To begin, Holden has bipolar disorder. According to Mayo Clinic, Bipolar Disorder, previously called manic depression, is a disorder that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs and lows. A major sign or symptom is depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, such as feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or tearful (“Bipolar Disorder”). Holden portrays the symptoms throughout the novel. “ Then I went over and laid down on Ely’s bed. Boy, did I feel rotten. I felt so damn lonesome” (Salinger ___). Holden usually feels lonely and depressed throughout the novel. Bipolar Disorder and Depression almost mean the same thing. Mayo Clinic says, “Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. "So I went in this very cheap-looking restaurant and had doughnuts and coffee. Only, I didn't eat the doughnuts. I couldn't swallow them too well. The thing is, if you get very …show more content…
Anxiety and Depression Society of America says, “Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a serious potentially debilitating condition that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a natural disaster, serious accident, terrorist incident, sudden death of a loved one, war, violent personal assault such as rape, or other life-threatening events” (“Reacting to a Traumatic Event”). Holden experiences a life changing event in his life when Allie dies. "What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed. I keep telling him to go home and to get his bike and meet me..." (Salinger 98). Holden does not want to accept the fact that his brother Allie is dead and that he cannot be with him any more, so in his mind he replays the times that he and Allie had