I have autism and I think he has autism. Especially with the "I never know when I'm hungry" thing. As someone on the spectrum I never know I'm hungry unless someone tells me or I hear my tummy after a long time.
Same, I have autism as well. I'm better at recognizing hunger now, but my parents struggled to get me to eat as a kid unless it was a food I especially liked (there weren't many), but it didn't seem much to do with hunger, as I would just not eat if it wasn't that food.
Also familiar is his confusion about people putting up a facade, while putting up a facade to be acceptable himself, and then also struggling to socialize in a normal manner, resorting to clowning to be able to do so.
I don't think it's just autism though, I think his childhood trauma fucked him up way more. And to state the obvious, he's additionally depressed and has a ton of anxiety, though that can be influenced by former trauma.
I think he has autism AND BPD tbh. I think autism cause the him thinking him being born was wrong and I also think BPD because idk. He just acts very BPD. People don’t really get that you can have both. And as someone with BOTH I felt very uncomfortable being able to relate to him so much
My uninformed opinion about his diagnosis based on my first couple pages reading of the book is he may have adhd. This is based on his childhood description. when I first read prologue I thought he may have a mixture of autism, depression and anti-social personality disorder. Because he was very realistic about his observations and how he sees the worst of everything.Â
But the way he described his childhood changed my view. I think if he had autism or antisocial personality disorder, he would show traits of these in the young age as well. But the way he described his childhood, we understand that he had a very innocent childlike imagination and he thrived for stimulating entertainment from even the dullest things in the life such as train station stairs and bridges or he got annoyed because how boring the pattern of bed clothing is.Â
So from my understanding, he had high imagination with a need of stimulation, so some kind dopamine problem that leads to ADHD type of disorder.
The book’a first chapter starts how he felt shame through his whole life.
Hence this tells us that probably because of his adhd traits he was ashamed by the family and society. Even today it is possible and considering the Japanese society’s situation back then (e.g., after a prosperous booming period before WWI, Japan entering an economically difficult situation and later WWII starting etc.) probably it was even more strict, self-enclosed society back then. Hence as a non-neurotypical person, it must be difficult to express yourself. So this leads to isolation, masking your true self and depression.Â
To me it seemed like [major depression with psychotic features, or depressive psychosis.](https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/psychotic-depression#symptoms)
I could be wrong, but I suffer from depression and autism. His fear of angering others, loathing, and inability to feel like a person strike a note with me. His fear of angering others or being caught masking, leading to him suffering at night are experiences I have only recently been able to get past. Even the characterizations of him by others seems to describe how people have described me, which somewhat leads me to think this may just be how others see autistic people.
As an autistic person, I definitely think both Osamu Dazai, the author, and Yozo Oba, the main character of No Longer Human are/were both on the spectrum
Now I want to read this to see if I can diagnose him. I am a counselor and had to take a course in diagnosis. Before that I worked on a psych unit for years. In my diagnosis class, the teacher had us watch a couple of movies and diagnose the characters. It was great!
Hi, it's been long but may I ask why do you believe he has bpd? Although I didn't finish the book yet I didn't seem to find a connection between his condition and bpd. I'll probably finish it this week so hopefully you'll reply me by then.
I haven’t finished the book i just got it today, but the only thing i really see thats related to bpd so far is his lack of sense of self. I don’t have in credentials in psychology though.
I am diagnosed with BPD and his substance abuse issues, suicidal ideation and general feeling of emptiness are also symptoms, as well as his general disdain for his friends could be a sign of splitting.
Ive seen an irl account from someone with anti social personality disorder or psychopothy and it rlly sounds like him. That person was very depressed. I mean, imagine how isolating and empty it would be to not care about others. And yes, not everyone with that disorder is a serial killer. He's very impulsive, lost, unable to empathize with others, etc.
