Does one really know the definition of psychological instability? Perhaps it has an existence at the mental institutional treatment sanitarium here in southern California. The patient of evaluation, Holden Caulfield, a seventeen year old Caucasian male, weighs approximately 120lbs with a skinny, lanky stature and is 6 feet and 2.5 inches tall. Caulfield has crew-cut hair that is graying on the right side. The patient was an occasional drinker and smoker but has now cut cold turkey due to being institutionalized. Frequently drastic mood swings have been documented, as well as, emotional breakdowns, evident sexual frustration, deep depression, clear resentment, a rebellious attitude, signs of being socially inept and abnormal immaturity for a boy of his age. Based on professional observation, it is obvious that the patient exhibits some bipolar and multiple personality characteristics; his obsession with finding the flaws in the people and world around him has contributed to putting him in a dangerously depressive state.
Holden has continually displayed evidence of a bipolar issue and multiple personality symptoms. For starters, one minute Holden is discussing how much he is revolted by the movies in every way, but the next is attending a premiere with Sally Hayes. “If there's one thing I hate, it's the movies. Don't even mention them to me...but the worst part was that you could tell they all wanted to go to the movies. I couldn't stand looking at them. I can understand somebody going to the movies because there's nothing else to do, but when somebody really wants to go, and even walks fast so as to get there quicker, then it depresses the hell out of me.” (Salinger 2 & 116). Holden is incapable of making up his mind and hypocr...
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... what has been psychologically observed, the patient evidently has shown trademark signs of bipolar disorder and multiple personality swings; Holden is unknowingly infatuated with finding the fault in others and blaming the world for his problems and mistakes, ultimately, putting him in a severely depressive state. Holden needs to continue with his institutional life and will need to be further evaluated. Once Holden realizes what he wants, that not everybody is out to get him, and that everything happens in life for a reason, the better off he will be. Psycho-analysis most people find invasive and frightens most people, but is necessary as seen with close-watch patient Holden Caulfield. Whether Holden will regain mental health stability or continue with psychological disturbance and angst that will inevitably lead to emotional destruction is to be further observed.
The period of adolescence is one of growth. There will be necessary physiological, sexual, and mental changes in a person during this period, therefore making it one of the most important sections of life. If an error is found during the growth of an adolescent, it must be corrected. Holden Caulfield, is an erred adolescent, so he must be fixed. This paper will present a diagnosis for Holden, provide evidence for this claim, provide a hypothetical source for his syndrome, and then recommend a course of treatment. The diagnosis for Holden Caulfield is co-occurring Bipolar I disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The was conjectured because of his recent manic episode, excessive spending and depression, increased energy, constant “loud speech”, inflated self-image, feelings of guilt, suicidal and racing thoughts, obsessiveness with childhood, innocence, and a fear of change [or what can be seen as abnormal requirement for stability]; recommended treatment is referral to a psychiatrist for medicinal help, short-term therapy, and slow reinstitution into the general population.
Since Holden was isolated from his family, in order to not get hurt again he tries to find hypocrisy in people to stop himself from trusting others. Holden feels isolated after being sent to a boarding school that “was full of phonies” by his parents (Salinger 90). Salinger’s message to the audience with this quote is that when
To begin with, many of Holden’s physical and mental symptoms can be linked to events occurring during manic and depressive phases. According to Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance(DBSA), “Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a treatable illness involving extreme changes in mood, thought, energy, and behavior”. DBSA states that manic phases can include a decrease in sleep, reckless behavior or speech, flamboyant actions
...and when he ventures home to talk to Phoebe. In each of the situations Holden either becomes angry or he becomes depressed. These types of mood swings are signs of bipolar disorder. Each scenario is also associated with what could be believed to be triggers which cause these dramatic mood swings. Holden Caulfield’s trigger seems to be whenever he becomes overly stressed with a situation. When this stress comes over him by what someone says or what someone does, it causes Holden to have these mood swings. These mood swings either end with him being put into a fight, or with him becoming depressed. These are the reasons to believe that Holden Caulfield has bipolar disorder.
Holden is a pessimistic, remote, and miserable character and he expresses this attitude through dialogue, tone, and diction. Throughout the book he has remained to be a liar, a failure, a loner, and lastly, a suicidal guy who feels like he has no purpose in life. Perhaps Salinger expressed his perceptions and emotions of his teen years in this book and it was a form of conveying his deep inner feelings of his childhood. Readers can see this clearly shown in The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger.
Mr. Antolini?s theory as to what is wrong with Holden is right on, it?s just too bad he was unable to get through to Holden. Due to the fact that Holden has already given up on himself and is unwilling to apply the valuable advice he has been given. He has lost the substantial ability to find happiness in life and therefore can?t find the energy to motivate himself in anything he does. It?s a tragedy that someone as bright as Holden Caulfield is unable to find the strength within himself to persevere in a world of insanity.
... is apparent that he is a troubled young man through not only what is said and done, but what is also left as unspoken thoughts inside his mind. Holden Caulfield is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, mentally unstable. He is not classified as a "crazy person" or a "loon" but he is a young man who, as a child, had innocence and purity ripped away with no warning or mercy. Instead of reacting more positively and growing older at a young age, the tragedies caused him to year for the innocence of childhood that he knew in some dark corner of his mind had been long gone and was never returning regardless of how much faith and stubbornness he had.
