Find out the possible psychological reasons for
Holden's madman days around Christmas;
- PTSD: while symptoms
of this pathology tend to develop a few hours after a traumatic event, it can
also take weeks, months, or even years before they appear. The main symptoms
are:
o
Constant
re-experience of the traumatic event: hurtful memories, flashbacks,
and nightmares, distress, intense physical reactions, like sweating, high
heart-rate and nausea, when being reminded of the event (which happens a lot in
the book).
o
Avoidance of the reminders of the trauma: avoiding activities,
places or thoughts that may remind the person of the trauma, being unable to
remember important details of the incident (like Holden, he forgot half of what
happened the day Allie died). Emotional numbness, lack of interest for life in
general. Feeling the future is limited.
o
Anxiety and excessive
emotional stimulation: trouble while finding sleep (like that time Holden
stayed up all night because he wasn’t feeling tired), irritability, difficulty
while trying to concentrate, feeling jumpy and on a persistent feeling of
danger.
Symptoms
may also include:
o
Feelings of guilt / shame / self-blame
o
Feelings of mistrust and betrayal
o
Depression, suicidal thoughts and feelings
o
Substance abuse
o
Physical aches
- Depression: before we
get into the main depression symptoms, I’d like to clear out that most of these
are a normal part of life, as it always has highs and lows. Having depression
means these symptoms are abnormally strong
and have lasted for a considerable amount of time:
o
Feelings of weakness
and uselessness: nothing will ever get better, there’s nothing to do to improve the situation.
o
Loss of interest in
daily activities: loss of the ability to feel joy or pleasure.
o
Appetite or weight
changes: a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
o
Sleep changes: insomnia or
oversleeping.
o
Anger or
irritability: low tolerance level, short temper, finding everything and everyone irritating.
o
Loss of energy: feeling physically,
mentally and emotionally drained.
o
Self-loathing: strong feelings of
worthlessness or guilt.
o
Reckless behavior: substance abuse,
compulsive gambling, reckless driving.
o
Sudden aches and
pains: headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.
- Antisocial
personality disorder: I found this illness while trying to look for something
that would fit Holden’s situation more accurately:
o
Disregard for right and wrong.
o
Constant lying.
o
Being coldhearted, cynical and disrespectful.
o
Using charm to manipulate others for personal gain.
o
Arrogance, feeling superior, being extremely
opinionated.
o
Impulsiveness to plan ahead.
o
Hostility, irritability, agitation, aggression or
violence.
o
Inability to consider the negative consequences.
- 5 stages of grieving:
o
Denial: the “it’s not so bad” stage – when Holden couldn’t
care less about stuff like losing the fencing equipment or failing school.
o
Anger: the “#@$%*!” stage – every time he sees a phony
guy and can feel his blood boil.
o
Bargaining: the “I can fix this” stage – whenever he
tries to run away with Sally or just leave NY and pretend to be deaf-mute.
o
Depression: the “it’s all meaningless” stage – when he
is with Phoebe and starts crying.
o
Acceptance: the “thank you” stage – when he finally
realizes he is not okay, and enters the psychiatric hospital.
- Impact of death on a family:
I found this video on one of my peer’s blogs, and I thought it perfectly
represented the impact of losing a family member
I also found a very
interesting presentation that talks about how loss affects people from age to
age
Determine Holden’s diagnosis;
What would Holden’s diagnosis be?
Out of the 3
pathologies of which symptoms I looked up, I’d say antisocial personality
disorder would fit Holden the most. Of course, Holden’s situation perfectly
fits any of the other two (and I think he is also depressed and suffering from
PTSD), but I was able to identify him with APD the most, (because of the lying
and the mention of an arrogant attitude).
How would doctors treat him today?
This illness is one
of the most difficult personality disorders to treat. This is mainly because
people who suffer from it don’t admit it, and don’t seek for help. They may only start seeking for help once it is required
by court (which means people with this disorder tend to commit crimes).
There are two main
ways to treat this disorder:
- By talk therapy.
- By behavioral
treatment (like rewarding appropriate behavior, and punishing inappropriate
behavior).
Most of the times,
people who suffer from APD also suffer from other disorders (like substance
abuse, or mood disorders). These are also treated, at the same time, with the
same methods.
Would Holden be on medication? Why or why not?
There is no
medication designated to cure this pathology, although doctors may prescribe
medication for the conditions that come hand in hand with APD (depression, drug
abuse etc.). One of the main reasons there are no drugs prescribed for this
disorder is because the patient may misuse them, (like tranquilizers that are
highly addictive).
Justify your answer with facts.
Even if there are no
drugs designated to cure this illness, there are different types of medication
that help treat the symptoms separately.
- Lithium carbonate: reduces
anger and behaviors like bullying.
- Phenytoin (dilantin):
also reduces impulsive aggression
- Antidepressants:
treat some of the disorders that come with APD (major depression, anxiety
disorder, attention-deficit, hyperactivity disorder)
- Carbamazepine or
valproate: help stabilize mood
Sources;
http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/Antisocial-Personality-Disorder-medication/2010/10/28/id/375180/
