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Most people know Netflix’s “Big Mouth” (2017-) as a raunchy animated comedy about kids going through puberty. However, this show tackles real issues that teens and adults alike experience, including mental illness. The main characters, Jessi, Andrew, and Nick, are visited by various creatures throughout the show representing mental illnesses, specifically, the Depression Kitty and Tito the Anxiety Mosquito.
Big Mouth. 2017-Present. Netflix Entertainment.
The way this show chose to depict mental health struggles is unorthodox, to say the least, and yet its personification of mental illness feels relatable.
Jessi And The Depression Kitty
Jessi’s struggle with depression begins in season one. In this season, Jessi begins puberty, and her parents experience marital problems, eventually separating. Her parents’ strained relationship weighs on Jessi the entire season and comes to a head at her Bat Mitzvah in episode nine. Jessi realizes her parents’ marriage is over. According to Stanford Children’s Health, stress at home can be a cause of depression in children and teens. Additionally, Jessi copes with her depression in unhealthy ways in seasons one and two. In season one, episode eight, Jessi tries to self-medicate her emotions by drinking, a common coping mechanism in teens struggling with depression.
Two episodes later, Jessi literally runs away from her problems at home with Jay, a member of the friend group and, at the time, Jessi’s romantic interest. In season two, Jessi begins shoplifting and steals drugs from her father. This leads her mother to kick her father out. Jessi blames herself for hammering in the final nail in the coffin for her parents’ marriage. She experiences intense shame and guilt as a result, which is a common feeling among people with depression, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). In season two, episode nine, we learn that Jessi has lost interest in her hobbies and school activities; again, this is common in those with depression.
By the end of season two, Jessi is formally introduced to the Depression Kitty. The Depression Kitty is an oppressive, suffocating presence in Jessi’s life. Like actual depression, The Depression Kitty causes Jessi to become an insomniac, lethargic, and of course, sad. Pressure in academics can also be a trigger for depression. Jessi experiences this trigger in Season Three as her mom pressures her to do well on the “ASSes,” an important standardized test.
Again, Jessi turns to drugs to cope. She takes Adderall in the hopes that she will succeed on the test but ends up experiencing intense anxiety. This sets up Jessi’s struggle with anxiety and depression in season four. When Jessi moves to the city, she feels inadequate at her new school. Her classmates are all knowledgeable and successful, and Tito the Anxiety Mosquito arrives to point out how much of a failure Jessi is.
In episode four, Tito encourages Jessi to hyper-fixate on her friends’ social media accounts; she thinks they are doing well without her. This is when Jessi finds out that the Depression Kitty and Tito work together, just as depression and anxiety often go hand-in-hand. Jessi’s mental health journey displays a positive view of mental health issues. By the end of the last season, Jessi realizes that she needs help and agrees to go to therapy. The Gratitoad helps Jessi learn healthy coping mechanisms, like practicing gratitude. Over time, Jessi is able to “shrink the kitty” and manage her depression.
Andrew And OCD
Andrew Glauberman has struggled with sexually intrusive thoughts since the first episode of the first season. Maury the Hormone Monster intrudes on Andrew’s health class and eggs on his sexual urges. Of course, puberty is the main reason for this. However, in season four, we learn that Andrew struggles with what appears to be a form of anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
According to the ADAA, people with OCD experience obsessions or intrusive thoughts causing anxiety. Compulsions are the rituals these people perform in order to ease their anxiety and suppress intrusive thoughts. Additionally, OCD often goes hand-in-hand with anxiety. Therefore, these symptoms apply to Andrew in a number of ways. Andrew holds the intrusive belief that if he does not perform his self-completion ritual exactly the same each time he performs it, something terrible will happen. This “obsession” is reinforced when he breaks from his ritual in episode seven, and immediately afterward, his grandfather dies. At this point, Tito the Anxiety Mosquito visits Andrew, feeding him intrusive thoughts like, “you killed your grandpa.”
In episode eight, Andrew’s mom explains that he did not kill his grandfather by breaking his ritual. He accepts this, but only because she explained how random death actually is, and Andrew’s anxiety reaches a new level. Andrew begins anticipating death around every corner and is overwhelmed by fear. He hyperventilates and sweats profusely. In Episode Nine, Andrew hallucinates an array of possible death scenarios. These are all symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, according to the ADAA. Andrew gets through his bouts of anxiety by controlling his breathing, something Missy, one of the show’s main characters and Andrew’s ex-girlfriend, taught him.
Nick And Tito The Anxiety Mosquito
Nick’s mental health struggles throughout season four are a representation of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Tito the Anxiety Mosquito is introduced through Nick at camp. Nick’s anxiety was first triggered by losing Andrew as a friend and his fear of being alone. Tito constantly bites Nick and tells him he is a loser and that he is going to die alone. His anxiety is temporarily relieved when he makes up with Andrew but comes back full force when he loses Jessi. When Tito is around, Nick’s heart rate becomes rapid, he sweats, and he hyperventilates. Additionally, the entire sixth episode is a disaster scenario that Nick imagines after his fight with Jessi. This is an example of anticipating disaster and feelings of impending doom. These are all common symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, according to the ADAA.
Nick learns to ease his anxiety with support and strategies from Jessi, Andrew, and Missy. Andrew teaches Nick to control his breathing when he is feeling anxious; Jessi teaches him how to practice gratitude, and Missy tells him to accept all parts of himself. With their help, he is able to shrink Tito just as Jessi shrinks the kitty.
Relatability In ‘Big Mouth’ (2017-)
“Big Mouth” successfully personifies mental illness in a light-hearted yet accurate way. Since the show is animated, it can break down and simplify the symptoms of mental illnesses and personify them in a relatable way to anyone who has struggled with them. Anyone who has experienced these illnesses will find at least one aspect of the Depression Kitty or Tito that resonates with their experience. This show approaches mental illness in a way that does not alienate people with these illnesses. Instead, it represents their experience in a way that others can relate to and understand as well. This show makes them feel seen and understood, something not seen often in comedic media.