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RCA Final draft: Catcher in the Rye: A New era of Mental Illness

Catcher in the Rye: A New era of Mental Illness

Today, about 10.2 million adults experience mental illness in the United States. Mental illness had a wide impact on the United States. By understanding its development and influences on public perception we need to know the origin of mental illness. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis had great influence on public perception of mental illness in the United States. He changed an era of people’s viewpoint about mental illness. The 1950s, the same era when the novel Catcher in the Rye written was a very significant turning point on public perception of mental illness. The protagonist Holden Caulfield was typically representative of the mental patient during that time and he could be seen as a reflection of American perception.

Sigmund Freud was an influential psychiatrist on social perspective of mental illness during the twenty century and also making a great contribution regarding the achievement of developing mental illness in today’s society. He composed the psychoanalytic theory which was considered the most effective academic concept for the field even today. The psychoanalytic theory explained irrational human behavior, like the “weak links and missing pieces that were explained as behavior that just couldn’t be understood” were resolved by the theory because he believed that these irrational behaviors impacted by the functionality brain would directly shape their personality(Johnson). Before Freud’s theory, the public had a blurred vision of mental

illness and they could not explain the cause of patients’ behavior. People believed that their illness was caused by the witchcraft and would be asked priests for exorcism. It was the most common treatment before Freud’s theory appealed. However, the Public perception changed after his theory. People realized their illness had better treatment and it decreased the “rejection and negative stereotypes” in patients (Phelan). Freud found that patients who developed mental illness usually had a miserable childhood. He widened human cognition on mental illness and lay a foundation for future development. Without him, people would never figure out the cause of human irrational behaviors. Like Holden who also had a miserable childhood and acted unusually in his life could be considered a mental illness patient.

The protagonist Holden Caulfield, was a psychiatric patient which stressed the public perception of mental illness during the 1950s. Holden was a 17-year-old teenager that had manifested mental illness symptoms with strong perception. Borderline Personality Disorder was a mental illness in which psychiatrist-patient always wanted to commit suicide. Holden Caulfield clearly displays this symptom in chapter 14, when he lay down in the hotel bed, he was “committing suicide and felt like jumping out the window” and believed he “probably would’ve done it” (Salinger 104). Moreover, Holden never stopped thinking of death and in chapter 25 again, when he read a magazine in the park that said people who have sores in the mouth might have cancer, he thought he “had this sore inside his lip about two weeks,” he figured out that he’d “dead in a couple of months because he had cancer” and he did not core he would be(196). Throughout Holden’s unreasonable thought and incomprehensible behavior, we can see that he had a shallow knowledge of mental illness. In fact, many patients in the 1950s did not know that they had mental illness even though their symptoms were clearly displayed that they did. Public perception during the 1950s was very narrow. As Holden did, some of them might consider themselves as “madman” rather than see a doctor or get help from others. Holden did get any help or treatment from the society, thus he different kinds of mental illness emerged at him. Moreover, Holden did not know how to handle his extremely energetic and stopped thinking of death. This negative reaction highlighted that the treatment of mental illness was not widely spread into society, thus the public had a  lack of understanding of mental illness.

In addition, bipolar disorder was another mental illness that Holden had that a series of brain disorder that caused shifts in mood, energy, and behavior. One of the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder was sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic, being restless and highly active at night time. Those symptoms were not well known for the society during the 1950s, people considered it as personal emotions. Holden clearly showed this in chapter 10 when he arrived in New York. “I hate to do is go to bed when I’m not tired”, instead goes to “Lavender room” a “nightclub”(66) which stressed that Holden was an energetic person who felt less tired. This was considered a symptom of mental illness. However, he did not realize it was a symptom of mental illness and deemed this energy as the reflection of interest. Furthermore, Holden considered provocative, intrusive, and aggressive behavior in his life as a way to express his emotion, but in fact, it was a symptom of bipolar disorder. The novel was recalled from Holden’s 17 years old, but Holden was mentioned that he was treated in a mental hospital in his adult age. If the public had deeply understood on mental illness, those patients would not procrastinate their treatment. This reflected that the public had little awareness of mental illness thus they did not recognize the right way to treat mental illness. If Freud’s theory did not introduce in the early decade, there would not have a hospital for holden treated in the 1950s because the progress speed on the treatment of mental illness would get slower and challenger.

