Week 3 Holden´s mind

  

What´s wrong with Holden?!

Without doubt Holden needs help, serious, urgent,psichiatric help. Anyone with a little bit of sense knows that. But why? Why is Holden so troubled?.

Is obvious that Holden suffers a lot because his brother Allie died. He suffers of PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is that what makes him obsessed with the sincerity and the purity of the little children like Allie or Phoebe, that makes him see every adult like a phonys.

It´s actually more simple than you might think: He thinks that when you grow up you loose your pureness and your authenticity, everything you do you do it for your own benefit or just for looking good in front of other people. Children are sincere and pure, everything they do they do it because they think is the right thing for everyone, not just for them. Holden feels that he needs to keep this purity complete, he has to "Catch" the children before they fall into the cliff of adultness, he sees himself like a savior, as the Catcher in the Rye. Because of these thoughts he errases the words "fuck you" that were written on Phoebe´s school and because of these thoughts he does everything he does, this thoughts rule his world.

Holden as The Catcher in the Rye

Holdens suffers of:

1. PTSD

Symptoms:

• Guilt, shame, or self-blame
• Feelings of mistrust and betrayal
• Depression or hopelessness, including suicidal thoughts and feelings
• Substance abuse
• Physical aches and pains

   
      2.  Major Depression:

Symptoms:

• Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
• Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
• Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
• Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
• Changes in appetite — often reduced appetite and weight loss, but increased cravings for food and weight gain in some people
• Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that aren't your responsibility
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

He also is passing through the five stages of loss:

1.  Denial and isolation: The first reaction to learning about the terminal illness, loss, or death of a cherished loved one is to deny the reality of the situation. “This isn’t happening, this can’t be h-appening,” people often think. It is a normal reaction to rationalize overwhelming emotions. It is a defense mechanism that buffers the immediate shock of the loss. We block out the words and hide from the facts. This is a temporary response that carries us through the first wave of pain.
2. Anger: People that are grieving often become upset with the person or situation which put them in their grief state.  After all, their life could now be in complete disarray.  The path of least resistance is anger as opposed to facing the consequences of a loss head on.  In the case of death, the anger is often focused toward the deceased for leaving that person behind and unable to cope.   Other times people become angry at themselves if they feel they could have done something more to stop the loss from happening.
3. Bargaining: This is when those who are grieving are reaching out to the universe to make the pain go away.  It is actually very normal, and largely considered to be a sign that they are beginning to comprehend their situation.  People will often try to make a deal, or promise to do anything, if the pain will be taken away.
4. Depression:Contrary to popular belief, depression is something that may take some time to develop. We often think we are depressed when a grief event first occurs, but there is usually a lot of shock and other emotions present before any real depression can set in.  The signs of depression due to grief usually appear when a sense of finality is realized.  This is not to be confused with clinical depression, which may be chronic. Depression due to grief is technically episodic, even though it may last for a lengthy period of time.
5. Acceptance: This is the point where the person experiencing grief no longer is looking backward to try and recover the life they once had with the deceased, or other cause of their grief episode.  It is not to say that they no longer feel the vast array of emotions brought on by their grief, but they are ready to embrace the idea that they are reaching a new point in there lives.  At this point, they are beginning to understand that there is a new beginning on the horizon.

If Holden would have lived in our times he would problably would be treated by a psychiatrist and be under medication to deal with is serious depression and with his addictions to cigarettes, alcohol and his Im-the-best-person-in-the-world-and-everybdoy-is-a-phonie-philia.