Holden Caulfield Ptsd

It is an accepted fact that growing up is a difficult task. Everyone reaches an age where they are no longer a child, but not yet an adult. Caught in between these two stages of life is a frightening place. People handle this transitional period in various ways. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a novel about a teenage boy, Holden Caulfield. Holden, who is in a mental hospital, told a nurse about the tough situations he has been through this past year. Throughout the book, the reader can observe that Holden struggles with psychological issues such as depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts. Although some may say that Holden exhibits behavior that could be written off as normal. Holden should be held

To begin, early in the novel Holden tells the reader about his younger brother Allie that passed away due to leukemia. It is also made known to the reader that Holden has PTSD from this tragic situation. Holden has a hard time trusting people because of this, and has struggled with mental illness since Allies death. In addition to trust issues and PTSD, Holden tends to go into a fantasy world when he gets depressed. In that world, he “talks” to Allie out loud as if he was there. For instance, Holden was walking, and kept getting the feeling that he wouldn't make it to the other side of the street. In the book Holden says, “I thought I'd just go down, down, down and nobody would ever see me again. Boy did it scare me. then I started doing something else. Every time I’d get to the other end of the block, I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I'd say to him, Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear” (Salinger 256-257). Since Allie’s death, Holden struggles to express himself, and as a result “talks” to Allie. It is obvious to the reader that Holden struggles mentally based on his prior

After leaving Pencey, Holden stays at a nearby hotel for a night. While he is at the hotel, he encounters a prostitute and makes her leave his room. After that, Holden couldn't sleep. He spoke about not even feeling sleepy, just feeling depressed. Holden states, “I wasn't sleepy or anything, but I was feeling sort of lousy. Depressed and all, I almost wished I was dead” (118). At this point in the book, the reader can predict that Holden often feels depressed and doesn't know how to express this feeling of depression. Furthermore, Holden frequently mentions suicide and fantasizes about being dead. Like most people, depression and suicidal thoughts correlate. When Holden gets depressed, he starts to have thoughts of dying. Before Holden left Pencey, he knew a guy named Ackley. Whose dorm room was right across from his. Days before Holden had to leave Pencey, he slept in Ackley’s room, even though they weren't really friends. During his stay with Ackley, Holden looked out of the window, and described the streets as depressing. There was not a person around, just the cold rain. Holden remembers thinking, “I felt so lonely all of a