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Perks of Being a Wallflower: An Accurate Depiction of PTSD?

Yashvi Jain

Typically, a wallflower is described as someone who merely exists on the sidelines, observing others' lives unfold around them. However, ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’ spotlights the story of the wallflower - Charlie, who is the protagonist and the narrator. The film is an engaging and poignant adaptation, and showcases Charlie's acutely distressing battle with posttraumatic stress disorder. Through this blog-post, I aim to unpack the manifestations of PTSD in Charlie and analyse its accuracy and implications.

The summer before high-school, Charlie was hospitalised due to the news of his best friend's suicide. Michael's death acted as a trigger that brought back terrible memories from his childhood when his beloved aunt Helen died. Helen played a pivotal role in Charlie's life. Charlie would often talk about how she encouraged him to read and write, understood him and how he wished she was still alive, making it seem as though he idolised her. He painted her character in an exceedingly positive light- perhaps because the positive was all he remembered. 

Initially in the film, the audience was led to believe that Charlie suffers from PTSD due to the guilt from his aunt's death (he felt he was responsible since she died when she went to get his gift) and the grief from his friend's suicide. However, towards the end of the film, Charlie's sexual indulgence discloses that his PTSD stems from his Aunt Helen repeatedly sexually assaulting him when he was a child. 

Posttraumatic stress disorder is one that “develops in some people after extremely traumatic events” (American Psychological Association, 2022), such as sexual assault, which Charlie directly experienced. DSM-5 describes several symptoms associated with PTSD. Firstly, individuals with PTSD experience recurrent intrusive memories or dissociative reactions wherein the individual feels the traumatic event repeating (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 271). Charlie had similar episodes, which seemed like flashbacks, but were instead dissociations and intrusive recollections of Aunt Helen. Such memories occurred when Charlie encountered similar situations which aroused familiar emotions. For example, when Charlie sees his sister's boyfriend abuse (slap) her, he remembers Aunt Helen's visits on Christmas. At Sunday mass, memories of Helen's funeral flow back in. As his mental health degrades (when his friends stop talking to him), his intrusive memories increase (Bowman & McGuire). Finally, one night when Sam (a girl Charlie likes) touches Charlie intimately during a sexual encounter, he stops her because the touch feels familiar, and memories of his assault suddenly come back. The next day, Charlie has a mental breakdown because he still feels guilty for Aunt Helen's death. But this time, he wonders whether he subconsciously wanted her to die for what she did. 

Moreover, Charlie's dissociative symptoms resemble depersonalisation; wherein one persistently feels like an outside observer detached from oneself (Austrani, 2017). The following quote illustrates this- “And everyone smiled, including me. But I wasn't there anymore. It wasn't until I couldn't see the cars that I came back, and things started feeling bad again” (Chbosky, 1999, p. 204-205). Charlie's feeling of ‘not being there’ and his blackouts (after his breakdown and a fight) further reinforce the notion that he is experiencing depersonalisation.

Secondly, an individual with PTSD persistently avoids “stimuli associated with the traumatic event” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 271). Charlie avoids external circumstances which remind him of his assault. For instance, he avoids engaging in sexual intercourse with Mary Elizabeth, his ex-girlfriend (perhaps a symptom or because he likes Sam). He also avoids internal reminders and situations where he would have to talk about his trauma (Bowman & McGuire)- indicating repression. Even after he recalls his assault, he only talks when Dr Burton provokes him by asking questions about Aunt Helen and finally retrieves his repressed memories (Bowman & McGuire). 

Thirdly, DSM 5 describes PTSD patients as those suffering from negative alterations in mood or cognition. This cluster includes symptoms of dissociative amnesia or an inability to recall the traumatic event (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 271). Charlie remembers nothing but bits and pieces of his encounters with Aunt Helen until the film's end. Further, Charlie also experiences “persistent, distorted cognitions about the cause or consequences of the traumatic event(s)” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 272). Over the years, he blames himself and feels guilty as he could not stop believing he caused Aunt Helen’s death. Moreover, Charlie also feels detached and estranged from people. This could perhaps be attributed to his inherently shy personality or it could have stemmed from his traumatic experience, which made him shy. 

Fourthly, DSM 5 mentions “alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic event” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 272). This category of symptoms includes anger outbursts manifesting as physical or verbal aggression. Charlie only displays this on a defensive front when he fights bullies to protect Patrick. While this could merely be a protective friendly response, Charlie blacks out and hits the bullies too much. Additionally, we observe instances of sleep disturbance in scenes where Charlie lies in bed, replaying memories of Aunt Helen. 

Lastly, the aforementioned symptoms are not temporary but occur over a prolonged period. The disturbance caused by the symptoms are distressing, affect Charlie's relationships, disrupt his life and cannot be attributed to the use of substances (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 272). Thus, Charlie meets the diagnostic criteria of PTSD. 

In conclusion, while nothing can encapsulate a disorder completely, ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a fairly accurate depiction of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and its manifestations. The film also highlights the importance of seeking help and the implications of not doing so. For instance, towards the end of the film, we observe the extent of Charlie's ordeal as he nearly picks up a kitchen knife to harm himself. However, after undergoing the appropriate treatment and getting help from exemplary practitioners, Charlie finally begins to heal. He becomes more involved in his present and forgives his guilt (Chivers-Wilson, 2006). Even though initially he says he doesn't want to be a ‘Mayview kid’, he understands the importance of seeking treatment and that doing so is not a sign of weakness. The dialogue, “We can’t choose where we come from, but we can choose where we go from there” (Chbosky, 2012, 1:35:00), encapsulates this change in opinion. Thus, perks of being a wallflower is an influential film that accurately depicts PTSD and emphasises the importance of seeking help and getting treatment.  















References 

Austrani, F. (2017) Traumatic Experience Resulting From Sexual Abuse in Stephen Chbosky’ The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/146894-EN-traumatic-experience-resulting-from-sexu.pdf

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.978089042559

American Psychological Association. (2022). Posttraumatic stress disorder. American Psychological Association. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/topics/ptsd

Bowman, K & J. Michael McGuire. Movies in the classroom: A review of perks of being a wallflower. CPNP. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://cpnp.org/perspective/2014/03/195128#:~:text=After%20being%20hospitalized%20for%20the,and%20not%20having%20any%20friends

Chivers-Wilson K. A. (2006). Sexual assault and posttraumatic stress disorder: a review of the biological, psychological and sociological factors and treatments. McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students, 9(2), 111–118. 

Chbosky, S. (1999). The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Pocket Book, Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Chbosky, S. (Director). (2012). The Perks of Being a Wallflower [Film]. Summit Entertainment. 


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