His explanation for dropping out of the rest of four other schools is another indicator of his inability to control his manifestations: "I didn't exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of" "One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies" (Salinger). "It makes me so depressed I go crazy. I hated that goddam Elkton Hills"(Salinger). It is one of the many times Holden uses the word "depressed." The periods of depression he is describing are alternating with periods of exaltation when he is just happy to play in the snow, read a book, spend an evening with a girl, be with his younger sister or listening with his older brother.
He is hyper-energetic and often presents outburst of violent acts. As if trying to diagnose himself, he is asking at some point: "I'm just going through a phase right now. Everybody goes through phases and all, don't they?" (Salinger). He does not seem convinced and neither is the audience. Further, he confesses being a liar for no reason at all, which adds to his carelessness and inability to pay attention even when he is in charge, like the episode on the metro. His lack of attention extends to the most common acts, like that of borrowing a book from the library: he did not notice they gave him the wrong book until he got home.
Holden's story about the last years of his young life is revealing the symptoms of bipolar disorder in at least five manic and five depressive manifestations, over an extended period of...
Further inquiries must be however undertaken until a correct treatment can be recommended.
Outline:
1. Bipolar Disorder. Symptoms, Causes, Dyagnosis. Statistics.
1.1 Bipolar disorder in the main character in the Catcher in the Rye
1.3 State of the medicine in the researches concerning the illness during the time of the events told by the narrator compared to what medicine and psychology developed now.
2. Symptoms and counterarguments in Holden Caulfield that indicate his possible suffering of bipolar disorder and his own reaction to his behavior.
2.1 Comparison and distinction from other comorbid disorders present in adolescence.
2.3 Other symptoms that merge toward the diagnosis of bipolar disorder in Holden Caulfield.
2.3.1 His own reaction to his inability to control some of his manifestations
3. Conclusion toward the diagnosis.
References
Geller, B. DelBello M.P. 2003. Bipolar Disorder in Childhood and Early Adolescence. Guilford Press.
Salinger. J.D. 1991. The Catcher in the Rye. Little, Brown and Company.
Bipolar Disorder. 2007. Reviewed by: David V. Sheslow, PhD. Retrieved: Feb 3, 2009. Available at http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/bipolar.html
Bipolar Disorder. 2008. NIMH. Retrieved: Feb 3, 2009. Available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/complete-publication.shtml
