The movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) is the coming of age story of a boy called Charlie. It is set in the 1990s and describes his social life and the problems he faced at school trying to fit with other students. Charlie has suffered from clinical depression since childhood but had once been happy, and he became socially distanced and depressed after the death of his favorite aunt. He isolates himself from everyone, writes his problems to an imaginary friend, is always sad, and has recurrent episodes of anxiety and depression. Towards the end, Charlie has a violent episode and tries to commit suicide, but his sister sends police over, who rescues him.
We discover that Charlie had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a mental condition that affects people who have undergone a very tragic or stressful episode. It is characterized by sadness, depression, social isolation, violent flashbacks, anxiety, and denial of events and may lead to acts of self-harm. After his attempted suicide, a psychiatrist at the hospital helps Charlie awaken his repressed memories. They discover that as a child, Charlie was sexually abused by his favorite aunt.
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I was shocked to discover that an event in a child's early life could trigger so much emotional damage. Charlie never fully comprehended what had happened to him, but the emotional scar was embedded in his consciousness for life. It is so sad to know that even though children cannot comprehend or remember certain events that happen to them, those events may well be what shape their emotional, mental, and personality growth. I have seen documentaries and movies that show PTSD, and the characteristics displayed match those of Charlie. In Charlie's case, the damage took place at a longer frame of time, and the disorder was not identified in his teenage years. In most other circumstances, the disorder immediately follows the tragedy and thus is identified early and treatment commences.
Reference
Chbosky, S. (Director). (2012). The Perks of Being a Wallflower [Film]. Summit Entertainment.
