We researched 4 different disorders that seemed possible that Holden could have (Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and post traumatic depression)
Bipolar Disorder:
symptoms include severe mood swings, repeated episodes of depression, irritable mood, racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, impulsively, poor judgments, outburst of anger and rage/ anxiety.
People who suffer from it have a high risk of suffering from substance abuse and other mental health problems.
Males develop it earlier in life than females.
http://www.medicinenet.com/bipolar_disorder/page3.html
Although the irritable mood, racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, and impulsively match Holden, the idea of mood "swings" and having other mental health problems do not.
Holden has never been happy or anything other than annoyed in the book, so it wouldn't be logical for Holden to be bipolar.
Schizophrenia:
Schizophrenia is a split personality disorder. It is a mental illness that affects men more than it does women.
The symptoms of psychotic mental disorders include thought, behavior and SOCIAL problems. Their thinking is completely out of touch with reality.
The symptoms of Schizophrenia include:
inhibition of facial expressions, lack of speech, LACK OF MOTIVATION, disorganized speech, and behaviors.
http://www.medicinenet.com/schizophrenia/page3.htm
This matches better with Holden based on the social problems and lack of motivation that really holds Holden back.
The five stages of grief are:
1. Denial and Isolation- deny the event that has taken place; lose contact with family and friends.
2. Anger- the grieving person may then be furious at the person who did it or at the world for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place.
3. Bargaining- Now the grieving person may make bargains with God wanting things to change and go back to the way they were.
4. Depression- Person feels numb and lost in thought about everything
5. Acceptance- This is when it rally his them and understands it happened for a reason and they accept it.
Post Traumatic Stress is caused by seeing or experiencing a traumatic death or event.
www.memorialhospital.org
Post-Traumatic Disorder
the symptoms include:
Flashbacks of the event
-reliving the event
Avoidance
- Numbing yourself emotionally or acting like you don't feel anything
- Having no sense of future
- Staying away from situations/ places/ ect. that remind you of the event.
- Lack of interest in normal activities.
Arousal
- diffuculty sleeping
- irratibility or outburst of anger
- exaggerated responses to things that startle you.
"Survivor Guilt"
- headaches
- agitation
- paleness
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001923/
This disorder would also make sense with Holden. He has difficulty sleeping, exaggerated responses, no sense of future, lack of interest in normal things, and headaches.
We think that Holden either has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Schizophrenia.
I think he's more on the lines of PTSD. Schizophrenia usually doesn't show until the patient has hit his early 20's :)
ReplyDeleteI dont think he would have Schizophrenia because it would make him more jittery. Plus he only has two of the many symptoms of Schizophrenia. He doesnt have lack of speech or psychotic behaviors. Like Amy said he most likely has PTSD.
ReplyDeleteit kinda seems like holden is bipolar .. but at the same time, he doesn't really have huge mood swings like other people who are bipolar. that's probably one of those things you have to be tested for .. then again, what else could he have?
ReplyDeleteI believe Holden and everyone else thinks he has a disorder but truely I do not think he does. Death in a family is really hard to over come and you do things that you normally would not do. Isolation is the biggest thing I know because Tyler's mom still has this problem and their daughter died six years ago and a friend of my mother's her daughter died 19 years ago and has some of the same reaction even after all this time.
ReplyDeletei think that holden would be suffering from depression due to the fact that he never has any fun and confids in prostitutes and elevator operators as people to talk to about his problems. i think that holden needs to get over the fact that yes Albie did die, he could still mourn but not telling people about it. this is AJ not alina
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of symptoms that hold has aligns with those of Schizophrenia. For example his social problems and his complete lack of motivation...
ReplyDelete-Ace
I dont think Holden had scitzofrenea (sorry for spelling) because with that mental disorder you usally see two distinct and diffrent personalitys instead of being sad and happy then wishing you could die or wishing harm on some one
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that he has schizophrenia because he does not have split personalities. I believe that he might be bipolar because he is fine one minute and then he is off his rocker.
ReplyDeleteLooking at some of the affects/behaviors of schizophrenia, I think that he probably does have it. I don't think he is suicidal.
ReplyDeleteP.S. that comment by the so called "michelle" was not here....She is an imposture. It was actually Topher. I will find you Michelle, and there will be consequences!
ReplyDeletei think he has schizophrenia because of his behavior. he has a lot of social problems and he's not very motivated. i don't think he has friends because of this, and he does move around a lot.
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