This past week J.D. Salinger introduced us to Seymour Glass, a troubled veteran suffering from severe PTSD. As we read each short story, I found myself left with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. The women from “The Yellow Wallpaper,” “Colloquy” and “The Daemon Lover” are all in search of help, yet, society treats them without serious consideration. One may say this has to do with the fact that they are women, and I agree that it has something to do with the lack of seriousness, however as “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” exemplifies, mental health as a whole was treated as such. Muriel brushes off Seymour’s condition with a care-free attitude, Muriel’s mother worries more for Muriel than for the well-being of Seymour, and Sybil is blind to any sign of his “banana fever.”

We may have come a long way in acknowledging the suffering of mental health patients since then, however, I see the community still faces a large amount of stigmatization surrounding their disorders. Though, I will note that this stigmatization appears to be on the decline, especially with the promotion of unity and individuality among the younger generations. I can only hope it will continue on that trend.