Joined the group just to say my teen daughter is absolutely in love with the show…as soon as she finishes it she starts it again. Admittedly she tried to get me to watch it this past week but with Thanksgiving and a busy life I didn’t really have time to watch much. She struggles with self harm and depressive moods, we are trying to get her help she’s in therapy and on some meds we are trying for mood stabilizing as well as ADHD. I’m just curious as someone who really doesn’t know that much about the show is she trying to tell me something? Is it something to worry about or is it cathartic? She literally watches is it over and over and in most of her spare time.
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watch it.
i started watching Bojack Horseman when I was about 14 and quickly got obsessed. the portrayals of family dynamics, mental health, addiction and more hit so hard for me. as of right now, I have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and have spent literal years in therapy trying to get better. I was constantly getting hospitalized for mental health reasons when I first started watching too. the reason I was so obsessed with it was because I saw myself being portrayed, I decided to put in effort to get better after I finished the last season. to be fair, it’s an incredibly depressing show at times. overdose, addiction, abuse and so many more disturbing things are mixed into a show that on that outside is a comedy with animated animals. If I was you I would watch it not just because it’s an amazing piece of media but I think it could really help you understand your kid
In general, if your child is obsessing over something, it behooves you as the parent to investigate it. Which is why you’re here, so good on you. :D
Her fascination with the show may be completely unrelated to her troubles, it may be her reaching out. You won’t know either way until you look into it. All we as the fandom can really do is let you know that the show deals with the issues your daughter is facing, so there is a distinct possibility for that connection. The rest is up to you.
I definitely think watching it with her and discussing it with her would be a smart move. Maybe even come to a friendly agreement that she won’t watch it unless you’re there to ease her off a bit. It seems likely that she relates to a lot of the characters on the show and finds comfort in seeing people go through similar emotions as her.
Talk.to.her. I hate to make assumptions, but she’s most likely really struggling; a common trend with myself and other people I know who watch it tend to rewatch it most when they’re very depressed. The character Diane brings me a lottttt comfort and validation (I’m sure your daughter would be able to explain exactly what I mean by that, and that may help pick at her brain how she’d feeling). It’s not that the show brings you to a dark place necessarily, but it helps get through particularly bad mental health periods/episodes.
Watching the show will give you a lot of insight on how she’s feeling, 100%
When I was in a really dark place I watched the show on repeat. Theres a lot of joyful moments in between the painful ones, and some great blink-and-you’ll-miss jokes. Watch it together. Best case she will be able to point to some scenes and say “I really identify with that.” Worst case you’ll enjoy an entertaining show.
Edited to add that the main theme of the show is that you keep on living and getting better but it’s not easy. You can’t skip to the end of healing, and you have to do the work. One of the best quotes in the show:
“Life sucks and then you die.”
“I think life sucks and you go on living.”
I appreciate all of these responses, they have been really helpful. It was really just that night I couldn’t do it or comprehend it. I told her last night I want to sit down and watch it with her and possibly talk about it if she’d like. Thank you again!