Depression In Catcher In The Rye

Within the text, Holden expresses that he is “depressed”, “sad”, and “unhappy” copious times, yet he follows these adjectives with vocabulary that would suggest that he is perfectly content with the world around him. These mood swings and constant shifts between happiness and sadness can be linked to the overall diagnosis of major depressive disorder; specifically, bipolar depression. The DSM states that bipolar disorder consists of, “…mood swings from high to low, and from low to high. Highs are periods of mania, while lows are periods of depression.” A prime example of Holden’s sporadic depressive swings occurs after Sally Hayes, Holden’s romantic interest, denies his request to run away from home and pretend to be a deaf/mute with him. Holden responds by stating, “I was getting depressed as hell again… I probably wouldn’t’ve taken her even if she’d wanted to

"Then I went over and lay down on Ely's bed. Boy, did I feel rotten. I felt so damn lonesome." (48) Clearly in that quote Holden has became depressed because he feels alone and isolated from the rest of the world. When he feels like that he often talks to people who he has annoyed him or is phony to him. He does not seem to care who they are, whether it be Ackley or his sister Phoebe he really just needs somebody's company when he feels lonely and depressed. Now you can tell that Holden is depressed.

In the novel The Catcher In The Rye, the main character Holden experiences a massive amount of struggle. One major struggle he experiences is depression. Many teenagers can relate to Holden because throughout the novel he shows some of the struggles that anyone could be going through. While I was reading I felt sympathy for Holden and wanted to reach out and help him get through his struggles. There are many red flags repeatedly showing Holden being depressed. These red flags are not only found in Holden but can be noticed in other people who are depressed.

Teen depression is a serious mental health problem that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities. It affects how a teenager thinks, feels and behaves. It can cause emotional, functional and physical problems. Holden Caulfield lost his younger brother Allie to leukemia when Holden was thirteen years old. Following the death of Allie, Holden broke his hand punching the windows out of the garage of their summer home. Holden’s mindset reveals depression is the cause of his struggles. Depression was actively present in Holden’s behavior. The source of his depression was the death of his brother Allie. Holden was aware the entire time of his impending punishment.

Holden seems to struggle with depression. In many places throughout the novel, Holden describes to us his deep sadness. A lot of times his depression is unpredictable and triggered by tense situations. In one situation while he was explaining his feelings about the Elkton Hills headmaster’s phony and rather boring conversations with well-built and

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, portrays Holden Caulfield as a manic-depressive. Holden uses three techniques throughout the novel to cope with his depression. He smokes, drinks, and talks to Allie. Although they may not be positive, Holden finds comfort in these three things.

It is exhausting for a person to fight a war inside their head every single day. One in ten young people experience a period of major depression at some point in their adolescence. Holden Caulfield is not the exception; he is emotionally unstable and suffers from a major disease not discussed in the novel. Though many think Holden is not suffering from a mental illness, his actions relate closely to the symptoms of an illness or disorder of some kind. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield suffers from a Borderline Personality Disorder displayed through Holden’s excessive avoidance of his problems, substance abuse, and bouts of intense anger.

Holden encounters asignificant fall into his depressive state due to his detachment from society, unconventionalbehaviour and internal psychological turmoil.

Depression is defined as a condition where a person feels very sad, hopeless, unimportant, and unable to live in a normal way, which is Holden’s personality in the book. It’s a very serious situation that many people go through and it takes an enormous toll on people. Many instances can cause depression and grieving the loss of someone is one of them. In the beginning, it seems like Holden is depressed because he is excluded from the people around him. Holden’s flashbacks and hallucinations, along with Phoebe reminding him that Allie is not coming back, show that his depression stems from him grieving the loss of Allie.

Holden recognizes and perceives to be alienated from the adult world thus causing himself to believe he is depressed. Holden believes he is depressed from viewing the adult world and thinking that it is phony. He believes that the world is phony, superficial, hypocritical, and shallow. He views this world everyday and realizes that one day he will have to step into it, but every time he thinks about the world surrounding him it causes him to become depressed. Holden becomes depressed because he desires to remain a child were innocence is preserved and not drastically taken away. In Holden?s scenario, he feels that his innocence was taken away by witnessing the suicide of his close friend and the death of dear brother. Holden sees the world that he has to become a part of and desires more to not be a part of it. This hatred of stepping into the adult world causes Holden believe he is depressed and

This is going to get a bit personal, but I feel as if I can relate to Holden. He is a fantastic liar and also very good at hiding his feelings. Holden and I have that in common. Throughout the book, he continues on frequently complaining how certain actions or events depress him. Although I do not get depressed about nearly as much as him, I do get sad often. It is actually fairly easy to lie and conceal your feelings from other people. In the book, it did not seem like anyone ever realized how perturbed Holden truly was. He was exceptionally good at faking. So am I; there is always a smile on my face and half the time it is completely fake. Holden had so much hate bottled up and in my experience it is particularly helpful to talk everything

Holden’s loneliness unambiguously engenders his depression because he is constantly thinking about people he cannot talk to nor be with. First of all, loneliness can be a symptom of depression, and Holden is constantly alone because he pushes everyone away, Also, Holden tries to buy alcoholic beverages at the Lavender Room. ““I can’t sit in a corny place like this cold sober. Can’tcha stick a little rum in it or something?”” (Salinger 91). Some people tend to rely on alcohol to overcome the feelings of loneliness and depression, which Holden symbolizes. Holden previously tried to buy drinks while is on the train in chapter eight. One quote states,“It is especially important for boys to handle negative feelings such as anger, fear, frustration, loneliness, and doubt because depressed boys are at special risk for causing or suffering physical damage through fighting, drinking, and other risky behavior” (Denkmire and Perritano, 2010). These examples are faintly shown in chapter ten when Holden is trying to buy drinks as well as dance with older women. Holden’s depression can be an effect of his strong idealistic views.

Rather than simply focusing on the mental illness itself, writers feel the need to mask any negative connotations associated with the topic at hand by adding unrealistic, lighthearted scenes, leading to portrayals in media that is too often overshadowed by frivolous romance and unprecedented hope. True depictions, however, will not fabricate an epic tale to complement mental illness. In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, he shows through Holden Caulfield that depression is not beautiful or glamorous, but instead an intensely lonely experience that leaves one unable to cope with reality. More than once does Holden expresses a need to escape, such as when he plans to leave the city and live near a farm. Other times Holden is more direct about how he feels, even going as far as expressing, “what I really felt like, though, was committing suicide.

Holden says, “In a way, it was sort of depressing, too, because you kept wondering what the hell would happen to all of them. When they got out of school and college, I mean.” The thought of kids growing up to go through the identical situation he is going through irks him. Holden, like a great deal of teens, does not seek help for his depression until it is too late. People recommend that he see a psychoanalyst, but he refuses, just like many teens do today.

After meeting with Holden Caulfield over the span of 4 weeks, a determination of his condition has been completed following the analysis of his sessions and surveying some events that transpired in the preceding few months. Holden seemed to relish the in-depth discussions that occurred during each session but was very reluctant to discuss himself and how he felt emotional throughout certain experiences in his life. Holden has attended a total of 5 schools, including his most recent one Pencey Prep; he was dismissed from all of the schools he attended. He struggles in social interactions and smokes various times in a day. My conclusion is that the patient, Holden Caulfield, is depressed. Holden becomes attached to people, exhibits social anxiety and has a very naive sense of responsibility especially in association with education. In addition, Holden practices substance abuse, in this case smoking, to self-medicate. These are all distinct signs that he is depressed.