Author(s): Raj Bhanot

Abstract: The Russian novel, Crime and Punishment, has garnered significant international interest and praise. Various writers laud different aspects of the novel, some even considering it a work of philosophy. However, the character of the protagonist has been difficult to interpret for many and his behavior has been, likewise, challenging to explain. This paper is a detailed examination of this issue from a medical perspective. The evidence is gleaned solely from the text of the novel. A cogent argument is made to account for virtually all of Raskolnikov’s behaviors by one medical diagnosis, that of bipolar disorder. There is a brief discussion of the differential diagnosis, which includes schizophrenia and unipolar depression. I would like to submit that Dostoevsky used mental health as a major theme in this work, something that, perhaps, has not been given the recognition that it deserves.

Keywords: Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov, bipolar disorder, mental health, Dostoevsky.

Article Info: Received: 27 Jan 2025; Received in revised form: 23 Feb 2025; Accepted: 28 Feb 2025; Available online:10 Mar 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.102.5