Charlie displays an array of behaviours and symptoms which suggest that he suffers from a mental illness. In the film, he shows signs of deviant behaviour such as behaving erratically by physically fighting other students, frequently feeling worked up and anxious, as well as occasionally ‘blacking out’. Charlie also presents maladaptive behaviours such as passive communication; noticeably whenever his family members question his wellbeing, he denies further discussion. Alongside this, Charlie is shown to use substances such as LSD, alcohol and marijuana in order to concur his nerves during social situations. These behaviours suggest he suffers from a form of anxiety. Charlie depicts feelings of guilt and self-blame for his aunt’s death. It is perceived that he has repressed harsh memories of his aunt, although this resulted in negative flashbacks to occur which progressively began to affect his mental stability. It is understood that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a consequence of being molested by his aunt when he was young. This ultimately caused lasting mental trauma on him. Charlie is seen to feel hopeless and depressed, evident in the scene where he calls his sister for help over the phone. It is at that point when he is thought to have attempted suicide …show more content…
It is recommended that he learns how to cope with the intrusive flashbacks of which occurred as well as work through the feelings of guilt and mistrust. The coping strategies would enable him to overcome the negative thoughts to allow feel more positively. By working through the feelings of guilt, it will stop him from feeling guilty for something which was out of his control. If Charlie makes an attempt to control his feelings of mistrust, he would be able to approach others for help as well as increase his
Understandably, this angers and frustrates Charlie. This is probably impacting him more than he writes about, it's a big deal and such a big realization to just suddenly come to. Charlie doesn't quite understand all the psychological aspects and tests of the operation he went through and not being able to learn about it frustrates him too, like when he had to do the Rorschach test again and got very angry. Charlie's co-workers at the bakery are starting to notice a change in him and Charlie feels tension and a hostility between the group. Charlie remembers more incidents involving his parents, and they are argue about Charlie being “normal” or not.
Charlie begins to hang out with Sam and Patrick and is getting in the routine of going to football games and then going out afterwards to celebrate. Afterwhile he catches feelings for Sam and the way he expresses them further deepens our understanding of his depression. Instead of going with the flow and not telling her about the dreams he had about her, he professes his love for her in the form of sharing his dreams and telling her just how he feels. Perhaps, this isn’t all his fault because when Sam tells him that she’s too old for him, he becomes obsessed with his love for her and can’t stop thinking about how perfect she is in his eyes. The only thing this confession has done for him is make his feelings grow and send him in a downward spiral of
Throughout the story, readers see instances of Charlie remembering
Sometimes it takes a toll on how teenagers cope. Charlie was sexually abused at a young age which caused him to not know how to deal with his feelings. He didn’t
Charlie experiences drastic changes throughout the story. All of them are mentally due to the experimental operation he had. In the
In the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the main character Charlie is on a journey with his mental health. There are many high and low points, but it is obvious that he has a serious mental illness. Throughout the movie, Charlie shows many symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is defined as “A disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.” by the National Institute of Mental Health, and can be diagnosed through the DSM-IV method. Firstly, there needs to be signs of deviant behaviour. During the movie there are multiple occasions where Charlie blacks out and loses his memory. Whether it was drug, rage or anxiety included, this is still considered both deviant behaviour and a symptom of PTSD. Secondly, there needs to be signs of maladaptive behaviour. At the beginning of the movie, we see Charlie writing letters to his deceased best friend about his negative thoughts and feelings. While it is good to express these thoughts and feelings, it is not normal to articulate them to a dead person. He also experiences multiple flashbacks to the trauma he experienced from his Aunt Helen. Flashbacks are one the most common symptoms of PTSD, and can also develop other mental illnesses such as depression if not correctly treated. Lastly, there needs to be signs of personal distress, which can be seen when charlie expresses quilt about his Aunt Helen’s death before he has a blackout in the snow. When his feelings
Charlie shows symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. He seems to also suffer from depression, which can root from PTSD. The symptoms that were correct of PTSD were having flashbacks of traumatic events. The symptoms of anxiety that were correct were worrying about feeling guilty, and not becoming happy. The symptoms of depression that were correct were blaming yourself for everything, and always putting yourself down. The things that were realistic about PTSD were having flashbacks, feeling guilty, not wanting to become happy, blaming yourself, putting yourself down, and worrying; for example, Charlie became mentally unstable as a result of being sexually abused as a child. He blocked (repressed) thoughts like that out, and they never come
Charlie developed defense mechanisms due to his trauma In a series of letters from Charlie to a friend who remains unknown throughout the novel, Charlie talks about his life. At first, nothing is revealed about his traumatic events in life other than his emotional struggles as the reader discovers that Charlie was hospitalized during the summer. The reason for the hospitalization remains unknown until the secret is unveiled at the end of the novel. At some point in the novel, the reader may think that Charlie is traumatic because of his Aunt Helen’s death.
