ipl-logo

How Does Holden Caulfield Bipolar Disorder

869 Words4 Pages

Twenty percent of teenagers with major depression develop bipolar disorder within 5 years. (“Bipolar Disorder Statistics”). Bipolar disorder is defined as a brain disorder that causes unusual mood swings, activity level, and unable to carry out daily activities. (“Bipolar disease”). The Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J.D Salinger. Salinger introduces Holden Caulfield, who is a 16 year old boy struggling to find happiness in the world. Holden displays symptoms of Bipolar disorder when he has mood swings and is unable to carry out daily activities. It is assumed that Holden is telling his story and what happened in his life to a psychiatrist. Holden himself does not know who he really is and is trying to search for self. In The …show more content…

(“Bipolar Disease”). One of the symptoms Holden displays is his change in behavior Holden was the type of guy who is always mean and negative and not helping out other people. “ They always looked mossy and awful, and he damn near made you sick if you saw him…”(Salinger 19). But he shows symptoms of bipolar disorder when he starts helping out other people which he never does. Lack of sleep and depression may trigger sudden mood swings. (“Mood swings and Bipolar disorder”). Holden at this point has not got enough sleep at all throughout the book which caused him to have mood swings. Changing in eating behaviors and sleeping is one of the main points in behavior changing. (“Bipolar Disorder”). Holden not eating shows that having behavioral changes is a one of the major symptoms of Bipolar disorder. Holden does not eat throughout most of the book because he states that he have not been hungry and so he forgot to eat. “I had quite a large breakfast, for me- orange juice, bacon, and eggs, toast and coffee… Usually i just drink some orange juice. I'm a very light eater.” (Salinger 107). Although change in behavior is one of the major symptoms of bipolar disorder, Holden also displays having suicidal …show more content…

( “Leading Causes of Death Ages 1 – 85+ in the U.S.”) Another symptom of Bipolar disease that Holden display is suicidal thoughts. Holden was not a person that would usually say that he is sad, happy or negative but he was starting to show signs of depression and him having suicidal thoughts. “ I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would have done it too if i had been sure somebody would cover me up as soon as I landed.” (Salinger 104). Multiple times in the book, Holden has talked about him wanting to die. Suicidal thoughts is one of the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Holden never expressed his feelings of how he felt, but after he started to show that he was depressed, he was having suicidal thoughts also. Signs of having suicidal behavior are abusing drugs or alcohol, feeling hopelessness, and doing dangerous or life threatening things. (“Bipolar Disorder Emergencies and Suicide Prevention”). Multiple times in the novel, Holden abuses alcohol even though he is not at the legal age to drink. “Boy, I sat at that goddam bar till around one o'clock or so, getting drunk as a bastard...I could hardly see straight...When I'm drunk I'm a madman." (Salinger 150-151). Holden shows symptoms of Bipolar disorder because he has suicidal thoughts, but also he shows symptoms of the disorder when he has

Show More
Related

  • How Is Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

    576 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is one instance in the story where Holden may have developed PTSD from, which is death of his younger brother, Allie. After this tragic event, Holden’s parents send him to a private boarding school, worsening the effect. He does not do well in school and his

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ptsd In Catcher In The Rye

    699 Words  | 3 Pages

    Due to his depressive thought and mood , Holden will behave strangely. Trying to be an adult, Holden will try act like one, which causes him to not be himself and have a different behavior. Holden seems phony when he tries to become an adult. There is a part in the book that really shocked me, it is when he Holden took advantages of Jane’s emotion to kiss her. He knew that something was going wrong in Jane’s house, but that did not change anything, when he saw the opportunity he took it, she seemed not willing to do it.

    Read More

  • Holden's Mental Breakdowns In The Catcher In The Rye

    719 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Holden gets kicked out of his current school, Pencey, he decides to leave a few days early to spend a few days in New York City alone. During the trip Holden experiences many events that cause him to have mental breakdowns. Holden’s mental breakdowns with his fight with Stradilator, date with Sally and crying episode in the rain eventually lead to an appointment with a psychologist.

    Read More

  • How Is Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

    927 Words  | 4 Pages

    I felt like jumping out the window. I probably would've done it, too, if I'd been sure somebody’d cover me up as soon as I landed. I didn't want to bunch of stupid rubbernecks looking at me when I was on gory” (Salinger 117). The hopelessness Holden feels, by wanting to commit suicide, is a serious sign of depression.

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield Psychology

    330 Words  | 2 Pages

    While it is clear that teenagers typically suffer from mood swings and unsettling behavior, this is not the case for Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. J.D Salinger portrays his protagonist, Holden, as a cynical and unstable character whose issues may seem dismal; however, his actions and recurring thoughts prove to be much graver than expected and correspond to many of the signs of a psychological disorder described in the article “What’s Normal and What’s Not”. Often, Holden does appear to be dealing and coping with his issues like any other teenager. For example his cynical judgements, listless attitude, and need for independence can very well be perceived as normal rebellious behaviors seen in adolescents.

