Character Case Study: Gregory House

(House)
Abnormal Psychology

Saajan Sheth
Gregory House was born on one of two possible dates. June 11, 1959 is one date referring

back to his admission bracelet from the hospital. Another is May 15, 1959, according to his

Driver License. He is the child of an unknown man and Blythe House. Blythe was a house wife

married to John House, a marine pilot. Gregory’s father was serving in the military actively

through most of House's childhood and teenage years. House has lived in many countries

throughout that time, such as Egypt, Philippines and Japan. Due to the living in multiple

countries, House is able to speak in Spanish and Mandarin, he is also able to read some Hindi

and claims to be able to read Portuguese as well. House was bright as a child. He had an interest

in variety of things at a young age, one thing was chemistry. He also played the piano and guitar.

However, it seems like his isolation from kids his age and his poor connection with his parents

led him to become sort of a lonely person. He had no real friends growing up which added on to

his anti-social behavior. He frequently rebelled against his father and was punished with both

physical discomfort and emotional isolation. When House was 12 he learned that his father was

not present during his conception. This caused a rift between House and John. John did not treat

House kindly, this was likely due to a shortage of understanding between the two. John didn’t

seem like he resented House but it seemed like he showed him tough love. It seemed that John’s

abuse of House was in spite of Blythe’s infidelity. House is severely damaged emotionally by the

dysfunction in his relationships, his mother's dishonesty and his father's anger and way of

treating him are some reasons as to why his personality is so damaged. His peers have also

agreed that this is what causes House's unhappiness, and cynicism as well as his fear of being

able to feel intimate, praise, and the unknown as well as his lacking of adherence regarding

common societal values. House went to Johns Hopkins University where he was admitted in the
pre-medicine program. He managed to maintain an excellent GPA and eventually achieved a

perfect score on his MCAT. He gained admission to John Hopkins Medical School and was

quickly one of their top students, and eventually became the favorite to obtain an internship at

the Mayo Clinic. House was caught cheating by Philip Weber, the man who was later introduced

as his arch-nemisis. Weber received the internship to the Mayo Clinic that House was supposed

to receive. Despite his expulsion from John Hopkins, House was accepted into University of

Michigans Medical System. House completed his final year of medical school there and went on

to obtain a residency in Pathology, nephrology, and infectious disease, all of these while also

completing a double specialty. At the start of the series House suffered a leg injury when playing

golf. The symptom he only really felt was leg pain, and it was too late by the time House realized

that he was suffering from muscle death, the leg was in such a bad condition that the

recommended medical action was amputation. Due to the result of the pain, House became very

addicted to Vicodin, a narcotic pain killer. He believed that Vicodin was the only thing that

would allow him to deal with the pain and allow him to function accordingly. His colleagues are

not sure whether House's anti-social personality characteristics are due to his addiction, his pain,

or actual personality.

Gregory House has shown shades of a few different disorders but the one that was the

most clear to me was Anti Social Personality Disorder. He has a very limited emotional range,

shows incapabilities of being empathetic, and thinks of others as tools to be used. He is subject to

narcissistic injury to the point that he'll discard a tool even if he knows he needs that person,

rather than admitting any responsibility. His persona is entirely based on being a miracle worker.

He finds enjoyment in manipulating people, and feels no remorse for causing them pain, often
manipulating his friends for his own entertainment, especially his best friend, Dr. Wilson. He

blames all his problems on others, and feels completely entitled to take whatever he wants. 


Gregory House matched a handful of symptoms to garner his diagnosis of Anti Social

Personality Disorder. According to the DSM-5 there are four diagnostic criterion, of which

criterion A has seven sub-features. (Porter, "Antisocial Personality Disorder DSM-5 301.7)

“A. Disregard for and violation of others rights since age 15, as indicated by one of the

seven sub features:

1. Failure to obey laws and norms by engaging in behavior which results in criminal arrest,

or would warrant criminal arrest

2. Lying, deception, and manipulation, for profit or self-amusement,

3. Impulsive behavior

4. Irritability and aggression, manifested as frequently assaults others, or engages in fighting

5. Blatantly disregards safety of self and others,

6. A pattern of irresponsibility and

7. Lack of remorse for actions (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)

The other diagnostic Criterion are:

