Breaking Bad’s Walter White: A Lesson on Mental Illness and Personal Choice

The popular TV series Breaking Bad is now in its final season, and fans are eagerly waiting to see the fate of its main characters, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. The show tells the story of a high school chemistry teacher, Walter White, who, after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, turns to making crystal meth to provide for his family after he dies. Throughout the series, we see how the stress and pressure of his situation push him to do more and more terrible things. Creator Vince Gilligan has described the show as a character study of Walter White’s transformation from “Mr. Chips into Scarface.”

Watching Walter White’s descent into darkness raises questions about the nature of mental illness and personal choice. Could anyone become like Walter under the right circumstances? Are there common threads that link the triggers and causes of mental illness with Walter’s story? This article explores these questions and offers some tips on how to deal with mental illness.

Biological Vulnerability
Just as some people are biologically vulnerable to physical illnesses such as cancer or diabetes, some are also vulnerable to mental illnesses such as depressive disorders, schizophrenia, or anxiety disorders. This vulnerability can be caused by genetics, prenatal nutrition, stress vulnerability, and early childhood experiences. While we don’t know exactly what caused Walter White’s mental illness – if he even had one – we can see how biological vulnerability might have played a role in his story.

Stress Vulnerability
Stress can worsen biological vulnerability, and is defined as anything that challenges a person’s ability to cope. When stress occurs for prolonged periods of time, our resistance becomes weakened, and we are sometimes pushed into despair or even suicide. Walter White was physically stressed about how his family would survive after he died, which led him to take drastic actions to cope with his fears about his family’s well-being.

Environmental Triggers
Various life stressors can trigger mental illnesses in people who are susceptible. These stressors include death or divorce, illness, family dysfunction, neglect or abuse, substance abuse, change and loss, and social or cultural expectations. In Walter’s case, stress vulnerability, genetics, family issues, and environmental triggers all played a part in causing stress overload, which pushed him to make awful choices.

What Can We Learn from Walter White’s Story?
People who struggle with mental illness don’t have a choice about their condition, but they do have a choice about getting help. Some of the things they can do to cope with life more adaptively than Walter did include:

Get a Diagnosis
See a qualified therapist, psychiatrist, or family doctor to get to the root of the problem. You can’t treat what you don’t understand, and you can’t develop a game plan if you don’t know what you’re dealing with.

Increase Resiliency to Stress
Be intentional about finding ways to relax and de-stress. Practice deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and exercise regularly. Manage your time wisely. Learn to say no. Talk to a trained therapist about what’s going on inside; talk therapy helps relieve stress.

Get Support
Support is critical. Spend time with people who care about you. Talk about how you feel to a trusted family member or friend. Don’t keep secrets. Join a support group.

Pay it Forward
Invest yourself in meaningful activities. Find someone else to help or focus on. Just because you have problems doesn’t mean your life is over. Find someone or something that gives you a sense of meaning and purpose.

See a Doctor
So many people who struggle with mental health disorders suffer alone. That’s because fear, shame, and the unknown keep them from seeking the help they need. Mental health disorders are treatable; medications can help. See a psychiatrist if you or someone you love is having problems that don’t seem to get better.

Conclusion
Breaking Bad has become a landmark TV series, and Walter White will forever be remembered as one of the most complex and fascinating characters in television history. Watching his story unfold, we can see how stress, genetics, and environmental triggers can lead a person down a dark path. However, personal choice and the decision to seek help can also make a difference. As we wait for the show’s finale, we can use Walter’s story as a lesson in mental illness and personal choice – and work to create a better future for ourselves and those we love.