Mental Illnesses In Catcher In The Rye

Society’s stigma around mental illnesses can often add to a person’s problems and struggles. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden is struggling with the loss of his brother. It is apparent to the reader that Holden has some form of a mental illness, but not apparent to the people in Holden’s life. The stigma is often based around societies assumption that people with mental illnesses are violent or unstable. In one article in states that “people are twice as likely today than they were in 1950 to believe that mentally ill people tend to be violent.” (Dingfelder). Nowadays people make assumptions that could change someone’s life forever. If it is assumed that someone is violent because of a mental illness, that person could be prevented from getting jobs, or could be left alone because of other’s fear. The isolation a person can feel from having a mental illness alone is enough, then to add other people’s fear of you on top of that is deplorable. On the …show more content…
In Catcher in the Rye Holden deals with a lot after his brother dies. After his brother dies he punches out the windows in his parents garage, and says That his parents “were going to have me psychoanalyzed” (44 Salinger). The going to indicates that they never did, most likely because they didn't want it getting out to their rich friends that their son was mentally ill. Often in high society people are more fearful of their secrets being told. Keeping their mental illness a secret, only makes it worse. Stopping yourself from getting help, gives you no way to get better, and suppressing these things only add to a person's stress. In the article Stigma: Alive and Well one of the graphs conveys that 68% of americans don’t want a person with a mental illness to marry into their family. Many people are afraid that either their family won’t like or be disappointed in them, or people won’t want to be part of their