Diagnosing Holden Caulfield Essay Sample

Holden Caufield, a new patient, has been brought into my office. He's about 6 feet 2 inches tall, lanky, and emaciated. He has some gray hairs that make him appear older than he is. I've been tasked with researching and diagnosing Holden for any issues that may have arisen as a result of his traumatic experience, which has had a significant impact on his life. In my first meeting with Holden, I knew exactly what he needed to share with a stranger. Holden began exaggerating and speaking as if what had occurred was not true. I plan to use the Play Therapy technique in future classes. This method works best with younger children, but Holden refuses to move forward. This is a type of counseling in which play, such as drawing, writing, acting out, or building, is used to describe traumatic events in which the brain may not want to give all the details. When I told Holden about it, he didn't like it and called me a phony, saying it would never work, but now after a great deal of work, Holden wrote me a paper on what has happened. It was a free write that took about 5 minutes and led me to believe that something traumatic or depressing had occurred. Holden is a 16-year-old junior who was expelled from Pencey because of academic failure. He appears to be intelligent, with good grades in classes he enjoys, but he avoids activities that will bore him. Holden also told me that after being expelled, he spent several days wandering the dark streets of New York City. The death of his brother Allie had also taken the greatest toll on his life. Soon after, he witnessed one of his classmates commit suicide, and he has gone from boarding school to boarding school with no interaction from his family. According to my research and analysis, Holden suffers from severe depression. 

Many teenagers have experienced emotional trauma, but Holden has endured more than any child can imagine. Holden, for example, lost his brother to Leukemia when he was 13 years old. He refers to this night by explaining, “In the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it…It was a very stupid thing to do, I’ll admit, but I hardly didn’t even know I was doing it, and you didn’t know Allie."(C.5) Holden couldn't get emotional support from his family in a time of need because he was hopping between boarding schools. Holden has also told me that his family isn't the most loving, which I can see from what his sister, Phoebe, said to him when he was expelled from his previous school. She yelled, "Dad's going to kill you!" Despite the fact that he lacks a loving family, Phoebe always appears to be there for him. Holden says he is happiest when he is with her telling me,  "I felt so damn happy all of the sudden, the way phoebe ket going around and around.” (233) This, I believe, is the route of his depression. Teenagers cope in a variety of ways, and at this stage of his life, Holden requires the company of others. In this century, with little to no technology, Holden would have to pay just to have a brief conversation with his family. Holden has also told me that he speaks to his brother frequently. Many times he tells me instances where he would speak out loud to Allie. "What I did, I sort of started talking, out loud to Allie. ( 110)." This leads me to believe that Holden cannot accept his brother's death and would rather fabricate it than accept it. When you lose a family member who is close to you, many people put up walls as a precautionary measure so they don't become overly attached in case of another accident. My fear is that this is what has happened to Holden and that he will require multiple classes of assistance. This coping mechanism will cause depression and make you feel as if you shouldn't be close to anyone. According to what I've read thus far, Holden is very lost. I've concluded that he has been lost in his own mind and pulled in two different directions his entire journey and that when he was visiting his sister near the end of his journey, he thought to himself, "I almost wish I got caught." This gives me hope for Holden's future and that therapy will help him more than he and I both thought. Holdens also mentions things that are subconsciously related to him without his knowledge. Holden, for example, mentioned ducks to a number of different taxi drivers. He asked them where they went during the winter when they didn't have a place to live. Holden isn't aware of it, but he is relating to the ducks. He's lost in the city, with no place to call home and no way to go. On this journey, he feels lost, sad, and hopeless. This example illustrates depression because he mentions becoming depressed if he has nowhere to go in the future and will eventually "move out south, marry a deaf girl, and work at a gas station." Holden appears to be conflicted. He mentions this bleak future, but then tells me he begs his deceased brother not to let him go. With all of this anxiety coursing through him, I can see how his depression is manifesting itself as a result of constant battles with dark and depressing thoughts.

        After assisting Holden for a few days, it is clear to me that he suffers from depression from symptoms such as constant sadness, suicidal thoughts, and restlessness. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and sleeping time, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and, in some cases, suicidal ideation.(Depression)  Many people believe that they can cure their own depression, but it is an illness that cannot be controlled, much like the flu. People who have a lack of self-activity, difficulty thinking and concentrating, low self-esteem, and a pessimistic outlook are more likely to become depressed. Holden has unfortunately been through a lot in his life, and the majority of the symptoms associated with depression are related to Holden's behavior. Holden has told me more than once,  "Sometimes I just feel like jumping out of a window." While such suicidal comments are concerning in and of themself, Holden tells me that he saw a classmate, James Castle, jump out of a window in his sweater. Holden's mind, I believe, has become imprinted on this moment, and he is unable to move on. This is is most reflects on the main symptom of depression, persistent sadness. If Holden's mind is fixated on a certain depressing point in his life the constant sad thoughts will not fade away.  Depression can be very hard to spot in such a young child. For example, many of the symptoms follow under other mental health problems such as eating disorders, bipolar disease, and being suicide, but Holden's journey has been very hard for him. Aside from suicidality, another symptom that Holden exhibits is restlessness. Holden told me that on his last night at Pencey, he spent the majority of the night awake trying to talk to his roommate, Ackley, about moving away and joining a religious group. Holden was easily irritated by Ackley's phoniness and left without sleeping. Holden then spent several days in New York City staying in hotels, going to bars, dancing, and doing anything that will get his mind away from sleeping or relaxing, because if he allowed himself to relax, depressing dark thoughts would flood his mind. In addition, he is too indecisive because he has been awake all night trying to make up his mind. It relates to what I said earlier about him being mentally divided. I believe that now that I am assisting Holden, he will be able to clear his mind. Holden ha also informed me that "It took me quite a while to fall asleep- I wasn't even tired, but I eventually did." Holden must force himself to sleep at night in order to maintain his health. This will hurt Holden in the future and makes me very confident in Holden's recovery sense he is getting treatment now. This is a major step in the right direction showing he is now willing to receive help. 

We doctors at this hospital are committed to providing the best natural treatment possible. We do not believe in the use of medication and pills to treat mental illness. After assessing Holden for quite some time, I believe I have some solutions that will assist him in making a full recovery. Holden will no longer be permitted to attend boarding school, according to my first solution. Holden has little social interaction with his family, which makes him feel unwelcome. Even though he describes himself as "depressed and lonely,"(169) this social change will introduce a new loving lifestyle into his life. Every morning, he will awaken to a family that will always be there for him and his sister. Another thing I can do to assist Hoden is to create two schedules. The first schedule is a schedule for here. I would like to him more than once a week for 1 hour at a time. I will not just be talking to him though. I am going to give him a notebook. I am going to ask him to write down what he eats when he sleeps, and anything that puts him in a depressing more or makes him happy. This notebook will help him create a structure and schedule in his life that will help him to open up to me and my family.  I believe if Holden does all of these things he will make a full recovery and will be out of Mandalinci Mental Health Hospital in a 1/2 -1 year. 

Many people who suffer from depression are reluctant to receive help from professionals. At Holden's age, this therapeutic help is extremely before his brain fully matures and blocks out all help from others. They would rather try to push through the dark thoughts, but since Holden isn’t against getting help gives me great optimism in Holden's future. I truly believe that what I have prescribed to him will help him become last depressed and will make a full recovery.