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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Jessica Jones

Samuel S. Andrade

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

PSY 341: Abnormal Psychology

Janell Mihelic, Ph.D.

May 3, 2020
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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Jessica Jones

The Netflix show Jessica Jones is based on a private detective, Jessica Jones, who has

superhuman strength. The plot follows her and her run-ins with evil. In the show, Jones spends a

period of her life with the main antagonist, Kilgrave. Kilgrave has the ability of mind-control.

During her time with Kilgrave, Jones was subject to his every will. She was forced to be at his

side for months, have sex with him, and kill an innocent woman. The show has its fair share of

action which is typical of superhero entertainment. However, the viewer gets to see Jessica alone

as she struggles with her posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD. She has many flashbacks in the

show. She will be working a case when she hears Kilgrave whispering in her ear. In another

instance, she relives the time where Kilgrave forced her to push a woman in front of a bus. She

also has frequent nightmares about Kilgrave. She is jumpy and irritable at times, especially when

someone brings up her trauma. Further, Jones has trouble investing in other characters and being

vulnerable. She is cautious and always very aware of her surroundings which contributes to her

general distrust of people. The show depicts Jones’ coping mechanisms as well. She attended

therapy briefly but stopped because she did not see the point of it. She prefers not to talk about

her issues and repeatedly uses alcohol for temporary relief from her problems.

Jones meets all the DSM-5 criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder whether her

symptoms are displayed explicitly or implied. The first DSM-5 criterion is an experience with or

exposure to trauma. Jessica has obviously experienced trauma as she had a complete loss of will

power with Kilgrave, was raped, and was in a car accident that killed her whole family.

Posttraumatic stress disorder would not be possible without the trauma, and almost all PTSD

portrayals in TV meet this first criterion. The second criterion that the DSM-5 provides is the

presence of an “intrusive symptom” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The DSM-5 lists
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several symptoms deemed intrusive which include nightmares, flashbacks, dissociation,

distressing memories, and physiological reactions to a reminder of the event. As discussed

previously, Jones has nightmares, flashbacks, and distressing memories of her trauma. These

symptoms manifest unexpectedly and always leave Jones in distress. Another criterion for PTSD

is an avoidance of trauma-related stimuli. The show displays these symptoms both subtly and

directly. Jones repeatedly relies on alcohol as an escape from the distress. When she has a

flashback or nightmare, she often drinks in order to distance herself from the trauma. She quits

therapy and avoids discussions of the trauma when her friend inquires about the trauma. She is

also reluctant to participate in the Kilgrave support group that was started because she feels she

is above it and does not need it. Further, Jones is somewhat of a social recluse. She spends most

of her time alone and has one friend. Her isolation is indicative of her avoidant tendencies and is

partly an attempt to avoid reminders of her trauma. The fourth criterion the DSM-5 gives is

negative changes in thoughts or mood after the traumatic event. The DSM-5 lists possible

changes that a person may experience. The manual states that a person with PTSD must

experience at least two of the changes listed. Jones experiences a “persistent negative emotional

state” and a “persistent inability to experience positive emotions” (American Psychiatric

Association, 2013). Jones lives in fear most of the time, and she never seems happy. She rarely

cracks a smile and has an extremely hard time letting people into her life. She has almost no

connections with other people, but eventually lets more people into her life. The fifth criterion or

Criterion E involves the presence of arousals that arise after the trauma. Similar to the other

criteria, there is a list of symptoms that one could have. Jessica Jones exhibits hypervigilance, a

state of increased alertness, and problems sleeping. She is very aware of her surroundings and

constantly on edge. She is always weary of danger even when the situation does not suggest any.
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She is sensitive at times and has bursts of anger and outrage. Jones’ sleep is not great either

because she has nightmares which disturb her sleep. Criterion F states that the symptoms must

last longer than one month. Although the show does not mention time often, the show alludes to

a significant gap between the trauma and the first episode of the show. The viewer sees PTSD in

Jones for the first time during the first episode of the show, but her reaction does not suggest that

her symptoms are new. One can assume that Jones has dealt with these symptoms for a while.

Conversations between Jones and her friend also imply she has experienced symptoms of PTSD

for more than one month. Another criterion listed in the DSM-5 is a significant impairment of

functioning. It is apparent that Jones is not functioning as well as she would be without trauma.

The biggest indicator is her social life. She is virtually unable to form new, meaningful

relationships with people after her trauma. The show does not give viewers an insight to Jones’

social life pre-trauma, so one can not say that her social life got worse. However, her trauma

clearly impedes the development of interpersonal relationships. This is manifested in the fact that

Jones usually gets angry when others address her trauma and offer help. The last criterion is that

the symptoms must be attributed to the trauma and not a comorbid illness, disease, or problem.

The show does not suggest that Jones has any other mental illnesses. It is safe to say that her

problems are directly related to her trauma since a lot of her symptoms involve memories and

flashbacks to her traumatic experiences.

Jones meets all the criteria listed in the DSM-5. This a good indicator that the show

portrayed the illness accurately. However, an accurate representation does not mean a positive

one. A show could create a character that exhibits all the symptoms of PTSD but is severely

crippled by the disease. A character can have PTSD but be rendered ineffective from their

illness. This character might be controlled by their disorder. This method of portrayal is
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pessimistic and would only add to the stigma surrounding mental health. The creators of Jessica

Jones make sure to send a more positive message through their show. Although Jones’ life is

clearly painful and undesirable, she still manages to be a superhero and an important part of the

world. Jessica Jones undoubtedly shows the negative effects of PTSD. The show does not

glorify the disorder at all and makes Jones’ life seem tragic. However, the PTSD does not make

Jessica Jones useless. Her mission to stop Kilgrave saves millions of people whether they are

aware of it or not. Despite the horrors that riddle her life, she manages to face the world and her

trauma. This facet of the show gives people an accurate idea of life with PTSD, but also shows

that the illness is not definitive. It gives people hope. People are still able to have a positive

impact on the world despite the lasting effects of their trauma. Jones is someone who has PTSD

but is saving the world despite the extreme adversity.

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References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Posttraumatic stress disorder. In Diagnostic and

statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).

https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Marvel Television. (2015, November 20). Jessica Jones. Jessica Jones. Burbank, California.

Jessica Jones (season 1). (2020, April 24). Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Jones_(season_1)