Where Have All The Teenagers Gone? By JD Salinger

It is not uncommon to hear stories about a teenager experiencing mood swings and rebelling against those in authority. Nor is it uncommon to experience general sadness or anxiety in high school and college. However, it is often difficult to tell the difference between normal teenage angst and clinical depression. It is not commonly known that there has recently been a staggering rise of depression in adolescents. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in twelve adolescents in the United States suffer from depression, which is 8.3 % of the teenage population. In order to combat the problem of adolescent depression, it is essential that parents take an active role in their adolescent’s life by both acknowledging and

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, society wasn’t the most accepting of places for people who were different from the “social norms”. Now I know, people today still struggle with trying to fit in and be “normal” but it was different. Being a gay man living in San Fransisco at the time, which had a large gay population, Richard Rodriguez had a hard time dealing with the discrimination he faced. Richard Rodriguez was an American journalist who wrote and published a memoir about his life as a gay man. In October of 1990, Rodriguez published his memoir “Late Victorians” in Harper’s Magazine, a critically acclaimed publication of the time. In his memoir, Rodriguez describes what it was like to realize he was gay and watch as the country changed to become a more accepting place. He does this by setting up how things can change and then explaining the actual ways things change for the gay population.

Antidepressant drugs, which can be lifesaving, are being underused in young people. Their use fell significantly after the Food and Drug Administration issued its black-box warning in October of 2004, stating that all antidepressants were associated with a risk of increased suicidal feeling, thinking and behavior in adolescents; later on that warning was extended to young adults (Friedman 1). The Food and Drug Administration-FDA ordered drug companies to place a black-box warning on antidepressant drugs, this would then allow parents to see the side effects the drug might come with. As antidepressants can have its benefits, it is not the only way to treat a mental illness like depression. The majority of parents believe antidepressant is the only treatment and that psychotherapy is a waste of time and money. “About 80 percent of people with depression respond positively to professional medical treatment--usually talk therapy, medication or a combination of both--and almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms. Unfortunately, less than half of those with depression seek treatment(Clayton

Holden’s ordinary world consists of struggling to apply himself in school and belief that education is “phony”. On his date with Sally, an old friend, he tells her why he refuses to apply himself, “You ought to go to a boys school sometime...Its full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddam Cadillac some day, and you have to keep making believe you give a damn if the football team loses, and all you do is talk about girls and liquor and sex all day, and everybody sticks together in these dirty

Some might say it’s the teen’s fault for not trying hard enough or not caring, but in fact it can be the teacher’s fault. “The poorest teacher I had was algebra teacher from (name of school removed) High School. She never helped students that needed the extra help. She would just point and laugh at us if we didn’t know the answer. Sometimes she would throw rocks at me cause I used to comb my hair funny and because of that my feelings were hurt. I start listening to depeche mode music by myself in they dark (student drew an unhappy face at the end of the story)” (Gibson). This is an example of teachers not doing their job correctly. They should be encouraging kids to do well and not demoralizing them. Holden was also looked down upon. As from his teacher’s point of view, “ ..letter from your headmaster, to the effect that you were making absolutely no effort at all” (Salinger 205). He should’ve told Holden ways he could do better instead of expressing his opinion. His teacher believes he does not care about school, since he is a teenager and it is his nature to have other priorities. Contradictory, students in Holden’s time and now blame it on the teachers not being well behaved, not because they are involved with other activities. They both rebel because they’re not giving clear help and guidance. Students go through a time in their life where they explore new realms and want to become adults. They care

Teenagers today tend to just stop trying when it comes to school. They give up by dropping out, failing, and not applying themselves. Holden says “,I was flunking four of five subjects and

Everyday I see parents, older family members and other caretakers questioning why so many of today's youth are being consumed by mental illnesses. At the same time, the same people are belittling issues expressed by children. "You're too young to think that," or "You have nothing to be depressed about." are phrases that someone my age or younger are likely to be familiar with. It is because of our being deliberately unheard, of needing privacy out of our fear of our feelings being invalidated, that we are left with our selfies and instant

