From the beginning, Tommy has struggled with what we now understand as post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from his time in World War I. In Season 6, he suffers from seizures, with his body reflecting the inner turmoil wrought from fighting at home and abroad.
He is informed by Doctor Holford (Aneurin Barnard) that he has tuberculoma and has at best, a year and a half to live. He is certain now that his death is imminent.
The doctor informed the head of the Shelby clan that he has tuberculoma, a non-cancerous growth or tumour brought on by his daughter's illness. It isn't a brain tumour, but the symptoms – headaches, seizures, changes in brain function and behaviour – mimic the condition.
Thomas Shelby is an ENTJ personality type. With unmatched ambition, he doesn't stop until he has achieved his goals. Charismatic and confident, he has a lot of the qualities needed to succeed in many situations.
If you've ever noticed that Shelby never eats on the show, that's because it was an accidental choice that later turned into an intentional decision. Once fans noticed this quirk, Murphy and Knight decided to turn it into a “Tommy thing,” which added to the character's obsessive industriousness.
Alas, the tests did reveal a growth in his brain stem that the doctor explains is called Tuberculoma. It is linked to tuberculosis but it is not infectious: this sure sounds like good news! While Tommy won't be passing this onto his loved ones, the precarious positioning of this benign tumour means it is inoperable.
That whisper is the semi-public admission that Tommy is shaking his blood-stained hands with Duke, and expecting him to carry on his dark deeds.
Main personality
Tommy has a chaotic, prideful personality, which often him into conflicts with other members. He also tends to be confident in himself and his own abilities. However, when he loses, he goes into a state of grief before recovering and picking fights again.
He is always thinking a few steps ahead and he tends to plan everything very detailed. I would say his IQ is somewhere between 120 and 130.
“When you plan something well, there's no need to rush.” Thomas Shelby meticulously plans every detail. He even visualizes events before they occur. He is always aware of what is going on and where it is going on.
“What he would be diagnosed with nowadays would be paranoid schizophrenia.” This lead to the dramatic ending of the series, which ended on the cliffhanger of Tommy holding a gun to his head before the screen cut to black.
He had tuberculoma in his brain stem, a growth caused by the same bacteria as the lung disease, doubtless picked up from daughter Ruby (Orla McDonagh). It wasn't infectious but it was inoperable. The symptoms (seizures, dissociation, hallucinations, sharp cheekbones – I may have added the last one) chimed with Tommy's.
Tommy's seven-year-old daughter Ruby died of tuberculosis, after hearing voices, seeing visions and speaking the Romani words for the devil. Ruby died from a curse laid in retaliation for Tommy having passed on an already-cursed sapphire to the Barwell family.
Aggressive outbursts, panic attacks, depression and night terrors were all symptoms of what was then know as shellshock, a condition more recently understood to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Thomas Shelby - INTJ
In the face of his personal struggles, Thomas maintains a calm and confident exterior, making him a capable leader and a fearsome enemy. He's a master manipulator, orchestrating events behind the scenes in order to achieve results. Ambitious, cunning, and independent, Thomas Shelby's MBTI® is INTJ.
Alfie reveals he has cancer and leads Tommy to a place where he could die on his own terms, knowing Tommy would inevitably take his revenge. Tommy shoots Alfie | S04E06 | Peaky Blinders.
When it comes to Peaky Blinders there really is only one person who can take the top spot when it comes to intelligence, and that is Tommy Shelby. The leader of the group and the man behind all of the plans and business ideas, Tommy has a reason for everything he does.
Tommy Shelby in 'Peaky Blinders'
Tommy demonstrates that it takes more than just being unscrupulous to thrive in the mafia world; a brilliant mind that can outmaneuver the competition is also necessary for survival.
All the characters, especially Thomas Shelby, are constantly smoking cigarettes. Constantly is a very light word, for the amount of smoking shown in screen. Use of cocaine is quite common. Tommy and others are seen smoking Opium throughout the series as a coping mechanism.
The Greek form of the Aramaic name Teoma, literally, meaning "twin".
In this we find out that Tommy has a large anger problem. The fact that his anger can be unleashed because of such an unimportant thing, such as not being picked for a football match, shows that he is a volatile character. We also find out about Kathy in this section.
His temper tantrums appear to be a reflection of the frustration he feels at his lack of artistic talent. Later in the novel, when Miss Lucy, one of the guardians, tells him that he should not mind lacking in creativity, he begins to calm down.
The actor explained: "That comes from the fact that the cigarettes, we cut the filter off or do we leave the filter on I cannot recall, but anyway if you don't rub them across your lips initially, they will stick.
A traumatised Tommy breaks down in tears as he looks at the bodies of the dead - including Aunt Polly. The scene then cuts away to homemade funeral pyres in the woods.
Now in season five, fans have been watching him drink a small dose of opium at intervals to carry on with business as usual. But, this has resulted in Tommy having hallucinations of seeing his dead wife Grace Shelby (Annabelle Wallis) who was killed back in season three.