On Shizuku's Mind: A Psychological Analysis


Shizuku is an interesting character due to the fact one of the most important parts of the story is that, in no uncertain terms, that Shizuku was a perpetrator and Ruri her victim. An important question to ask about the story of The Summer You Were There is, I believe, what happened to Shizuku's mind that caused her to retreat into herself upon her realization of her mistreatment of Ruri and effectively ruin her own life over it. While reading the story for the first time, a possibility jumped out to me:

I believe Shizuku suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (otherwise known as OCD) - specifically a subset known as Real-Event OCD.

Real Event OCD is a subtype of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in which one ruminates over past events and what they say about the sufferer as a person. Being stuck on the past event is the obsession, and ruminating over it in an attempt to "solve" the situation or find out if they're a bad person or not is one common compulsion among others.

OCD is still widely misinterpreted by media which is why I chose to focus on it and how it frames my perception of Shizuku's struggles in the story.

NOTE: Please zoom in on this page or open the images in a new tab to read them! Apologies for being unable to make them larger.

SHIZUKU'S SYMPTOMS:

Obsession over events from her past

The entire crux of the story of The Summer You Were There is over Shizuku's suicidality due to her actions as a child. Notably she describes herself has being "dirty", a sentiment many OCD sufferers feel they are regardless of theme. This is a phenomenon known as mental contamination. She also feels she has to suffer for there to be retribution for what she'd done, hence the self-isolation and sabotaging. This also shows black-or-white thinking, something sufferers also tend to struggle with: being unable to think of the event as a thing a flawed person could do, simply as something someone would do if they were evil or immoral. The amount of time and energy Shizuku has obviously spent dwelling on her guilt is not even remotely healthy, indicating something more keeping her stuck on it and forcing her to isolate herself for all these years - in this case, REOCD.

Intrusive thoughts

Shizuku's mind often reminds her she is a 'bad person', often sending her into a spiral. These intrusive thoughts take the form of "flashbacks" to actions she did as a child or words said to her in the aftermath.

Confession

A common compulsion seen in REOCD, sufferers often feel the need to let others know they've done wrong to either receive reassurance that they have or to make people avoid being kind to them (self sabotage) -- Shizuku does the latter in the story, pouring her past actions out to Kaori.

Catastrophizing

Catastrophizing is a mental process and cognitive distortion common in those with anxiety disorders where one fixates on the worst possible outcome of a situation. Shizuku can be seen doing it many times, and in turn taking part in compulsions to prevent or avoid said worst outcome.

Panic attacks

There are several points in the story in which Shizuku is having a panic attack. These are common in people with OCD, especially when being faced with a trigger, which happens to Shizuku many times, notably when she accesses the web novel site for the final time to delete her story, and on the way to meeting with Ruri and Seri.

Low self-esteem

Shizuku struggles greatly with seeing herself or her works in any positive light at all. People with OCD notoriously have a low self esteem, being unable to trust their own memory, perception of events, opinions, and feelings. Shizuku falls into many of these categories, having a difficult time being honest with and trusting Kaori due to her own self hatred, and often degrading herself.

Suicidal ideation and Comorbidity

36% of people with OCD report struggling with suicidal thoughts. 11% report attempting suicide. The average age of death of those with OCD is 69, as opposed to their counterparts who live to about 78. Studies suggest that Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder are very commonly comorbid with the condition, both of which Shizuku cooud be argued as having.