I may have been the only person to have thought of this, but from what we see in DSOD, I've come to the conclusion that Seto Kaiba may have schizophrenia. For those of you who don't know what Schizophrenia is, it's a severe mental/behavioral disorder that affects how someone with the disease thinks, feels, and acts. Due to frequent cases of trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy, many people in the Winnie the Pooh fandom believe that Christopher Robin's character is portrayed as schizophrenic. (That's how I wound up researching for this theory)
With WebMD as my source, I've compiled a list of symptoms of Schizophrenia that Kaiba shows and doesn't show. Let's start with the "positive" symptoms.
Hallucinations: Semi-accurate
-WebMD desc.: They might hear, see, smell(?), and feel things no one else does. Most often, they'll hear voices in their heads. These might tell them what to do, warn them of danger, or say mean things to them. The voices might talk to each other.
-Theory support: Some symptoms are labeled, "Semi-accurate" because the movie doesn't provide enough detail to back them up, but there is still evidence of the symptom being present. What I take from this is the so-called voice in Kaiba's head being either Atem himself, teasing Kaiba from the Afterlife, or Priest Seto, telling Kaiba what he has to do in order to Duel his rival again. Priest Seto is more likely, based off how Kaiba is able to repel the Plana. "No one orders around Seto Kaiba!" Except that little voice in his head that warned him of Aigami...
Delusions: ACCURATE
-WebMD desc.: These are beliefs that seem strange to most people and are easy to prove wrong. ......They might believe they're someone else.
-Theory support: The part about believing they're someone else is what really stood out to me and is the main reason "accurate" is completely capitalized here. The speech scene has all the evidence needed.
Confused thoughts and speech: Inaccurate
-WebMD desc.: People with schizophrenia can have a hard time organizing their thoughts. They might not follow along when you talk to them. Instead, it might seem like they're zoning out or distracted. When they talk, their words come out jumbled and do not make sense.
-Inaccuracy: A symptom like this is either plain and obvious or not there at all. Kaiba's dialogue sounds completely professional (like it should, but I'd hate to say anything positive about him). The zoning out part is just how he is. He never pays attention when anyone talks to him.
Trouble concentrating: Accurate
-WebMD desc.: For example, someone might lose track of what's going on in a TV show as they're watching.
-Theory support: At first, it was just a random scenario that went off the example. But after I thought about it, it still is accurate. In the show, we see plenty of instances where Kaiba is busy with work only to be interrupted by- put simply- something to do with the current arc's storyline, and then turn his attention to that. However, in The Dark Side of Dimensions, we never see him actually working. He's focused hardcore on getting the Pharaoh back, and from what we see, wouldn't be able to concentrate if he was trying to do actual work.
Different movements: Inaccurate
-WebMD desc.: Some people with schizophrenia can seem jumpy. Sometimes, they'll make the same movements over and over again. But sometimes, they might be perfectly still for hours at a stretch, which experts call being catatonic. Contrary to popular belief, people with the disease usually aren't violent.
-Inaccuracy: I think this one is pretty self-explanitory. And before I move on to the "negative" symptoms, over-the-top anime poses are NOT being counted. I'm using DSOD as a reference as to why I think Kaiba may be schizophrenic. Any other references or details that may prove this symptom accurate, but are not observed in official/canon media will NOT be counted.
Emotionless: Semi-accurate
-WebMD desc.: A person with schizophrenia might not talk much or show any feelings. And when they talk, they're voice can sound flat, like they have no emotions.
-Theory support: Yeah, sure, he's shown emotion every now and again in the series, but throughout the entire movie, Eric Stuart did make Kaiba's voice a little flat... But that could be just me.
Withdrawal: Accurate
-WebMD desc.: Someone who has the condition might stop making plans with you or become a hermit. Talking with them can feel like pulling teeth: If you want an answer, you really have to work to pry it out of them.
-Theory support: Put simply, Kaiba is so focused on getting the Pharaoh back, it's hard to even try to get his mind off it.
Struggling with the basics of daily life: Semi-accurate
-Theory support: I'm not gonna go into the WebMD description because I don't think it's necessary here. Okay, okay, it might sound like I'm basing everything off Kaiba missing Atem, but honestly, it's the movie's main plot point. This theory and even the entire movie would make zero sense without that major detail. Anyways, again, this could be just me. But Mokuba does seem a bit more worried than a sibling would about his older brother not taking care of himself due to his obsession. It's well hidden, too. The fact that one of his employees brought him a water bottle could be easily interpreted as he'd be too snobby to get it himself.
No follow-through: Inaccurate
-WebMD desc.: People with schizophrenia have trouble staying on schedule or finishing what they start. Sometimes, they can't even get started at all.
-Inaccuracy: Ever since realizing that Atem is his true rival, Kaiba's been determined to finish what he started.
"Cognitive" symptoms: Inaccurate
-WebMD desc.: Someone with schizophrenia might have a hard time with their working memory. For example, they may not be able to keep track of different kinds of facts at the same time, like a phone number plus instructions. Along with having trouble paying attention, it can be hard for them to organize their thoughts and make decisions.
-Inaccuracy: While this could be at least 1% accurate, the movie distracts us with Kaiba's obsession so much that it doesn't even begin to shed light on the possibility.
After looking back at the accuracy ratio, I then had to figure out the causes of schizophrenia and what goes into an accurate diagnosis. Here's what I came up with.
"The exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown. Research suggests that a combination of physical, genetic, psychological, and environmental factors can make a person more likely to develop the condition." - NHS.uk
"Psychological" is what really stood out to me here. So, I moved on to the section about psychological triggers.
-Stress:
The main psychological triggers of schizophrenia are stressful life events such as:
*losing your job or home
*divorce
*the end of a relationship
See that? "The end of a relationship". Not necessarily romance, rivalry could also fall into the category of "relationship". Moving on to diagnosis accuracy.
I used a schizophrenia FAQ (forgot the name of it) to figure out the minimum number of symptoms for schizophrenia to be diagnosed accurately. Upon getting my answer, I also learned that these symptoms need to be present for a certain amount of time. I came up with at least two symptoms for a six-month period.
That made me feel more relieved about the symptom accuracy ratio, but how much time passed between the Final Duel and the start of the movie? This was a bit frustrating, considering the sites kept crashing when I tried to back out, but when I got my answer, I freaked.
One year...
Edit: "Don't use WebMD to diagnose yourself" - Doctor Mike
I'm technically not diagnosing myself, but- all my research... down the drain...
