend. From a sarcastic will they/won't they to sworn enemies, a passionate couple and then estranged exes, fans thought for sure that Greg was gone for good.
So when he returned in season 4 (played by Skylar Astin), fans were thrilled to see he and Rebecca make amends and even acknowledge how much they've both grown into very different people. "Hello, Nice To Meet You" is a pleasant reminder that unstable doesn't always mean fighting, it also means doing the work to grow and eventually making up.
Impulsive, Self Destructive Behaviors: West Covina
Fans won’t need to watch long to see evidence of Rebecca’s impulsive, self-destructive behaviors. In the show’s pilot, Rebecca bumps into Josh on the street and immediately moves to his hometown across the country on a whim. She spends most of this number swearing that it wasn’t for him at all and he just happened to live there, but listening to "West Covina", it's clear that this wasn't an act of chance.
Unaware of his relationship status, living situation, or really who Josh had grown into since they dated at 16 years old, she made the leap in a desperate chase for happiness and fulfillment when it seemed like it was finally a possibility for her.
Self-Harm: You Stupid Bitch
In good taste, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend chose not to write any songs directly about self-harm, although topics such as overdose and suicide attempts are both discussed in the series. However, this next song is a phenomenal measure of the emotional abuse that those with Borderline Personality Disorder often force onto themselves.
In "You Stupid Bitch" Rebecca pays tribute to the divas of the 1990s in this ballad, performing with such raw sadness and self-hatred that it breaks viewer's hearts. Between jokes, it's a bold statement that self-harm isn't exclusively physical, and this is a hard truth dive about the creative ways patients may find themselves ensuring they suffer. Not only is this song one of the most cathartic moments of season 2, it's also so relatable to fans that it's currently the third most listened to song by the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Cast on Spotify.
Feeling Suspicious Or Out Of Touch With Reality: Remember That We Suffered
It's not uncommon for patients of BPD to feel disconnected from reality, sometimes even in the form of dissociative episodes. Season 2 takes Rebecca and Josh back to New York to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah with her family, where she was hoping to bond over the shared miserable experience. When everyone besides Rebecca has a blast, she's unable to accept that maybe her mindset is the problem and everyone else is having a good time.
While she perceived the festivities as a Jewish Guilt and judgment masquerading as excitement and community, Josh made meaningful connections with her family, friends, and Rabbi (Patti LuPone), who accepted him with open arms. No one was out to get Rebecca beside herself, regardless, it became her reality in this gut-busting number about the Jewish faith's roots in remembering what they've gone through as a people.
Explosive Anger: After Everything You Made Me Do (That You Didn't Ask For)
Rebecca certainly explodes in the season 3 episode "To Josh, With Love" when she shows up to church to confront Josh. Still understandably angry about him leaving her at the altar in the season 2 finale, Rebecca dons her wedding dress and goes into a rage, divulging all of the ways she manipulated Josh and invaded his privacy from the moment she met him in New York.
Horrifying Josh, the congregation, and even herself, this song perfectly captures the explosions of anger that can sometimes feel impossible to control for many diagnosed with BPD.
Unclear Or Shifting Self-Image: Feelin' Kinda Naughty
"Feelin' Kinda Naughty" is the creepy girl crush anthem fans have always deserved. This is for every fan that's ever thought to themselves: "do I want to date her or do I want to be her?" At a nightclub, with love interest Josh Chan and his girlfriend Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz), Rebecca switches wildly between admiring Valencia's beauty in 'wholesome' and 'sweet' ways, like having a pillow fight or going skinny dipping, and thoughts of violent admiration, in lines that include killing her and wearing her skin like a dress.
Rebecca's obsession with Valencia is rooted in her insecure sense of self and the need to feel that she is as beautiful, desirable, and generally valid as she finds Valencia, and it was an early clue at her late series diagnosis. Despite the jarring imagery in the lyrics, "Feelin' Kinda Naughty" is actually a hilarious and upbeat track and features an overwhelmingly soft and feminine music video, reinforcing the idea that this kind of admiration-jealousy is natural (which for many, it is).