Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

Though we are members of one single society, viewing it through the lens of our own personal perspective results in different judgments to be drawn about it. Such judgments may subconsciously mandate our attitude upon the world. This notion is evident in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, where the main protagonist Holden Caulfield is a teenager with a pessimistic connotation of the society he believes is deeply submerged in phoniness. This opinionated nature of his is reflected off through the thoughts and decisions he makes, which tend to be done based on his obsession with achieving quick relief of his mental pains. In doing so, he voluntarily exposes himself to drugs and alcohol, all being temporary mental stimulants to help deter

Holden’s thoughts from his constant hurting. Holden, therefore, exhibits non-neurotypical behavior which would suggest the possibility of a mental illness spurred by past traumatic events at fault, mostly due to his cynical mindset and ways of interacting with the world.

Much evidence points towards the notion that Holden became mentally ill consequently to his brother Allie’s death, whom to Holden, represented all that was good in the world. In a metaphor between life and a museum, Holden remarks that the“...best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move” (121). With this, it can be inferred that Holden’s persona is rather sensitive to change, and prefers the still atmosphere of a museum where artifacts stuck in time are showcased. Had Allie never passed away, Holden would likely be a more positive person or at least someone who doesn’t exhibit symptoms of a mental illness. Evidence supporting this claim is the fact that teenage brains are more sensitive to traumatizing past events that would consequently alter their mindsets

negatively in the future, possibly to the point of chronic depression. This is largely due to a process called neuroplasticity, which according to a Stanford research article “...allows the neurons in the brain to adjust their activity in response to new situations or changes in their environment” (Liou, stanford.edu). The teenager’s mindset would thus reflect the environment from which they were exposed when they were younger, whether it had been a good influence or not. Adding to this, a joint study at the University of Jilin points out that the “...changes in neural plasticity induced by stress and other negative stimuli play a significant role in the onset and development of depression” (Liu, hindawi.com). The “negative stimuli” would revolve around the powerful emotions Holden must have had during his experience of losing a loved one. Therefore, Allie’s death would have likely affected how Holden’s brain is rewired, mirroring the traumatizing emotions he felt possibly to the point of chronic depression.
Through Holden’s speech patterns and the conscious decision he makes, it can be reasonably concluded that he has a pessimistic outlook on the world. Holden has an abnormally excessive usage of words such as “goddamn”, “depressed” and “crumby”. As someone with experience interacting with mentally ill people (through mental health forums, chat rooms, relatives, etc) I have observed that there is a common choice of dialogue in those affected. And uncoincidentally, this string of vocabulary choice is similar to that of Holden’s throughout the book. Thus, the cynical mindset of those who are psychologically disturbed seems to reflect off their vocabulary. Holden’s conscious decisions and actions also seem to be abnormal for someone who isn’t mentally ill. This is seen through his constant deliberation pertaining to sex and alcohol, both endeavors he seems to seek out constantly. Upon him being bargained to see a prostitute, Holden would immediately comply. Although, this wasn’t a deliberate decision so as much it was a decision made off a sudden emotional impulse. After agreeing to see the prostitute, Holden would remark that it "was against [his] principles and all, but [he] was feeling so depressed [he] didn't even think. That's the whole trouble. When you're feeling very depressed, you can't even think” (91). This quote would highlight Holden’s irrationality upon making critical decisions, subconsciously valuing quick alleviation of his mental pains over long-term effects. Again, the culprit at fault could only be pointed towards a mental illness, where only some sort of profound psychological deficit would explain Holden’s thought patterns.
Some may argue that it isn’t likely for Holden to be mentally ill because since he could simply be experiencing bouts of teenage hormones.

Surges of hormones commonly alter the brains of teenagers so that they appear to be pathologically depressed when they aren’t, with Holden being no exception. In short, hormones could easily mimic the symptoms of a mental illness. Though this is a valid claim, several features Holden has would tip the scale in favor of a mental illness at fault over mind-shifting teenage hormones. According to a post from the National Institute of Mental Health, “Regular moodiness and sadness usually go away quickly though, within a couple of days”, whereas “Untreated depression is a more intense feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and anger or frustration that lasts much longer, such as for weeks, months, or longer” (“Teen Depression”, nimh.nih.gov). Holden’s cynicism, pessimism, and frustration at the world around him has been chronic in nature. Therefore, the notion that Holden is simply experiencing the rougher edges of teenage hormones could be refuted simply through observing the time frame from which Holden has been experiencing his

symptoms.
In conclusion, Holden’s features that point towards a mental illness at hand are consistently highlighted throughout the story. This would especially be through his pessimistic outlook on society and his emotionally-traumatic past which may have deviated his mindset to the point of mental illness. His ways of interacting the world are sporadically done on emotional impulse, not critically assessed, and are abnormal to the point where only some sort of psychological deficit could be the explanation. With this being all said, Holden’s cynical perspective on life is indifferent to most, remorseful, but most likely profoundly influenced by a pathological mental disease.