The 1950s was a special period in history which was considered a new era of mental illness. Since World War II was underway during this decade, many soldiers came back from the war with psychopathy. The United States experienced the highest parthenogenesis during this time period. Although people already had a shallow knowledge of mental illness from some psychiatrist like Sigmund Freud in the earlier decade, efficacious treatment still did not emerge into society. For instance, A CUNY college, Cornell University published a data report in June 2015 which showed that “about a third of the country knew someone with a mental illness on the 1950s, but only about sixty percent of the population had ever known someone who received treatment or was hospitalized for mental illness.” A large estrangement between public and patient, lack of understanding challenge people of mental illness. However, some formidable change has occurred in society. Novels like Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath that was written around the 1950s reflected social perceptions of psychopathy and led to the public tension of mental illness.

Many people thought the1990s or today’s public perception of mental illness was more important than the 1950s because the society had changed and people should be focus at present. People believed that  “the mental health community has developed effective, safe treatments in place of these dangerous, outdated practices” and the public perception was changed in modern society, the bygone had valueless and passed(Concordia University). “Today, those experiencing mental disorders can benefit from psychotherapy along with biomedical treatment and increased access to care”(Concordia University) thus people should focus the development of mental illness to improve the unknown future rather than the past. The 1990s had better treatment and public perception of mental illness than the1950s. As result, to analyze the 1990s or the present is important than the1950s.

Although people think the public perception of mental illness in the decade like 1990s was more significant than the1950s, the 1950s was the most important decade because this was a new beginning for mental illness. The society had a narrow perception on mental illness during the 1950s, thus many soldiers came back from World War two would have stayed home like Holden mention his brother DB in chapter 18, who “lie on his bed, practically” rather than going to therapy. The novel reflected the public perception of mental illness. On the 1950s, the society discriminated was against psychiatric patients and they felt shame about their illness, many soldiers would fear to treat. Both Holden or his brother did not to get treat from the hospital when they espied their irrational behaviors. People from the 1950s have a different viewpoint of mental illness than the 1990s, because the negative emotion connotation, most of them would refuse to go to the hospital for treatment. Mental illness was rejected in American society during the 1950s, this considered it a significant era because the common beliefs about psychiatric disorders were widespread during this decade although the society rejected of the patient. Since the population of people with mental illness increased during this decade, the government started paying attention to the issue and they began to offer fund to the society(Phelan). Because the government’s foundation, public perception was improved and the treatment of mental illness patients developed during this decade. Furthermore, almost ninety percent of the mental patient believed that physical and mental health were equally important in the 1990s rather than the stigma of it. Since the 1950s, the public perception of mental illness had improved and “most therapists are in need of therapy themselves”(Cornell University). The public perception changed from ignorance to pay attention. Compared the public perception of mental illness in the United States between the1950s and the 1990s, we can see the progress of human cognition. Without the decade of the 1950s, people would never know the development of mental illness.

The public perception of mental illness would directly influence people’s lives and their awareness. A psychiatric patient could reflect the public perception, the novel Catcher in the Rye not only reflected the public perception but also the reflected the changed on treatment, historical background and of development of mental illness. People could optimistic face the mental illness and get treatment today have a great relationship with the development from the 1950s. All of us need to width our knowledge in order to maintain in a physical health position.  

 

Works Cited

Concordia University. “A History of Mental Illness Treatment.” A History of Mental Illness Treatment: Obsolete Practices, 14 Oct. 2016,  online.csp.edu/blog/psychology/history- of – mental-illness-treatment.

 

Cornell University. “Public Attitudes about Mental Health.” Roper Center, 8 June 2015, ropercenter.cornell.edu/public-attitudes-mental-health/.

 

Johnson, Lyndon Baines “IDEAS AND TRENDS; How Freud Shaped the 20th-Century Mind.” IDEAS AND TRENDS; How Freud Shaped the 20th-Century Mind, The New York Times, 26.Nov.1989, www.nytimes.com/1989/11/26/weekinreview/ideas-and-trends-how-freud-shaped-the-20th-century-mind.html.

 

Phelan, Jo C., et al. “Public Conceptions of Mental Illness in 1950 and 1996: What Is Mental Illness and Is It to Be Feared?” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, vol. 41, November. 2, 2000, pp. 188–207. JSTOR, JSTOR www.jstor.org/stable/2676305.

 

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Little, Brown, 2001.