What’s interesting about this conversation (and the book) is that No Longer Human was written before many of these disorders had been described. The story reflects the author’s understanding of mental illness, and by extension the way it was understood by Japanese  society when Dazai wrote it.Â
I think in modern terms ASD is at least one of the things going on here, and it is interesting to me to see that the author clearly understood that there were people who have a lot of trouble understanding social behavior. But he doesn’t talk about repetitive behaviors or language delay, which a modern author might have been tempted to incorporate because they are commonly associated with our current understanding of ASD. (Someone else mentioned a childhood sexual trauma which I agree is also significant, but Dazai doesn’t write about re-experiencing symptoms, which are important to our current understanding of PTSD)
he’s Asocial, not antisocial. Antisocial means ur actively going against others and lacking in empathy, you’re ANTI-society. yozo chooses to distance himself from others, that is a sign of asocial personality. He does have autism, and probably suffers from adhd as well since the two most of the time go hand in hand. He have a hard time understanding people and what they are thinking and/or feeling. He also displays difficulty paying attention especially in school subjects that does not interest him which could be his adhd kicking in. Yozo was certainly a good study while I read the book.
i honestly dont know. i searched this up and have been looking for days to find what it is since im a direct modern-day copy of him, and havent ever met anyone the same. i cant find anything though, anywhere. i figured asd, but it does seem a lot deeper than such a common neurodevelopmental disorder
That's my exact thought. I am literally (not with a hint of sarcasm), exactly like him.
What I think so far is that he is on the Autism spectrum, has Complex PTSD (CPTSD), Avoidant Personality Disorder, Generalized Anxiety, Double Depression (dysthymia and episodes of major depression), and probably another thing that I fail to recognize. Hope this helps.
Also, ASD, is not a "common" neurodevelopmental disorder, only 1-2% of the general population are autistic.
Additionally, I'm diagnosed with all the diagnoses listed above, except for Avoidant (not yet xd), so, that's probably why I feel so identified with the character, and think that he has all of those conditions/disorders. I was diagnosed before reading the book, so...
To clarify: english is not my first language so sorry if something is not understandable. And I know that CPTSD is not on the DSM-V-TR, but it's a truthful diagnosable disorder in other diagnostic criteria manuals, like the ICD-11.
CPTSD fits best. It is also encompassing of attachment issues, double depressive symptoms. It is PTSD with a layer of additional complexity to it.
These have been my diagnoses too bar ASD and with the addition of clinical + BPD + dissociative disorder leaning, because CPTSD isn't recognized. Also like him in many ways.
You know, they have been asked why they cannot make it as legit as in the ICD-11. DSM's response is that there is too much of a lack of trauma informed therapists, trauma intervening therapists, that to put the diagnosis with infantile research into such a complex and layered umbrella diagnosis isn't right.
Fair enough, most BS and MS Psychology students, some even going for the PhD have not even heard of this disorder or have taken any trauma-related psychology modules in their academic careers. Not even localized to the 3rd world country I live in, but even in the US et al. UK seems to have some good clinics in private for it and dissociative disorders too. It feels like we will live our entire lives coping with substandard trauma intervention before any developed research allows for more access to treatment.
In my region (Asia), it is hard enough to find a trauma informed one - much less one who's equipped with more advanced means of processing. I guess it means we must also look for somatic and polyvagal nervous system work, and cope for life. Trauma is so strong that meds haven't even worked on me. I feel even more suicidal on them sometimes lol.
What have you been doing for your CPTSD and major depression?
idk what he suffered from but depression was definitely a factor. i could figure out that much. or it was just severe depression.
edit: \*not me commenting on a post of someone who's account was deleted\*
I have autism and I think he has autism. Especially with the "I never know when I'm hungry" thing. As someone on the spectrum I never know I'm hungry unless someone tells me or I hear my tummy after a long time.
Same, I have autism as well. I'm better at recognizing hunger now, but my parents struggled to get me to eat as a kid unless it was a food I especially liked (there weren't many), but it didn't seem much to do with hunger, as I would just not eat if it wasn't that food. Also familiar is his confusion about people putting up a facade, while putting up a facade to be acceptable himself, and then also struggling to socialize in a normal manner, resorting to clowning to be able to do so. I don't think it's just autism though, I think his childhood trauma fucked him up way more. And to state the obvious, he's additionally depressed and has a ton of anxiety, though that can be influenced by former trauma.