Thesis: Holden Caufield is a hostile, negatively charged character that suffers from depression which stems from a desire not to grow up and a lack of closure in his brothers death."If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like . . . "(pg. 1) These first words that Holden Caufield communicates during his tell of events that brought him to his breakdown, show the pent up hostility that still lingers. This pattern of speech, the constant expression of negativity, is a character trait of Holden that shows his inner anguish.
Symptomatic of those affected by mental illness, Holden lacks the ability to have solid relationships with others. He has attended numerous boarding schools and seldom lives at home. This has created a distant relationship between him and his parents. Holden never explicitly reveals whether or not he wishes to have a closer bond with his parents, but it is implied. He sneaks into his house while on his New York excursion to visit his younger sister Phoebe. As he is about to leave his parents’ house, “all of a sudden, [he starts] to cry. [He] couldn’t help it” (Salinger 179). His abrupt outburst of emotion indicates his need to have his parents’ help. He realizes that when he leaves, it may be his last time in the house, so he is not able to control holding in his emotions any longer. Holden also does not maintain a good relationship with his brother, D.B. He cannot stand that D.B. is “out in Hollywood… being a prostitute” (Salinger 2). Holden refers to him as a prostitute because he believes that D.B. is wasting his creative talents on screenwriting, a field that does not allow one to exercise his or her creativity. This causes the relationship that the two have to be frail. Holden’s relationship with his family is not ideal, and results from his mental
Holden Caulfield is a typical teenager, with normal depression caused by overdramatics and worrying. His depression to me is solely based on his huge obsession of worrying, which is a behavioral symptom. While the other symptoms do affect him greatly, his constant fear of being alone, growing up, and fitting in causes his depression to grow. Even though he has such a negative view on life, it can be changed by a change in heart and
Difficult situations are a part of life, and people everywhere must cope with difficult circumstances such as conflict in out lives. See Appendix 1 (Depression). But occasionally, people experience an event, which is so unexpected that it continues to have serious affects, long after it has happened. Like depression in general these events may include a traumatic event involving actual or threatened death to themselves or others. Also learning that a close friend is in danger or has died can cause this type of anxiety disorder (What Is A Depressive Disorder?). This condition is one of several known as an anxiety disorder. One significant event in Holden’s life that is a factor for his mental illness is the death of his brother Allie. When Holden found out, “[He] was only thirteen and they were going to have [him] psychoanalyzed and all, the night [Allie] died, and [he] broke all the windows with [his] fist, just for the hell of it” (Salinger 39).
The negative light that Holden views the world under is a key contribution to his unhappiness. He is unable to see even a glint of sincerity in people’s actions which allows him to experience feelings of severe despondency and dejection. “People never give your message to anybody,” (pg. 166) shows how Holden no longer feels let down by people but instead expects the worst from them instead. He struggles to find genuinity in people’s actions, and in turn feels “lousy and depressed,” by nearly everything. Holden is constantly seen bringing down the adult world. It is shown he has an inner conflict between his adult and child self, leading him to feeling lost and without a place. He is disgusted by the adult world describing it as a place filled with “phonies” but, views adolescence as a source of happiness. He shows a direct fear of change by stating, “The best thing...was that everything always stayed right where it was.” (pg. 135). As Holden is being pushed out of his childhood and into an area where he feels out of place, it is only inevitable that this would be a source of his depression. Both of these internal conflicts add to Holden Caulfield’s
I recommend that Holden remain under my care at Happy Loons Hospital for the time being. I believe that participation in regular psychotherapy sessions will greatly benefit him as he negotiates his fears about adulthood. I also suggest that Holden initiate a course of Zylonconoff to stimulate the chemical production of his maturity gland. I believe that this combination of therapy and medication will result in Holden's acceptance of adulthood. Should he be able to do this, I believe the patient shall be able to attend the public high school his parents have chosen for him, as well as be able to make more mature relationships. The future looks bright for this patient.
President Barack Obama has said, “Too many Americans who struggle with mental health illnesses are still suffering in silence, rather than seeking help”. While many mental disorders can easily be treated, they are extremely taxing on the victim and are challenging to diagnose. In final analysis, Holden Caulfield suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder (manic depression) and psychosis. From a psychiatric point of view, there is hope for Holden in the future, but only if he is genuinely avid in getting back to a state of normalcy.
In the book, “The Catcher in The Rye” by J.D. Salinger, the main character is very strange in numerous ways. His name is Holden Caulfield and boy has he got something wrong with him. He rambles on and on about nonsense for the first 20-something chapters of the book. He only likes 3-4 people in the book. He smokes and drinks heavily at the ripe age of seventeen. He has been expelled out of numerous prep schools, and feels abandoned and not wanted. He has some sort of mental illness and I think I know what it is. I believe that Holden Caulfield has a mental illness known as Borderline Personality Disorder, also known as BPD. The reasoning for my thinking is that Holden’s actions match up with the symptoms of this illness and the isolation he