Dr. Link: Diagnosis of Characters #1

drlinkA lot of the characters in the Zelda series have some very odd quirks about them. Some not as severe as others but all characters have some odd thing about them. So I am starting a new weekly feature that will take a look at characters in the series, their habits and quirks, and then diagnose them with what disorder or illness they may have. Many of the quirks that characters have parallels with the symptoms of different illnesses or disorders that are real, and each character is different from the others. Hit the jump to see the first patient’s profile.

Welcome to the office of Dr. Link, the digital doctor of mental and psychological disorders for characters in the Zelda series. Today we have our first patient, Guru Guru who is experiencing some trouble. Guru Guru is the happy person that plays the music box in both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. He is found in the Windmill Hut playing the song of storms in Ocarina of Time, and found playing the same song in the Laundry Pool in Majora’s Mask. He loves to tell stories about his past and will tell anyone who asks him. He has some issues with his sleeping patterns and his history, but what disorders could be causing these problems? Let’s take a look.

guruPatient Name: Guru Guru
Residence: Windmill Hut (Ocarina of Time), Laundry Pool (Majora’s Mask)
Symptoms: Guru Guru has severe moods swings when telling stories of his past. In Ocarina of Time he tells the story of a young man coming in and playing a song that made the windmill spin faster. He is happy at first, and then switches to angry when talking about the speed going faster. In Majora’s Mask he tells the story of the mask he stole from the leader of his club. He is happy talking about being involved, then switching to jealousy while talking about the mask, a few seconds later he is angry when he tells of stealing the mask, and then has remorse right before he gives Link the mask.

He also has a difficult time sleeping. In Ocarina of Time he is found awake in the windmill hut both day and night, he doesn’t ever take a break. In Majora’s Mask he is found awake during the day in the hotel, and night is found awake at the Laundry pool, again, he is never asleep.

Lastly, he sticks to a very strict routine and hates change. In Ocarina of Time he is playing the same song day and night at a very consistent speed. And when Link speeds up the windmill, Guru Guru has a panic attack. In Majora’s Mask he keeps to a very strict schedule. He is in the hotel at a very specific time, and night he in the same spot in the laundry pool playing the same song every day, and starts and stops at very specific times.

Diagnosis:

  • Cyclothymia: a mental state characterized by marked swings of mood caused by current or past events. This is evidenced by his major mood swings while he is telling stories. When he talks about an event he will quickly change his emotion to match the event.
  • Insomnia: trouble falling asleep or staying asleep through the night. Sleeping is not something that Guru Guru can do. He cannot sleep, so he spends his time doing other things, such as playing music and telling stories.
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations, or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something. This is why he is so routine. Why he has to do things at very specific times in very specific ways. This also explains why he panics when he loses control of something he has had control of in the past, such as the the rotation speed of the Windmill Hut.

There it is, this first diagnosis of Dr. Link. Let me know what you think and who the next patient should be.

Comments
Sorted Under: Ocarina of Time
Tagged With: , , ,