When adolescent, inexperienced on the journey onward, it is the ambition of boys to become men. When physically mature, often deep into their journey of life, it is the aspiration of men to not lose their inner child. The 21 century, quite unlike any other century before, permits this progression to be an integral part of manhood. Arguably, the 21st century has embraced more tolerance than any other century before. Many identities have been redefined and some have been called to question. Nowadays, what it means to be a man is far more multifaceted than society understood it to be centuries ago. Even the definition of masculinity seems to have met its biggest resistance with gay rights. Authors like John Eldredge and Michael Kimmel both suggest

At this point in his life Holden is just confused and overwhelmed with growing up and having to enter adulthood. He is afraid of what he doesn’t understand and reverts to a cynical view of society to shield himself from the painfulness of growing up. Holden wishes he could live in a simple and understandable world but he must face the realities of life and the complexities that come with it. Confronting failure is often the most difficult thing to do especially at a young age for adolescences, however education is able teach not only book work, but life values as well. By obtaining an education, Holden will be able to transgress his previous conceptions about society and learn to succeed in the rapidly changing society he is thrown

The debate to prescribe children psychiatric drugs has been going on for at least 57 years. 2,165,279 children are prescribed anti-depressants. 8,389,034 children are prescribed anti-psychiatric drugs. Although the medication may work, there are alternative treatments available until more research is done to determine more long-term side effects. A person’s brain does not develop fully until the age of 25. If you give a child a strong medication before psychological treatment to determine how mentally unstable the child is; the child may not be physical and mentally the same once he/she is adapted to the medication prescribed. This is why adolescents should not be given anti-depressant or anti-psychiatric

J.D Salinger’s fictional novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ explores ideas of coming of age and challenging society’s morals through the life of Holden Caulfield, the young protagonist of the novel. The term ‘coming of age’ can be defined as when someone reaches an important stage in development and is accepted by a large number of people. The word ‘morals’ is concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction of right and wrong. Themes such as innocence, isolation and youth reside in the novel, the audience is made aware of Caulfield’s view on children’s innocence, the isolation he feels and how he perceives adults as ‘phony’.

Holden uses his power being a male against women to get his way, however this can not even be applicable to teaching young adults today because we have rules in today’s society which may have not even been applied to at that

At Farmington High, one can witness numerous students roaming around gloomily; they can not seem to find joy in anything. According to Teen Treatment Center, one in ten of American teens have episodes of depression every year. Holden shows many of the noted signs of depression. The National Center for Biotechnology Information says “depressed individuals often present with difficulties in school, interpersonal relationships, and occupational adjustment; increased tobacco and substance abuse; and suicide attempts.” One of the most notable signs that Holden shows is his lack of ambition; Holden has flunked out of multiple schools and is completely nonchalant about it.

The generational divide of the LGBTQIA+ community is a topic that is rarely considered, though prevalent. To outside parties who don’t understand queer community politics, it may seem like they are a homogenous collective of people. Of course there are always inter community issues, such as whether heteroromantic asexuals belong in LGBT discussion or what exactly defines a transgender person. Aside from these issues, it is easy to see the community as a whole as connected with the same end goals and ideas. They all want and focus on getting marriage equality and to be able to adopt and be able to share insurance with our partners. However, upon more research into the LGBT community, a generational gap becomes prevalent, with the reasons behind

Gayle Forman is a fairly known author, but mostly in the world of teens. Gayle Forman is now known mostly for writing young adult fiction, but that isn’t where she began her career. Gayle Forman got her start in writing as a journalist, where she got her first job at Seventeen magazine. She began her work there by reporting what was going on in the world, and telling the stories of people she had crossed paths with. She remained at her job at Seventeen until she decided to start a family with her husband, and decided that being a journalist was too hard to juggle when you are also a mother, because journalism requires traveling. She began writing her novels while she was expecting her first child, and has been writing novels ever since.