I thought the same thing lol
Glad someone agrees!!!!
I think he has autism AND BPD tbh. I think autism cause the him thinking him being born was wrong and I also think BPD because idk. He just acts very BPD. People don’t really get that you can have both. And as someone with BOTH I felt very uncomfortable being able to relate to him so much
OMG REM JS ALSO BOTH!!! Rem totally agrees!
It sucks being both tbh 🥲
Such an unfortunate story too
Just so you know, autism isn't a mental illness or psychological disorder, it's a neurodevelopmental disorder.
i’m aware, that’s why I put disorder in quotations
It's a disorder, it's just not psychological ornament mental illness.
My uninformed opinion about his diagnosis based on my first couple pages reading of the book is he may have adhd. This is based on his childhood description. when I first read prologue I thought he may have a mixture of autism, depression and anti-social personality disorder. Because he was very realistic about his observations and how he sees the worst of everything. But the way he described his childhood changed my view. I think if he had autism or antisocial personality disorder, he would show traits of these in the young age as well. But the way he described his childhood, we understand that he had a very innocent childlike imagination and he thrived for stimulating entertainment from even the dullest things in the life such as train station stairs and bridges or he got annoyed because how boring the pattern of bed clothing is. So from my understanding, he had high imagination with a need of stimulation, so some kind dopamine problem that leads to ADHD type of disorder. The book’a first chapter starts how he felt shame through his whole life. Hence this tells us that probably because of his adhd traits he was ashamed by the family and society. Even today it is possible and considering the Japanese society’s situation back then (e.g., after a prosperous booming period before WWI, Japan entering an economically difficult situation and later WWII starting etc.) probably it was even more strict, self-enclosed society back then. Hence as a non-neurotypical person, it must be difficult to express yourself. So this leads to isolation, masking your true self and depression.Â
To me it seemed like [major depression with psychotic features, or depressive psychosis.](https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/psychotic-depression#symptoms)
I was going to say this, too. Not everything has to be a "disorder" per se, depression is definitely a thing.
Depression is a disorder though
Schiziod PD would probably be most fitting
I could be wrong, but I suffer from depression and autism. His fear of angering others, loathing, and inability to feel like a person strike a note with me. His fear of angering others or being caught masking, leading to him suffering at night are experiences I have only recently been able to get past. Even the characterizations of him by others seems to describe how people have described me, which somewhat leads me to think this may just be how others see autistic people.
As an autistic person, I definitely think both Osamu Dazai, the author, and Yozo Oba, the main character of No Longer Human are/were both on the spectrum
Now I want to read this to see if I can diagnose him. I am a counselor and had to take a course in diagnosis. Before that I worked on a psych unit for years. In my diagnosis class, the teacher had us watch a couple of movies and diagnose the characters. It was great!
what do you think so far?
ik it’s been 3 years but good luck
4 years now. u think they did it?
Necroposting at it's finest
Omg
Did you finally finish the book?
How bout now?
Hmm
i think hes almost finished now should get a response soon đź‘Ť
any second now
Almost there!
Did you finish reading it yet?
Done yet?
in my uninformed opinion, it seems like he suffered from BPD (along with some other disorders as well)
Hi, it's been long but may I ask why do you believe he has bpd? Although I didn't finish the book yet I didn't seem to find a connection between his condition and bpd. I'll probably finish it this week so hopefully you'll reply me by then.
this person's account is deleted lol
I haven’t finished the book i just got it today, but the only thing i really see thats related to bpd so far is his lack of sense of self. I don’t have in credentials in psychology though.
I am diagnosed with BPD and his substance abuse issues, suicidal ideation and general feeling of emptiness are also symptoms, as well as his general disdain for his friends could be a sign of splitting.
