According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, in the United States alone, 5.5 million adolescents suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, or about 4% of adolescents and 6% of adolescent girls. . PTSD is a mental health disorder triggered by a traumatic event in a person's life and causes depression, anger and loneliness as well as aggression, inappropriate sexual behavior, self-harm, drug abuse or alcohol, low self-esteem, and not being able to trust others. Although only a small number of people are diagnosed with PTSD, most people have experienced the effects of at least one of its symptoms in some way after a traumatic incident in their life. Therefore, a literary character who exhibits many of these symptoms is easy for many readers to relate to, because they understand what the character is experiencing. A prominent example of a character exhibiting the majority of PTSD symptoms is Holden Caulfield in JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. Because of Holden's timeless struggles, as well as the novel's historical setting and important life lessons, Catcher in the Rye is a crucial book for high school students to read. Although Catcher in the Rye was written over 60 years ago, Holden Caulfield is still a character. which many teenagers can relate to due to his symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, his need to rebel, and his loneliness. Due to the death of his younger brother, Allie, Holden shows many signs of grief and post-traumatic stress, including self-harm, alcohol abuse, and aggression, things that many people can relate to. identify in one way or another. For example, when Holden is in his hotel room, he ponders the idea of ​​suicide and tells the reader, "What I really wanted, though, was to commit suicide... in the middle of 'a paper... without imposing them on you. Additionally, Salinger uses his novel to force society to address previously ignored social issues during this era, including mental health disorders and sexual orientation. Especially after World War II, many people suffered from disorders like PTSD but never sought treatment due to the lack of acceptance of mental weakness at the time. Although Holden, Salinger shows that after traumatic events, people need others to help them cope and to show the audience how difficult it was to receive the help they needed. He aimed to change society with this novel and, successfully, it raised many questions and is believed to contribute to the emergence of a more tolerant community. If more authors were brave and talented enough to write about controversial topics like Salinger, society would be a more open and diverse place where everyone could live together happily..