Holden Caulfield Ptsd

(Salinger 1). This quote shows that Holden is alluding to this character from a Dickens’ novel and although Holden says he is not going to tell the reader his life story, he goes on with his biography. This adds a sense of irony and that Holden is hypocritical. 2. Holden has “forgotten” to mention his dismissal from Pencey likely because he simply is trying to pretend he is indifferent and that it does not matter.

The symptoms of PTSD that Holden has are Re-experiences, avoidance, hyperarousal, and peculiar cognition and mood. In order for Holden to be diagnosed with PTSD he must have one re- experiencing symptom, one avoidance symptom, two arousal symptoms, and two symptoms of a peculiar cognition or mood. Holden has PTSD, he has

Holden Caulfield is a seventeen year old male who shows evidence of a possible diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder(BPD). This possible diagnosis is due to sudden outbursts of anger,constant deceitfulness, feelings of emotional numbness, and many other symptoms. Some people who say that he’s just a spoiled child however, there is evidence to prove that there is a much deeper issue. Traumatic events such as abuse(emotional,mental,and sexual), neglect,death of a loved one,abandonment, feelings of emptiness, and suicidal thoughts can cause these mental illnesses. With his long list of symptoms, the evidence proves that he suffers from PTSD and BPD.

In Chapter 1 of the Catcher in the Rye we learn that the main character of the novel Holden Caulfield has been expelled from his school Pencey Prep in Agerstown,Pennsylvania which is his fourth school that he has been kicked out from. He is being expelled from Pencey due to the fact that he was “ flunking four subjects and not applying” himself “at all” [pg 6]. Holden keeps flunking schools because he refuses to, even after multiple warnings Holden continues to flunk his class and does not attempt to do better. Holden is self- destructive because he does not express any concern for his future by not making any effort to change.

I n this world, there are many cases in which a person may have a mental disorder that is undetected by the person itself . In the case of Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in “ The Catcher in The Rye” by J.D Salinger, he suffers from an anxiety disorder that is commonly know as PTSD. This stands for post-traumatic stress disorder in which an individual gets after the result of a traumatic event that occurred to them by either experiencing it or witnessing it themselves. Throughout the book you being to notice that there are many indications of Holden experiencing symptoms in relation to PTSD like hyper arousal and avoidance (“PTSD 1“). Hyper arousal is one the symptoms in which a person can feel stressed and angry, which results in them having an outburst.

At the end of the novel, when Holden is finished telling his story, he says that he could probably tell us about how he got sick. He also acknowledges “the one psychoanalyst guy they have [there]” who asks if he is going to start applying himself (234). The fact that there is someone analyzing his behavior is a clear indicator that he shows signs of mental illnesses. Holden dodges any questions about his feelings of what happened to him because he does not know how to feel. The psychoanalyst also asks Holden if he is going to start applying himself in school more, but Holden does not fully answer the question.

Holden lies as a result of his depression, in order to hide the fact that he’s lonely and bored with his life, to divert any questions which he believes are too personal, and to create his own reality. In this way, Salinger illustrates how, during difficult times, people resort to lying as a coping mechanism. In the beginning of the story, Holden lied to divert questions in order to protect his personal information.

The first cause of Holden 's mental illness that readers notice is that he lacks control over his actions. As Holden was 13 years old, his brother Allie died of leukemia. Holdens behavior in response to his brothers death was very violent. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it (Holden Caulfield 39).” Holden admits that he didn’t know he was doing it, but says it was a stupid thing to do.

Throughout the story we see Holden that suffers from a lot of illnesses like Post traumatic stress disorder, detachment, agitation, depression, denial, acceptance, sleep deprivation, and loneliness. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. I believe Holden was diagnosed with this disorder after the death of his younger brother Allie. Like any other human being losing a younger sibling is a life changing event especially the way Holden lost his brother. After Holden found out his brother died he was so angry that he punched the windows out of his old summer home and broke his hand.

Holden exhibits two polar opposites of depressive and hypomanic episodes, resulting in a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye Holden experiences frequent episodes that are hypomanic. According to Psych Central, a hypomanic episode “is an emotional state characterized by a distinct period of persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, lasting throughout at least four days”. An illustration of one of Holden’s episodes occurs during his date with Sally on a Sunday afternoon.

He is constantly in denial and thinks that everything else is to blame for his own problems. Holden always has an excuse to justify his action. When he left his old school he said, “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That’s all” (17). Holden is basically saying here that he left his old school not because he is not smart but it was because he could not stand the people there.

Holden, the protagonist of the Catcher in the Rye often makes decisions under the influence of his problematic emotions and caught himself into many rough and self-harming situations. In the first place, Holden made self-harming decisions under the emotion of anger and sadness when his brother passed away "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it (21). " Holden is making idiotic decisions under the influence of anger and sadness and caused himself a lifelong injury. Similarly, later in the Catcher in the Rye Holden again makes another decision under his emotion of jealousy about Stradlater 's date with Jane. Holden relentlessly insulted Stradlater, driving him crazy until

Holden exhibits many of the physical symptoms of depression, such as changes in appetite, unexplained physical problems, and increased consumption of alcohol (Mayo Clinic). By the end of the novel, Holden experienced a complete nervous breakdown and displays many of the symptoms of depression. Once in the novel Holden mentions his thin physique while at a diner. He says, “I’m a very light eater… That’s why I’m so damn skinny,” (Salinger 120).

Along with Holden’s many health problems, he is also mentally unstable in that he makes very erratic and irresponsible decisions, particularly when it comes

Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, embodies the classic teenager in the process of discovering himself, and how the world works. But, regardless of Holden 's rich, prep school lifestyle, the series of events that have mapped out his life up to this point have utterly affected his emotional well being and perception of the world. Many traumatic events such as the death of holds brother Allie, the death of a class mate, and countless numbers of awkward incidents with adults have all added up to affects Holden 's well-being and detach him from reality. The death of Holden 's younger brother Allie has caused him to confuse his perception of reality and to alienate himself.