Diagnosing Winnie the Pooh: An Internet Mystery

Have you heard the rumor that the characters from Winnie the Pooh actually represent different psychological diagnoses? We investigated the theory so you didn’t have to. Listen to hear what we found! 

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of mental illness, trauma, and PTSD.

Resources: 

Images sourced from the “Characters” page of Winniepedia, https://pooh.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Characters; and Alex Tomb’s Cove Collective article, and IDRLabs, both linked below. End credits music is the original theme from “Winnie the Pooh,” accessed through the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/tvtunes_25619. 

“A. A. Milne,” New World Encyclopedia, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/A._A._Milne.  

“A. A. Milne,” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/a-a-milne. 

Amanda Ruggeri, “A A Milne and the Curse of Pooh Bear,” BBC, January 28, 2016. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160128-a-a-milne-and-the-curse-of-pooh-bear. 

AndrewEverett360, "The Tao of Pooh," The Key Point, June 26, 2015. https://thekeypoint.org/2015/06/26/the-tao-of-pooh/. 

Alex Tomb, “Winnie-the-Pooh Explains Milne’s Post-War Struggles and Offers Comfort,” COVE Collective, February 28, 2021. https://editions.covecollective.org/content/winnie-pooh-explains-milnes-post-war-struggles-and-offers-comfort#:~:text=Milne%20was%20injured%20and%20returned,Christopher%20Robin%20Milne%2C%20in%201920.. 

Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh (Boston: Dutton Books, 1982). 

Dan Evon, “Were 'Winnie-the-Pooh' Characters Created to Represent Different Mental Disorders?” Snopes, August 21, 2018. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/winnie-the-pooh-mental-disorders/. 

Emily Mark, "Taoism," World History Encyclopedia, February 22, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/Taoism/. 

Finlay Greig, “Winnie the Pooh’s surprising mental health themes explored,” iNews, September 27, 2017. https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/winnie-the-pooh-mental-health-aa-milne-93148. 

“Is Winnie the Pooh a Metaphor for Mental Health?" Harmonia Mentis, February 11, 2020. https://www.harmoniamentis.com/society/is-winnie-the-pooh-a-metaphor-for-mental-health/. 

“Pooh Pathology Test,” IDRLabs. https://www.idrlabs.com/pooh-pathology/test.php. 

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