Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye

Holden Caufield exhibits symptoms of both teen grief and antisocial personality disorder. However, Holden definitely suffers from prolonged grief disorder, rather than being antisocial, because Holden expresses aversion to solitude and a need to be around others. In both the desolate hallways of Pencey as he is leaving, and the empty streets of New York as he is wandering them, Holden feels "lonesome and depressed". The patient is clearly not antisocial. Holden demonstrates a prominent symptom of prolonged grief disorder: he avoids reminders of deceased loved ones. In fact, Holden's predisposition for lying stems from a desire to escape reality and all reminders of his dead younger brother Allie, who is the source of Holden's grief. Holden exhibits great

Holden says it "drives [him] crazy if somebody gets killed...and it's somebody else's fault," referring to Mercutio in this instance. However, his statement also applies to Allie, who died from leukemia through no fault of his own. Holden expresses his frustration and disillusionment with the world in this situation. Holden has already informed us that his parents are apathetic to his situation: after he shows his frustration at his brother's death by punching out the windows, instead of addressing his grief sympathetically, Holden's parents attempt to send him to be "psychoanalyzed". Holden should be diagnosed with teen grief, rather be sent to a mental institution, an unhealthy, oppressive environment which would dramatically worsen his condition, because of a personality disorder that he does not have. I recommend he be prescribed a 16 week treatment program involving "interpersonal therapy, motivational interviewing, positive psychology and cognitive-behavioral therapy" to assist him in understanding his grief and moving on (Columbia