Many world leaders, including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, and King George III, experienced significant mental health challenges like depression or bipolar disorder, with some conditions impacting their rule, while leaders like Jacinda Ardern have openly discussed their mental health struggles, highlighting that these conditions are not unique to any era or type of leader, with some historical figures even seeing their challenges as linked to their exceptional leadership.
U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, along with Civil War generals Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., all struggled with mental health issues, often depression, said Tufts University psychiatry professor Dr.
Abraham Lincoln. The revered sixteenth President of the United States suffered from severe and incapacitating depressions that occasionally led to thoughts of suicide, as documented in numerous biographies by Carl Sandburg.
Abraham Lincoln lived with depression. James Madison had epilepsy. Franklin D. Roosevelt had polio.
Dr. Manfred S. Guttmacher, an American psychiatrist, took this position in his 1941 book, America's Last King: An Interpretation of the Madness of King George III. Guttmacher believed the king's behavior reflected a manic-depressive psychosis that lasted throughout his life.
Vincent van Gogh: 1853 – 1890
Although there's been a lot of back forth about this particular diagnosis, another addition to our list of famous people in history with schizophrenia is Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh was a Post-Impressionist Dutch painter whose work is still celebrated and adored today.
Some medical historians have said that George III's mental instability was caused by a hereditary physical disorder called porphyria.
Roosevelt remained paralyzed from the waist down and relied on a wheelchair and leg braces for mobility, which he took efforts to conceal in public. In 1938, he founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, leading to the development of polio vaccines.
Mel Gibson, actor and director. Selena Gomez, American singer-songwriter and actress. Revealed her bipolar diagnosis in April 2020 in an Instagram livestream with Miley Cyrus. Matthew Good, Canadian musician.
More on US presidents
They also concluded that Teddy Roosevelt and John Adams had bipolar disorder, while Thomas Jefferson and Ulysses Grant struggled with social anxiety. Professor Jonathan Davidson, who led the study, said: "The pressures of such a job can trigger issues in someone that have been latent.
Several artists have used their music and their platform to open up about their own struggles with depression, anxiety and the like, from Bruce Springsteen to Selena Gomez.
Individual History: Veronica Lake was a famous film noir actress in the 1940's. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child. Veronica Lake was known for some dramatic and even violent outbursts in adulthood.
Carrie Fisher. Carrie Fisher played the iconic Princess Leia in Star Wars but her battles with bipolar disorder were far bigger than anything on screen and triggered years of substance use. Fisher explained: “I have a chemical imbalance that, in its most extreme state, will lead me to a mental hospital.
Spears had admitted to being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and suffering from postpartum depression in the past. Drugs and alcohol often aggravate symptoms of some mental health disorders.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): One of the most common mental disorders, GAD is characterized by excessive worry about issues and situations that individuals experience every day. Any worrying that is out of proportion to the reality of the situation may fall under this disorder.
30 Things Not To Say To Those With Bipolar Disorder
So, it makes sense that genetics would also play a role in the number of famous people with bipolar disorder. The condition can be triggered by a high-stress life event, lack of sleep, or drug and alcohol use, which fits the lifestyle of some celebrities with bipolar.
John F. Kennedy
President Kennedy's ADHD didn't stop him from his path to presidency.
He was thrilled. He thought Roosevelt's death would fracture the allied powers. He thought the alliance between the western powers and the Soviets was unnatural and would crumble.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, as well as the only one to have served more than two terms.
Although the family was aware of Diana's bulimia, she struggled with the illness for many years, not seeking treatment until the late 1980s. However, this fact was not revealed to the public until 1992, when Andrew Morton published a book about the Princess of Wales.
BBC ON THIS DAY | 6 | 1952: King George VI dies in his sleep.
Henry VIII was one of the most notorious, and narcissistic, kings of England.