Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

Holden Caulfield is a young kid who is struggling with his belonging and stance in life. When he was 13 his brother died, and it had a very long lasting effect on him. The most significant underlying cause for Holdens problematic behavior would be the death of his brother and how he and the family handled the loss. His fear of growing up and his idealized version of childhood are what's holding him back in life. Holden Caulfield is being diagnosed with depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies, and PTSD. Some factors that have led to Holden's diagnosis is his tendency to withdraw himself from social events and his always isolating himself from other people. He feels responsible for his brother's death and feels like he wasn't there to protect

I think his PTSD will overcome him and destroy the relationships he has now leading him to take his life in my opinion. Some underlying issues that must be addressed in Holden's treatment are his bad sleeping tendencies and his tendency to be quick to anger and his judgmentalness. ¨Furthermore, sibling death has been associated with reactions such as: anxiety…, depression…, anger…, guilt…, loneliness…, peer isolation…, post-traumatic stress symptoms…, and suicidal ideation...¨ (HORSLEY 2) I think Holden should be released from the facility because he could benefit from being and living with his family and bonding with his sister more but being in a more controlled environment with schooling at home and not at a boarding school away from the structure.¨ They also need to know that adults are not only available to talk with them but also to listen with genuine interest in hearing what they have to say.¨(Palmer 7) He has been separated from his family ever since he went to school, he doesn't know what a support system is and that he has people he can rely on. The best treatment option for Holdens specific needs is getting him on some anti-depressants. I think getting him medicated is the best thing for him because it could help regulate his emotions and hormones to get him back on track. A long-term assistance treatment that will further improve Holden's well-being is getting him to realize he can't save every kid and making him understand that it's ok for kids to grow up and lose so much of their innocence that it isn't the end of the world to grow up and that he and everyone else will be ok. ¨In the latter scenario, children and adolescents are forced, immediately, to come to terms with their parents’ inability to protect them.¨(HORSLEY 3) Experiencing the death of a loved one as a kid is