I'm a bit confused as well, and unsure how to reply, so I'll just add this small point.

Janine liked Sherlock as 'himself' at the wedding, before he pretended to be into her. She seemed to enjoy his company and appreciated his talents. He didn't have to put on a different face for her to want to "keep him" and end up wishing he wasn't "...whatever you are."

But yeah, not sure where you're getting the loony stuff from. Have you been reading Paradox?

Schmiezi wrote:

I must admit that I read this post thrice and still don't quite know how to comment on it. Somehow it doesn't sit right with me. Let me just point out a few thoughts. I am sure that there will be more profound comments soon.

Thouturdofperdition wrote:

We all know that Sherlock is mentally ill. He has self-esteem so low his soul-blood is hypo-tonic. He has clinical Depression up the wazoo. He's an addict to a life-threatening degree. He's a dick-and-a-half to everyone, including his BFF 5-ever, John. The man is damn loony.

Sorry, "we all" don't know that. I mean: Seriously? Do you really watch the show thinking Sherlock is a clinically depressed man? Where exactly do you see the symptoms?

Well, yeah, he seems like it: drastic mood swings, deep self-absorption, thrill-addiction, little regard for his own life (S1E1, Cabbie-psycho: "you'll do anything to stop being bored"), very deceptive behavior (TAB Mycroft-"No one deceives like an addict") etc.
TAB: Mycroft-"Because in your case Sherlock, solitary confinement is locking you up with your own worst enemy"

Or maybe I tend to see it in people even it's not there. I myself have been diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety (voices, panic attacks, insomnia, compulsions, paranoia, the whole shebang), and have dealt with it on and off for a little more than a decade now. Sherlock looks like he has many of the subtle symptoms. His personality is strong enough to eclipse the disease, if it is there.

Low self-esteem is not an illness, and let's not forget that Sherlock's low self-esteem is only about human relationship. He is very sure about his abilities to solve crimes, for example.

Being addicted does not mean you are "a damn loony".

You're right that low self-esteem isn't an official mental illness itself, but it perpetuates and exacerbates most of them. It's kind of like weight-gain. Being overweight is not exactly an illness itself, but it can greatly predispose one to have metabolic problems that create illness.
Also, Sherlock has a lot of issues concerning his intelligence. He constantly feels inferior. Look in S3, E2 and 3. Mycroft in Sherlock's mind palace is constantly bigger than him or above him. S3E2 Mycroft is in the judge's seat in the mind-palace courtroom and Sherlock is on the floor, making it look like Sherlock was on trial instead of the case of the Mayfly Man. S3E3 When Sherlock was dying from Mary's bullet: Mycroft-"You're a very stupid little boy." Child Sherlock-"I'm not stupid."
TAB: People in Sherlock's mind palace are consistently insulting his intelligence. "Not him, the clever one"
"How does it feel to be the slow little brother?"
In the plane after he first "wakes up" from the OD: Mary-"You've been reading John's Blog, the story of how you met" Sherlock-"Helps me to see thru his eyes sometimes. I'm so much cleverer."
Also, Sherlock usually exudes arrogance. Arrogance is usually extreme behavior to compensate for pervasive self-doubt.

Thouturdofperdition wrote:

However, if he's not actually Asexual, but heterosexual, then he is even more vulnerable.

First, I'll go over the reasons why the BBC version of Sherlock is probably straight rather than Ace.

Quite mixing everything that is not straight here. First, you say, "if he is not asexual", then you (think you) proof he is not gay.
Looks a bit like people only have to kind of sexual orientations, "straight" and "not straight". That simply is not true, and not right on many levels.:-/

Well, I don't really think Sherlock is gay. I think Moriarty might've figured that out (he gave his number after all =P) before getting Adler to manipulate Sherly. I mean, Moriarty himself does a lot of stuff around Sherlock that looks sexual or flirtatious, but Sherlock doesn't react at all. However, when Moriarty's minion Adler did small things like implied she thought Sherlock sexy, he forgets how to talk for a second. S2E1 When upstairs in her room, Irene goes to inject Holmes with a sedative. All she has to do to distract him is run her hand along his arm.
Also in TAB: Moriarty-"Oh, why don't you two elope for God's sake?"
John-"Impertinent"
Sherlock-"Offensive"

Thouturdofperdition wrote:

Then we can talk about how his illness is reflected in his sexuality.

This sounds like a nice scientific approach which I usually strongly support. But I think you did not at all prove Sherlock’s "illness", you just assumed it. I also don't see where you connected an "illness" to his sexuality. You just wrote that he is intimidated by sexual approaches and does not see Molly having a crush on him.

Yeah, when I first wrote it, I kind of had an essay. I thought that too long for a forum, so I truncated it; a bit too severely it seems. =P

Sorry if I come across a bit harsh. I just wonder where your post is coming from and fail to see your reasoning.

And in turn he helps Eurus.

As a child he was traumatised to get emotionally involved with anyone, which is why he holds back in adult life.

I agree with you on that one.