What's bothering Holden?
Find out the possible psychological reasons for Holden's madman days
around Christmas.
Holden has everything accumulated in his “innocent” little head. He has
suffered several traumatic events in his life, however around that crazy
Christmas night, he sorts of express and demonstrates this psychological
situations.
One of the main psychological reasons that Holden is suffering is the
dead of his little brother Allie. Many times through the novel, Holden says
that it was something very hard for him (he even endend in the hospital with a
broken hand).
Another negative reason that affected Holden was the terrible relation
that he had with his parents. For a teenager, the support of their parents is
something very important, and he, living in boarding schools and being away
from his family, was very lonely (in the familiar aspect), he didn´t have that
important support.
And talking about the social situation, Holden didn´t have close
friends, he didn´t have someone to trust, and that’s why he was even lonelier.
Also, he was a terrible student, maybe this desmotivates him, because he felt
that he was not good in anything, he had such a bad concept of himself, and no
self confidence.
I think that the fact that he saw with his own eyes the act of suicide
of a bullied kkid, was another psychological reason for being like that. And in
my opinion, his concept of “phony” was made like some kind of protection for
himself. He started to judge and criticize everyone around, in order to feel
better with himself. At this point he hates everyone and everything, nothing
makes him happy expect from his sister Phoebe (who was very similar to Allie).
Find out about the symptoms of Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder, depression, the five stages of grieving and loss, the impact
of death on a family, and any other reason you think Holden might be failing
out of school and wandering New York City.
1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:
Intrusive memories
Symptoms of intrusive memories may include:
·
Recurrent, unwanted
distressing memories of the traumatic event
·
Reliving the traumatic event
as if it were happening again (flashbacks)
·
Upsetting dreams about the
traumatic event
·
Severe emotional distress or
physical reactions to something that reminds you of the event
Avoidance
Symptoms of avoidance may include:
·
Trying to avoid thinking or
talking about the traumatic event
·
Avoiding places, activities or
people that remind you of the traumatic event
Negative changes in thinking and mood
Symptoms of negative changes in thinking and mood may include:
·
Negative feelings about
yourself or other people
·
Inability to
experience positive emotions
·
Feeling
emotionally numb
·
Lack of interest in activities
you once enjoyed
·
Hopelessness
about the future
·
Memory problems, including not
remembering important aspects of the traumatic event
·
Difficulty
maintaining close relationships
Changes in
emotional reactions
Symptoms of changes in emotional reactions (also called arousal symptoms)
may include:
·
Irritability, angry outbursts
or aggressive behavior
·
Always being on guard for
danger
·
Overwhelming
guilt or shame
·
Self-destructive behavior,
such as drinking too much or driving too fast
·
Trouble
concentrating
·
Trouble sleeping
·
Being easily
startled or frightened
2. Depression
Behaviour
·
not
going out anymore
·
not getting things done at work/school
·
withdrawing from close family and
friends
·
relying
on alcohol and sedatives
·
not
doing usual enjoyable activities
·
unable
to concentrate
Feelings
·
overwhelmed
·
guilty
·
irritable
·
frustrated
·
lacking
in confidence
·
unhappy
·
indecisive
·
disappointed
·
miserable
·
sad
Thoughts
·
'I’m
a failure.'
·
'It’s
my fault.'
·
'Nothing good ever happens to me.'
·
'I’m
worthless.'
·
'Life’s
not worth living.'
·
'People would be better off
without me.'
Physical
·
tired
all the time
·
sick
and run down
·
headaches
and muscle pains
·
churning
gut
·
sleep
problems
·
loss
or change of appetite
·
significant
weight loss or gain
3. The five stages of grieving and loss
- Denial: Holden doesn´t care about stuff, like failing subjects and getting kicked out. Also, when he denies that he needs profesional help (with the guy who had a drink).
- Anger: Holden is kind of mad with everything, he hates "phonies" and he judges everyone around. Nothing is the way he wants.
- Bargaining: This is where he tries to looks for "solutions" to his problems. He is demotivated and he just wants to feel better.
- Depression: Holden is depressed basically the hole book, however he has harder times in some specific parts, such as when he goes for a drink with the "dumb" girls.
- Acceptance: At the end of the book we can see that he entered to psychiatric hospital.
4. Loneliness
The final lines of the novel clearly point to Holden's loneliness:
"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."
Holden doesn´t have someone to trust, except from Phoebe. He doesn´t have close friends, even a single "normal" friend. His parents doesn´t support him as they should, and he can´t express his real feelings with anybody. He is alone, dealing with his several problems.
The impact of death on a family
The death of someone is something very shocking and traumatic for the
ones who where close to the person, especially when it´s caused by a tragic situation
such as an accident or a disease.
The impact of death on a family is something very hard to get over and
sometimes it could cause serious psychological damage on the family members.
There is nothing more painful than the loss of a son or a brother. This cases
should be treated by a professional (it could be a spiritual leader too). This
people need many support to continue with their lives.
In the particular case of Holden, Allie´s dead was the most traumatic
event in his life, it changed his life. Even a few years after this tragic
experience happened, Holden still remember constantly the scene, he revives the
pain and he feels so bad about it.
By the end of this week, you must determine
Holden’s diagnosis based on your findings
a) What would Holden’s diagnosis be?
It is more than clear that Holden has a lot of troubles; he has more
than one suffering.
In my point of view, Holden´s diagnosis would be:
1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: It is evident that Allie´s dead
caused him a serious damage and a huge impact on his life. He couldn´t get over
it.
2. Depression: This suffering is one of the most important factors in
the novel. Maybe his loneliness is what is causing so much pain and sadness in
his life. He doesn´t have someone to cheer him up.
b) How would doctors treat him today?
Psychiatrists and psychologists are professionals in the area of health who are able to treat these cases. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression should be treated with a full therapy program and medication. It depends on the gravity of the situation, and on the progress of the patient. There is a specific medication called "Antidepressants" , that helps in the treatment of depression.
Holden would need to keep doing therapy (it could be in the hospital) and making a huge effort to get better.
c) Would Holden be on medication? Why
or why not?
Justify your answer with facts.
I think that after Holden goes for help and understands his problems, the health professional would probably apply him medication, because depression is a suffering that could be treated much better with a proper and regulated medication. There are
several types of depression medications (antidepressants) used to treat
depression and conditions that have depression as a component of the disease. These
drugs improve symptoms of depression by increasing the availability of certain
brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. It is believed that these brain
chemicals can help regulate brain circuits that affect emotions.
Facts:
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are common drugs for depression. In fact, they are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants. An imbalance of serotonin may play a role in depression. These drugs fight depression symptoms by decreasing serotonin reuptake in the brain. This effect leaves more serotonin available to work in your brain.