Addressing Mental Health Stigma During 50s In The Novel "The Catcher In The Rye"

“I felt so lonesome, all of the sudden. I almost wished I was dead, ” (Salinger 28). With regards to his mental state of depression and loneliness, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, exemplified mental health during the 1950s. The Catcher in the Rye, a Bildungsroman novel, depicts the three-day adventure of sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield in New York City during the 1950s as he struggles with depression. Due to the development of new treatments and philosophies toward mental health during the 1950s, the mental healthcare system began to transform.

Nonetheless, there was much improvement to be made in the following decades in terms of mental health treatments and its related stigma. The mental healthcare system has made positive medical advancements since the 1950s with regards to the improved availability of various treatment options; however, the stigma that is associated with mental health has worsened in terms of the stereotypes of psychosis.

During the 1950s, the mental healthcare system was fractured due to poor diagnoses and treatments; deinstitutionalization and stereotypical perceptions of depression were also prominent. The mentally ill were poorly treated due to the lack of effective treatment options and the lack of staff members at mental hospitals (Kline). Unreliable definitions of mental illnesses and lethal treatments, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and insulin shock therapy, also led to poor treatment.

A surge of deinstitutionalization and outpatient care was a result of the development of antipsychotic medication as well as understaffed and underfunded mental hospitals. Therefore, the purpose of deinstitutionalization was to provide the mentally ill with more intense quality of care in community-based facilities (Unite). In the 20th century, depression was considered a rare condition that was associated with “feelings of intense meaninglessness and worthlessness often accompanied by vegetative and psychotic symptoms and preoccupations with death and dying” (Horwitz); this presumption led to the lack of mentioning and treating one’s depression in the 1950s.

J.D. Salinger has captivated American literary history and culture through his writing and its relation to society and Salinger himself, specifically in terms of his education, reclusiveness, and connection with his characters. Jerome David Salinger was born on January 1, 1919 in New York, NY; he was considered a very bright child with a high IQ. Nevertheless, Salinger failed at several secondary schools until graduating from Valley Forge Academy. After attending a course at Columbia University in 1939, Salinger published his first short story in Story magazine (General Information).

According to Shane Salerno, a filmmaker, “World War II (WWII) is the ghost in the machine of all J.D. Salinger stories.... It’s fascinating because WWII made him as an artist, (sic) and broke him as a man” (CBS). Thus, Salinger has reflected on his wartime experiences and emotions in his writing, specifically in The Catcher in the Rye due to its reference to mental health in the 1950s and the prior war. Salinger was regarded as a private and reclusive individual; this might be attributed to his service in the war. In an interview with CBS, Jean Miller, a friend of Salinger, noted that Salinger once stated that “if you ever lose track of me, just read my stories.” Salinger’s connection to his characters is expressed through his writing, especially Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. Not only does Holden Caulfield’s depression symbolize Salinger’s post-war emotions, but Salinger also uses Holden to depict the lack of treatment for depression and other mental illnesses as well as their related stigma in the 1950s.

The mental healthcare system has improved since the 1950s as a result of recent medical advancements and increased financial support. Medications and pharmaceutical treatment have become increasingly more available and effective; thus, ineffective and/or harmful treatments are being slowly extinguished. Ineffective treatments by today’s standards would include electroconvulsive therapy (ETC) and insulin shock therapy. Individuals suffering from less severe, non-psychotic mental illnesses have the ability to decide their own treatment plan based on their symptoms, severity of their illness, and other contributing factors; a loved one of the mentally ill patient is consulted when the patient’s condition is deemed severe (Mayo Clinic).

In terms of finances, more organizations and legislative initiatives have been established to help the mentally ill by expanding health insurance and income support. The improved financial support has helped ameliorate the availability of treatments for the mentally ill. According to Kieke G. H. Okma, the author of “Better But Not Well: Mental Health Policy in the United States since 1950”, the improved and expanded definition of disability has enabled the mentally ill to support themselves financially. Government-sponsored initiatives that financially assist the mentally ill include: Medicaid, Social Security income, and Social Security disability income. Since deinstitutionalization in the 1950s, there has been a reduction of patients in mental hospitals that has led to an increased ratio of staff per patient bed and a higher level of treatment intensity. More intense treatment is also due to the influx of mental health professionals, such as, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, from the 1950s to today (Okma).

