Lain’s Struggle With Identity and Reality: a Mental Health Respective 1

ADDRESSING: Lain

Serial Experiments Lain is a late 90s psychological anime series that tells the intriguing

story of its protagonist, Lain Iwakura, an enigmatic and highly-relatable teenage girl who lives in

a futuristic version of Tokyo. Through exploring her relationships with technology and virtual

reality and using Ohio University's ADDRESSING Model as a guide for analysis, we can gain

insight into how various aspects of her identity shape her experiences throughout the series. First,

characteristics like age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, and social

and economic status are not explicitly mentioned. Still, it is possible to make strong inferences

based on the setting and origins of the show. Given the character's full name, the show is

Japanese, and the aspects of the school she attends, like her uniform, it is safe to conclude Lain

is Japanese living in a relatively futuristic 1999 Tokyo, Japan. Lain is also never seen

experiencing any disability. Some layers like age and gender contribute to formulating this

unique character whose complexity makes Serial Experiments Lain entrancing. Unfortunately, it

is not directly stated how old Lain Iwakura is in the anime; still, her physical appearance and

status as a freshman high school student in Japan lead most to assume she is around 14. As for

her economic status, Lain’s family lives in a decently sized home. Her father works in tech,

allowing her to obtain elite-level technology to further her presence in “The Wired,” a world

within the internet where its users can interact with and enter one another's virtual reality. Her

father's job and the technology at her disposal imply that Lain is from a generally wealthy and

upper-middle-class status. Throughout the series, Lain's exploration of spirituality and existence

raises questions about her religious beliefs. She receives "God" messages via her computer,

prompting her to research religion, ultimately accepting that faith is a personal choice and
Lain’s Struggle With Identity and Reality: a Mental Health Respective 2

viewpoint regardless of form. Her beliefs remain ambiguous; however, she acknowledges the

power of faith for all people. Lain's gender identity is never clearly defined; however, her

investigations of her existence could be interpreted as a form of exploration into her gender. For

instance, in one episode, she finds herself in a virtual reality world where she appears

androgynous and comments that it feels more comfortable than being in her physical form. Her

sense of disconnection from others throughout the series may also hint at an internal struggle

with questions about gender identity. Lain’s sexual orientation is also unknown, although she is

seen forming a very close and intimate connection with a classmate named Alice.

Diagnosis

Throughout the show, Lain experiences a variety of psychological and emotional

disturbances, which could be linked to Dissociative Identity Disorder (F44.81). DID is a possible

diagnosis due to the trauma from supposedly receiving messages from a classmate who had

recently completed suicide, suggesting that Lain essentially ended her own life to live on in The

Wired. Or, being involved in an accident where a gunman met suicide right in front of Lain in the

middle of a club that her friends attend called ‘Cyberia,’ as trauma is a known risk factor for

DID. Additionally, there are several common symptoms seen throughout episodes, including

sensations of disconnection from her body or surroundings, seeing smoke coming directly from

her fingers without anyone else noticing, amnesia where she can't remember specific events or

experiences, alter personalities such as "the Wired Lain," the Wired lain is confident, assertive,

and technological-savvy, utterly opposite from Lain previously.

As discrepancies in Lain's identity become increasingly more apparent across episodes

like "Layer 02," "Layer 07," and "Layer 08", this further supports that it's likely she has
Lain’s Struggle With Identity and Reality: a Mental Health Respective 3

Dissociative Identity Disorder (F44.81). However, depending on what's objective within the

show, Schizophrenia might also be considered, given how complicated things get. However,

some diagnoses can not be attributed to Lain’s existence.

Differential Diagnosis

Though Lain's mood does fluctuate throughout the series, these changes do not align with

that of bipolar disorder (F31.9). She does not exhibit extreme shifts in her emotional state or

impulsiveness—two symptoms commonly associated with people living with this condition.

Lain's changing emotions are instead connected to her story and technology-driven mission; she

is searching for self-discovery and answers about the Wired while simultaneously forming

relationships with other characters. Consequently, it can be determined that her feelings are

linked to her internal journey rather than unregulated external forces, as one might expect from

someone with bipolar disorder. It's also improbable she has Borderline Personality Disorder

(BPD) (F60.3). Throughout the series, Lain's emotional distress is characterized as fluctuating

rather than extreme fluctuations associated with BPD. Additionally, although Lain occasionally

acts impulsively in certain situations, it does not result in behavior such as substance abuse or

reckless spending, which is usually a symptom of BPD. Furthermore, despite facing difficulty

establishing close relationships and feeling isolated at times, these issues do not reach the level

of severity seen among individuals with BPD when experiencing abandonment or rejection. At

the end of the series, Lain is content with utterly erasing herself from her once friend, Alice’s

life, for Alice’s benefit.

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Treatment

The best treatment for Lain would need to focus on her dissociative symptoms,

obsession, and almost dependency on The Wired, all while considering her young age. From the

canon PSX visual novel, Lain had gone through some therapy, specifically what seemed to be

talk-based therapy. The sessions were well documented and a core part of the game. Though the

relationship between Lain and her therapist went from secure to deteriorating horribly, the

therapy treatment limited to the late 90s limited its effectiveness. Another issue is that it seemed

to be her only treatment. A much better, modern alternative treatment for Lain would be

Trauma-based therapy. Lain experiences very traumatic events, especially for a high schooler.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) would help reduce emotional distress

related to recollected traumatic memories by providing bilateral stimulation. At the same time,

the adolescent retells these moments (International Society for the Study of Trauma and

Dissociation, 2011). With an emphasis on reducing trauma symptoms, trauma-focused

cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can further help lain to understand and challenge the

negative thoughts, beliefs, and experiences associated with their past traumatic events. This

approach can also help determine how Lain’s distorted thinking may impact current behaviors.

CBT can also help treat internet addiction by addressing maladaptive thoughts and behaviors

related to internet use (S. Young, 2013). Finally, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can assist in

developing coping techniques through a combination of mindfulness practices and CBT

strategies that regulate emotions, increase the ability to tolerate stressors, promote practical

communication skills, and improve interpersonal relationships; central issues explored

throughout the series (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, 2011).
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Medication might be necessary for treatment alongside psychotherapy and EMDR.

Antidepressant medications are often used to reduce symptoms associated with depression,

anxiety, hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking, which occur in Lain (Dissociative

disorders).
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References

Dissociative disorders. NAMI. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2023, from

https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Dissociative-Diso

rders

International Society for the Study. (2011). Guidelines for treating dissociative identity disorder

in adults, third revision: Summary version. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 12(2),

188–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2011.537248

Young, K. S. (2013). Treatment outcomes using CBT-IA with internet-addicted patients. Journal

of Behavioral Addictions, 2(4), 209–215. https://doi.org/10.1556/jba.2.2013.4.3