BILLY PILGRIM

SYMPTOMS

• Sees things that arent there
• Hides from the world
• Impassive to life and death
• Altered perception of time

DIAGNOSIS

• Schizophrenia or
• Post traumatic stress disorder

SCHIZOPHRENIA

• This disease does not form from a sprecific event
• His problems are directly related to the war
• He does see things that are not real
• He time travels
• He has hallucinations (not likely he has this)

PTSD

• This a more likely diagnosis of Billy's comdition
• Started from traumatizing event
• Caused by inadequate coping with extreme stress
• This involves being threatened by death or serious injury
• Uses "so it goes" (53) as a way of coping- not useful

OTHER SYMPTOMS (OF PTSD)

• He always sees himself as weak both mentally and physically
• He responds with fear, helplessness, and horror
• He was exposed to a traumatizing event (Dresden)
• Suppresses all of his emotions
• Only cried for horses "he hadnt cried any other time in the war" (197)

RESULTS

• Precistently re-experiences the events
• "Billy is spastic in time" (23)
• Altered perception of time
• Has no control over his life
• Avoids stimuli associated with trauma

RESULTS

• Numb to his own responsivness
• Has no control over his life
• Begins hallucinating and time traveling