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Catcher In The Rye Mental Illness

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the book Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, reports that “[o]f children ages 9 to 17, 21 percent have a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder that causes at least minimal impairment” (http://www2.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=federal_and_state_policy_legislation&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=43804). With numbers as high as twenty-one percent, this is an issue that is probably more widespread than we realize it is. Statistics like these raise many questions as to just how many characters are afflicted with mental illnesses. One such case is Holden from the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, who may have any of a number of mental illnesses …show more content…

When Stradlater unknowingly prods at Holden’s soft spot, Allie, Holden responds to him “[c]old as hell” (Salinger 41). If Holden responded to Stradlater coldly, it can be inferred that he was very irritated, and perhaps it could be anxiety-linked rather than just being bothered by something. Holden later goes into a bar and gives “[three girls] this very cool glance” to signal that he’s interested in, at the very least, dancing with them; when they respond in a way he dislikes, he says they “annoyed hell out of me” (Salinger 70). This may also be linked to anxiety rather than just a simple emotion; experiencing anxiety over a long time makes him more likely to be irritable, and it shows in how he describes his emotions at the time. Much later on, Holden expresses extreme irritation when “somebody says the coffee’s all ready and it isn’t” (Salinger 184). Because Holden shows signs of annoyance that are absolutely out of proportion with the situation over a long time, it can be inferred that he suffers from anxiety-based symptoms. Analyzing Holden’s cause of irritation leads to a strong sense that it is a result of GAD rather than anything else. Holden’s generalized anxiety disorder leads him to two very prominent and recognizable symptoms: excessive worrying and intense irritation. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye portrays a well-written example of a teenager, Holden Caulfield, suffering from at least one mental illness and possibly more. Holden’s words, actions, and symptoms throughout the book all point to someone who is suffering from mental illness, something that is a problem for

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