For my diagnosis, I diagnose Charlie with having clinical depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The reason I believe that Charlie has depression and PTSD is because he had exhibits symptoms and certain behaviors throughout the film. According to Mayo Clinic (n.d.), Depression can be defined as one who has persistent sadness or anhedonia with an addition of other symptoms that can affect the person’s thoughts and behaviors. Mayo Clinic (n.d.) also lists a few signs/symptoms of this mood disorder which applies in Charlie’s case. Symptoms of depression can include suicidal thoughts, lack of energy, sadness, loss of interest, feeling guilty/worthless, anxiety, slow movements/speaking, and sleep disturbances (Mayo Clinic,
His meltdown in Alan's office one could have seen from a mile away, with it the ultimate heralding of displacement for Charlie's pain, and final straw to let Charlie live his life alone. (Displacement is but one of many defense mechanisms that involves shifting aggressive or hurtful emotions away from one’s self to a more “acceptable” or less threatening outlet.) Yet for most who watched the movie most likely, Charlie didn't get immediately better right away to their surprise. In honest words taken from an episode of House I once watched, he uttered a line that rings particularly true in this circumstance: "We tell ourselves it helps. To make [them] talk about it. To help... heal. When all you've done is make [someone] cry." After Charlie's reveal of his true past he seems to be by all standards progressing. That is until he sets out to kill himself, if not by his own gun then a police officer's. In all three main areas of his mental make-up Charlie has been both affected and ravaged, his entire being but a husk of what he accomplished four years prior. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is illustrated through Charlie as a life-changer, a psychological diagnosis that alters your entire core of being without proper therapy or treatment. (Diagnosis in
Charlie was molested by his aunt and struggles
Eventually, Mary Elizabeth forgives him. It is about time for Sam, Patrick, and his sister to graduate and for his favorite teacher to leave. Charlie starts to wonder how he will cope with the loss of his friends yet again. Then, he learns of the hidden horrors of his childhood and becomes indisposed with the knowledge of his molestation. Charlie is sent to a hospital where he gets help in rediscovering who he is. Following his release, Charlie is much better at creating relationships and is more hopeful for the
The setting of the novel greatly breads Charlie’s life. In the suburbs, everyone knows each other better than in the city. Therefore, when one person is beaten by a mental illness, it affects everyone in some way. When someone has a mental illness people do not talk about it, it is pushed away and hidden. No one really tries to help, but once the problem goes to extremes and someone commits suicide, no one is not talking about it. So when Charlie’s best and only friend stops coming to school and they announce that he has passed away, everyone is whispering about it and trying to find what really happened. Charlie found someone who knows the truth and got the true but devastating news “Dave with the awkward glasses told us that Michael
In the story, Charlie experiences being lonely in different aspects of his life. The first one that he feels this in is his family. His family consists of his parents, his brother and sister, and his aunt Helen. His parents, especially his dad, have never really been that involved or shown much interest in his life. This is shown when after he had been on LSD and was found in the snow, they never questioned if he was on drugs, they just contributed it to his prior problems of “seeing” things. His dad usually just ignored Charlie because he was different and quieter than the other kids. Charlie’s brother isn’t in the story much because he’s away at college playing football for Penn State. Charlie’s sister is in the story pretty often, but she doesn’t really talk to
Charlie Kelmeckis is described as a “wallflower.” He is socially awkward and likes to keep to himself. He also really enjoys reading and writing. Charlie cares deeply for others, but has a lot of guilt about past events. For example, Charlie believes that the death of his Aunt Helen is his fault, because she was killed in a car accident on an errand to get Charlie a birthday gift. Charlie has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression. His mental instability was mostly caused by being sexually abused by his Aunt Helen before the age of seven. Charlie experiences flashbacks of his Aunt over the course of the movie, but all are portrayed in a positive light.