Diagnosis

My time with Holden has been quite the experience. He is a very intelligent boy who has been affected greatly by certain events mentioned here, throughout his life. Throughout these sessions, I found the primary source to be a struggle to conform to society and grow up. He see's so many people as phonies mostly because they're adults. Holden refuses to become phony and thus refuses to grow up. However, everyone must grow up at one point and he can't seem to accept this. When he finally realizes that he will be on his way to adulthood, he experiences the breakdown. I feel Holden has accepted reality at this point. When he expressed what happened at the carousel with Phoebe during the last session, I knew he was ready enter back into the real world. By accepting his and everyone else's fate, Holden can be released with reasoning and a new state of mind. Before he leaves, he says one last thing, "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."