Holden Caulfield Manic Depression Essay

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Rough Draft “I swear to God I’m crazy. I admit it.” Throughout the novel, The Catcher in The Rye, Holden Caulfield is shown to have multiple manic and depressive episodes within the course of a few days, hinting at him having Manic Depression in ultradian cycling. To begin with, many of Holden’s physical and mental symptoms can be linked to events occurring during manic and depressive phases. According to Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance(DBSA), “Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a treatable illness involving extreme changes in mood, thought, energy, and behavior”. DBSA states that manic phases can include a decrease in sleep, reckless behavior or speech, flamboyant actions …show more content…

Antolini during chapter 24 and chapter 25 because the scene shows key factors of a depressive episode. As stated on SparkNotes plot overview of The Catcher in the Rye, “ Mr. Antolini asks Holden about his expulsion and tries to counsel him about his future. Holden can’t hide his sleepiness, and Mr. Antolini puts him to bed on the couch. Holden awakens to find Mr. Antolini stroking his forehead. Thinking that Mr. Antolini is making a homosexual overture, Holden hastily excuses himself and leaves, sleeping for a few hours on a bench at Grand Central Station”. This serves as a basic summary of Holden’s interactions with Mr. Antolini. And during Holden’s time in Grand Central Station, he states in the novel that he may have misjudged Mr. Antolini. At this point, on pages 214 and 215 of the novel, Holden becomes indecisive about whether or not to go back to Mr. Antolini’s apartment. “The more I thought about it, though, the more depressed and screwed up about it I got” is how Holden describes these thoughts. Some of the symptoms shown are, as quoted from PsyCom’s article, “indecisiveness”, “feelings of fatigue”, and “anxiety”. Furthermore, Holden’s mood swings seem to be in rapid cycling throughout the course of The Catcher in the Rye, further hinting at him being

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