    Read More

  • Why Is Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    Has anyone in your family ever dealt with mental illness, if so you know how vulnerable they are and how a person can't do anything about it to get help because they’re not right in the head. The person has no idea that they have a problem, this can be seen in holden Caulfield from Catcher In The Rye he suffers from mental illness like depression, but he was untreated for it because of the time period he is in and that society has built up stigmas around mental illness so in turn, he was alienated for it and rejected by society, holden is constantly running from problems and he can't go to his problems and home because of the stigmas in society There are several side effects to mental illness that holden shows like thoughts of suicide and homelessness.

    Read More

  • How Does Holden Present Depression In Catcher In The Rye

    773 Words  | 4 Pages

    Holden Caulfield In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the character Holden shows the symptoms of depression. Holden is kicked out of boarding school multiple times and is unable to make meaningful connections with others because he thinks they are all phonies. Holden’s negative attitude and inability to deal with his brother’s death cause many of his problems. Holden Caulfield is extremely lonely, often thinks about suicide, and drinks excessively.

    Read More

  • Holden's Mental Instability In Catcher In The Rye

    542 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden’s mental instability is reflected through his instability and restlessness. He cannot do one thing or stay in one place. One example of this is when Holden becomes tired of riding taxis, and it becomes something he can no longer do. In his mind, which is fragile and on the verge of shattering, he can no longer be in a taxi for whatever reason he thinks. The same goes for when he goes from school to school and is unable to stay in one for a long time.

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Grief Analysis

    656 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden has a very different way of showing his depression in the novel. His depression is present when he tries to keep his innocence and stray away from adult hood all while trying to keep his relationship with his brother Allie. Holden wants to be the “catcher in the rye “. He wants to be that person who catches those kids who are falling off the cliff into adulthood. Holden wants to protect those who are close to him and those that he loves.

    Read More

  • Bipolar Disorder In Catcher In The Rye

    1238 Words  | 5 Pages

    Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a common mental disorder that is caused by genetics, the environment, brain structure, and chemistry. Bipolar disorder can often be misdiagnosed in teenagers since they are going through changes in their body and mind. One could see mood swings in a teenager and make the mistake of thinking he or she is going through normal changes. However, if one looks deeper into Holden’s character, one realizes that his mood swings, along with his excessive desire for sexual experiences, are actually symptoms of bipolar disorder. The first warning sign of his mental condition is when he buys Sunny, the prostitute, for the night.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Mental Illness In Catcher In The Rye

    783 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first cause of Holden 's mental illness that readers notice is that he lacks control over his actions. As Holden was 13 years old, his brother Allie died of leukemia. Holdens behavior in response to his brothers death was very violent. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it (Holden Caulfield 39).” Holden admits that he didn’t know he was doing it, but says it was a stupid thing to do.

    Read More

  • How Is Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

    553 Words  | 3 Pages

    These problems he is having are not normal and should be addressed immediately. I think that this advanced stage of depressions may have been worsened by his parents. Holden undoubtedly believes that he was abandoned by his parents by them sending him to boarding schools instead of bringing him home to confront his actually problems. Also the separation of him form the rest of his family for the most part has made him miss his brother more which has worsened his

    Read More

  • What Are Holden Caulfield's Flaws

    904 Words  | 4 Pages

    In many cases throughout the novel, Holden tells the reader of his feeling of deep sadness, and even admitting his depression. However, in most of these cases, his sadness is triggered by little events or situations. For example, when he explains his feelings about the phony Elkton Hills headmaster talking with his well-dressed parents, he says, “It makes me so depressed I go crazy” (Salinger 14). His feelings about the headmaster are interesting, because it shows that he overreacts and has depressive thoughts for little, unreasonable things which most teenagers at his age typically don’t experience. Also, Holden even considers committing suicide multiple times throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield's Mental Illness In The Catcher In The Rye

    366 Words  | 2 Pages

    Along with Holden’s many health problems, he is also mentally unstable in that he makes very erratic and irresponsible decisions, particularly when it comes

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye: A Psychological Analysis Of Holden Caulfield

    824 Words  | 4 Pages

    Holden has shown occasions of uncontrollable emotion that should be looked further into when deciding whether he is simply battling his hormones, or if he is truly struggling with bipolar disorder. If he does indeed have bipolar disorder, he must take the meds prescribed to him

    Read More

More about How Does Holden Caulfield Bipolar Disorder

Open Document