Despite advancements in the mental healthcare system, fundamental flaws in the system still exist. The healthcare system has improved; however, its critics believe that the system is not where it needs to be. Critics state that mental healthcare is “better but not well” due to the lack of services that provide the severely mentally ill with “lifelong protection, support, and medical treatment” (Okma). Therefore, critics believe that the mental healthcare system is unsuitable for those unable to choose their own treatment plan. According to Kieke G. H. Okma, “[A] fragmented system based on the assumption that individuals will act as consumers who shop around does not answer the need for lifelong support for those who need it most.” Despite these opinions, the mental healthcare system has been ameliorated in terms of available treatments and financial assistance; unfortunately, the stigma associated with mental health has not been abated.

The stigma that is associated with mentally ill patients has worsened in the 21st century, specifically for those with psychosis, due to the effects of mass media. By defining stigma, one can understand the factors that contribute to its prevalence in society today. According to Wulf Rössler, the author of “The Stigma of Mental Disorders: A Millennia-Long History of Social Exclusion and Prejudices”, “[S]tigma can be described on three conceptual levels: cognitive, emotional and behavioural.” In the 21st century, individuals with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, tend to be stigmatized more greatly in comparison to individuals with depression. The public desires social distance between itself and the mentally ill as a result of viewing severe mental illnesses as dangerous.

On the other hand, society tends to sympathize with individuals who have depression due to their condition being caused by life crises, including, work-related stress or a major loss (Rössler). Due to its negative connotation of the mentally ill, the mass media is considered a contributor to the existing stigma in the 21st century. The mass media’s false description of mental health labels the mentally ill as dangers to society as a result of reporting violent crimes committed by mentally ill individuals in a more gruesome depiction (Rössler).

The mental health stigma has abated over time with regards to the profession of mental health and less severe mental illnesses. According to the results from social studies, “[I]n the 1950s, the public defined mental illness in much narrower and more extreme terms than did psychiatry, and fearful and rejecting attitudes toward people with mental illnesses were common” (Phelan et al). For individuals with less severe, non-psychotic illnesses, there has been increased utilization of mental health services and public disclosure of their condition.

The perceptions have changed over time to include less severe mental illnesses; however, these views exclude illnesses that are associated with violence and fear (Rössler). The authors of “Public Conceptions of Mental Illness in 1950 and 1996: What Is Mental Illness and Is It To Be Feared?”, noted that “perhaps people with less severe forms of mental disorder do increasingly belong to ‘us’, while people with psychosis remain ‘them’.” Ultimately, the elevated mental health stigma is prevalent in today’s society due to its detrimental effects.

The treatment process has been improved and customized today in order to improve one’s mental condition, yet the stigma associated with the mentally ill has led to a higher rate of suicide due to lack of treatment. The mentally ill have also been considered as undesirable job applicants and have been shunned socially. Today, there are dedicated, younger individuals, who persistently work to end the prevalent mental health stigma. According to the newspaper article, “Group Aims to Reverse Mental Health Stigmas” written by Gary Long, there are four high school juniors who desire to educate their peers on this stigma and to encourage those with mental health conditions to utilize the available treatment care. NAMI, the National Alliance of Mental Illnesses, noted the extent of stigma and its effects by stating that “[S]uicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. and is the 2nd leading cause of death for people aged 10-34. More than 90% of people who die by suicide show symptoms of a mental health condition” (NAMI). With regards to the pervasiveness of mental health and suicide today, action must be taken to reduce the high rate of suicide as well as its associated stigma that contributes to this extremity.

Today, society is surrounded by the prevalence of mental health and its treatments as well as the high suicide rate for those suffering from mental conditions. In order to significantly reduce stigma and encourage the usage of healthcare services, the public must be educated and must openly discuss mental health. Despite the opinions of critics, the mental healthcare system has improved since the 1950s due to now providing the mentally ill with customizable treatment options and supporting these individuals financially. Society has become more knowledgeable about effective treatments as a result of the improvements in the mental healthcare system; however, mental health stigma has worsened in recent decades contrary to societal presumptions.

Specifically, the public’s perception of the severely mentally ill has exacerbated due to the effects of the mass media. In accordance to The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s self-diagnosis of depression epitomizes mental health in the 1950s due to the lack of healthcare services and the stigma surrounding mental health during this time. Holden depicts the emotions of an individual with a mental condition by stating, “I wasn’t sleepy or anything but I was feeling sort of lousy. Depressed and all. I almost wished I was dead” (Salinger 118).