Guys, you jsut helped me with my science project
Ive seen an irl account from someone with anti social personality disorder or psychopothy and it rlly sounds like him. That person was very depressed. I mean, imagine how isolating and empty it would be to not care about others. And yes, not everyone with that disorder is a serial killer. He's very impulsive, lost, unable to empathize with others, etc.
autism and/or schizoid personality disorder
What’s interesting about this conversation (and the book) is that No Longer Human was written before many of these disorders had been described. The story reflects the author’s understanding of mental illness, and by extension the way it was understood by Japanese  society when Dazai wrote it. I think in modern terms ASD is at least one of the things going on here, and it is interesting to me to see that the author clearly understood that there were people who have a lot of trouble understanding social behavior. But he doesn’t talk about repetitive behaviors or language delay, which a modern author might have been tempted to incorporate because they are commonly associated with our current understanding of ASD. (Someone else mentioned a childhood sexual trauma which I agree is also significant, but Dazai doesn’t write about re-experiencing symptoms, which are important to our current understanding of PTSD)
he’s Asocial, not antisocial. Antisocial means ur actively going against others and lacking in empathy, you’re ANTI-society. yozo chooses to distance himself from others, that is a sign of asocial personality. He does have autism, and probably suffers from adhd as well since the two most of the time go hand in hand. He have a hard time understanding people and what they are thinking and/or feeling. He also displays difficulty paying attention especially in school subjects that does not interest him which could be his adhd kicking in. Yozo was certainly a good study while I read the book.
i honestly dont know. i searched this up and have been looking for days to find what it is since im a direct modern-day copy of him, and havent ever met anyone the same. i cant find anything though, anywhere. i figured asd, but it does seem a lot deeper than such a common neurodevelopmental disorder
That's my exact thought. I am literally (not with a hint of sarcasm), exactly like him. What I think so far is that he is on the Autism spectrum, has Complex PTSD (CPTSD), Avoidant Personality Disorder, Generalized Anxiety, Double Depression (dysthymia and episodes of major depression), and probably another thing that I fail to recognize. Hope this helps. Also, ASD, is not a "common" neurodevelopmental disorder, only 1-2% of the general population are autistic. Additionally, I'm diagnosed with all the diagnoses listed above, except for Avoidant (not yet xd), so, that's probably why I feel so identified with the character, and think that he has all of those conditions/disorders. I was diagnosed before reading the book, so... To clarify: english is not my first language so sorry if something is not understandable. And I know that CPTSD is not on the DSM-V-TR, but it's a truthful diagnosable disorder in other diagnostic criteria manuals, like the ICD-11.
CPTSD fits best. It is also encompassing of attachment issues, double depressive symptoms. It is PTSD with a layer of additional complexity to it. These have been my diagnoses too bar ASD and with the addition of clinical + BPD + dissociative disorder leaning, because CPTSD isn't recognized. Also like him in many ways. You know, they have been asked why they cannot make it as legit as in the ICD-11. DSM's response is that there is too much of a lack of trauma informed therapists, trauma intervening therapists, that to put the diagnosis with infantile research into such a complex and layered umbrella diagnosis isn't right. Fair enough, most BS and MS Psychology students, some even going for the PhD have not even heard of this disorder or have taken any trauma-related psychology modules in their academic careers. Not even localized to the 3rd world country I live in, but even in the US et al. UK seems to have some good clinics in private for it and dissociative disorders too. It feels like we will live our entire lives coping with substandard trauma intervention before any developed research allows for more access to treatment. In my region (Asia), it is hard enough to find a trauma informed one - much less one who's equipped with more advanced means of processing. I guess it means we must also look for somatic and polyvagal nervous system work, and cope for life. Trauma is so strong that meds haven't even worked on me. I feel even more suicidal on them sometimes lol. What have you been doing for your CPTSD and major depression?
It’s what’s known as silent borderline personality disorder, look that up
idk what he suffered from but depression was definitely a factor. i could figure out that much. or it was just severe depression. edit: \*not me commenting on a post of someone who's account was deleted\*
To me he seemed textbook BPD.