A Socially Acceptable Form Of Schizophrenia

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Writer E. L. Doctorow defines writing as “a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia”. Doctorow believes writing can be about anything, no matter how arbitrary, and still be acceptable. J.D. Salinger writes The Catcher in the Rye to tell about Holden Caulfield 's misadventures in a 1950’s New York. After Holden, the narrator and protagonist, is expelled from yet another boarding school, he hides it from his parents. Mental illness plagues Holden’s life, and at the end of the book, he ends up in a mental hospital in California. Holden Caulfield could be diagnosed with schizophrenia because in The Catcher in the Rye, he exhibits signs of the illness, such as frequent delusions, disorganised thinking, and negative symptoms, all of which…show more content…
Schizophrenia is difficult to diagnose because “some of the early symptoms of schizophrenia in teenagers are common for typical development during teen years” and many symptoms are similar to other mental illnesses, such as split personality and depression. (“Diseases and Conditions”). Schizophrenia is often misdiagnosed as depression because symptoms include “[difficulties] feeling and expressing positive emotions… [and difficulties] experiencing pleasure when engaged in activities or around people” (“Mental Health”). People with the mental illness are not experiencing sadness, persay, but rather a lack of emotion, especially enthusiasm ("Mental Health Information"). However, depression and suicidal thoughts are often present with or as a result of schizophrenia, but is not the foremost disorder. Contrary to popular beliefs among scientists, schizophrenia is not a split personality; “the word “schizophrenia” does mean “split-mind”, but it refers to a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking” (“Diseases and Conditions”). The unbalance of emotions and thinking leads to some combination of delusions-- distorted beliefs that contradict those of real life-- and hallucinations-- auditory or visual things that are not real (“Diseases and Conditions”). The many symptoms of this mental illness are life-altering; delusions
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