B. The person is at least age 18

C. Conduct disorder was present by history before age 15

D. and the antisocial behavior does not occur in the context of schizophrenia or bipolar

disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)”

Gregory House matches the criteria of:

1. He committed crimes and even got arrested.

3. He mostly acts thoughtful and with a specific intention.

4. He is not easily irritated or overly aggressive.

5. He has no regard for his own safety or the one of others.

6. He sometimes shift blames, but this isn't enough in my opinion.

7. He has no remorse, except one time where he screwed something up, he drunk to forget

what he has done.

He fulfills 4 criteria of APD, which is enough. However, the abuse of Vicodin may have also

been a factor. The DSM-5 notes that Antisocial Personality Disorder cannot be diagnosed before

age 18, so while an adolescent may display antisocial features, prior to age 18, if diagnostic

criteria are met, the appropriate diagnosis would be Conduct Disorder (American Psychiatric

Association, 2013). The DSM-5 states that, the yearly prevalence of Antisocial Personality

Disorder is .02% to 3.3.% when the requirements from prior DSM editions are applied

(American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The DSM-5 indicates that risk factors for Antisocial

Personality Disorder are having a first degree biological relative with APD, and being a male,

(American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The DSM-5 also indicates that Antisocial Personality

Disorder is comorbid with substance abuse disorder, and other personality disorders (American

Psychiatric Association, 2013). This would make sense with Gregory House’s substance abuse

problem with Vicodin. 


The DSM-5 did not specifically speak of any treatment options for Antisocial Personality

Disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The general agreement is that, there is very

little in the way of treatment for Antisocial Personality Disorder. People with APD may have to
be restrained by the criminal justice system, through some combination of incarceration,

supervision and monitoring, or informal monitoring by local police departments to control their

harmful actions towards others to the greatest possible extent. There are no medications

approved specifically by the Food and Drug Administration for treating antisocial personality

disorder. Doctors can prescribe medications for conditions that are sometimes related with

antisocial personality disorder, some conditions would be anxiety or depression, also for

symptoms of aggressive behaviors. Drugs are usually prescribed with caution because some

drugs may have the potential for abuse. Talk therapy (psychotherapy) is sometimes used to treat

antisocial personality disorder. Therapy may include, violence and anger management, treatment

against substance abuse, as well as treatment for other mental health issues. Psychotherapy may

not always be effective, especially if symptoms are severe and the person can't admit that he or

she is contributing to the issues. (Staff, "Antisocial personality disorder", 2017). People with

antisocial personality disorder tend to avoid seeking for help on their own. Because of this

reason, motivation to begin treatment tends to be low. The legal system is the best way for

people to find help with these conditions. Another factor that affects the success of treatment is

that people with this type of disorder often don’t have a connection between their feelings and

their behaviors. These patients also have shown to be difficult with authoritative figures and

might not fully trust their therapist. As a result of this, effective treatment for antisocial

personality disorder is scarce, and the outlook is usually poor. If APD is left untreated, people

with the disorder are at risk for developing many other mental disorders. They are also at a

higher risk in committing self mutilation as well as homicide and suicide. However, symptoms of
antisocial personality disorder, including aggressive and criminal behavior, tend to decrease with

age. (Clinic, "Antisocial Personality Disorder Outlook / Prognosis”).

1. Clinic, C. (n.d.). Antisocial Personality Disorder Outlook / Prognosis. Retrieved November 29,

2018, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9657-antisocial-personality-disorder/

outlook--prognosis

2. Staff, M. (2017, August 04). Antisocial personality disorder. Retrieved November 28, 2018,

from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder/diagnosis-

treatment/drc-20353934

3. Porter, D., MA. (n.d.). Antisocial Personality Disorder DSM-5 301.7 (F60.2). Retrieved

November 28, 2018, from https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/antisocial-personality-disorder-

dsm--5-301.7-(f60.2)

4. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental

Disorders. (5th Edition). Washington, DC.