A Few Famous People Who Had Mental Health Problems.

A Few Famous People Who Had Mental Health Problems :

To make a thorough list would be quite exhaustive and extensive , so only a few famous people who have been significantly respected for their achievements and who had battles with various mental health disorders/illnesses are listed below:

* Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia in Star Wars). Carrie Fisher had problems with drugs in the 1970s. She was finally diagnosed with Bi-Polar 2.

* John Nash (Nobel Prize winner in mathematics). He battled life-long Schizophrenia; he was well recognized or documented in ‘A Beautiful Mind’.

* Judy Collins (singer and song-writer); suffered Depression after her son aged 33 completed suicide in 1992.

* Linda Hamilton (actress); played a role in ‘The Terminator’ and suffered Bi-Polar Disorder.

* Virginia Woolf (British novelist); she experienced Bi-Polar Disorder and suffered mood-swings all of her life.

* Abraham Lincoln (16th President of the United States); suffered severe Depression and was at times suicidal.

* Ruth Graham (Billy Graham’s and Ruth Graham’s daughter); suffered Depression and eating disorders. She battled with drugs and suicidal ideation.

* Brooke Shields (actress); suffered disabling ‘Postpartum Depression’. Note- ‘Postpartum Depression is actually refered to as Postpartum Onset Specifier which is something like a ‘symptom’ of other Mood Disorders.

* Vivien Leigh (Actress in ‘Gone With the Wind’); suffered Bi-Polar Disorder with hallucinations.

* Lionel Aldridge (football player in the 1960s); suffered Paranoid Schizophrenia.

* Ludwig van Beethoven (composer); he suffered from Bi-Polar Disorder.

* Isaac Newton (mathematician in the 17th Century); probable case of Bi-Polar Disorder (not diagnosed at his time).

* Hale Berry (actress); suffered disabling Depression and suicidal ideation.

* Marilyn Munroe; suffered Depression and abused sleeping pills.

* Billy Joel; suffered Depression.

* Princess Diana; suffered Bulimia and Depression and she also made multiple suicide attempts.

* Mike Tyson; Depression.

* Angelina Jolie; has been labelled ‘psychotic’ and has suffered Depression and self-harm.

* Donald Trump; probable case of O.C.D. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

Many, many famous people or celebrities have suffered Bi-Polar Disorder including Connie Francis who was a pop/country singer. Other with Bi-Polar have included:

* Mel Gibson

* Florence Nightingale

* Michael Slater (former Australian international cricketer); now a commentator and doing well.

* Barret Robins (former NFL Pro Bowler).

* Emil Post (mathematician).

* Bill Oddie (naturalist, television presenter and comedian).

* Alastair Campbell (press advisor).

* Rosemary Clooney (singer and actress).

* Frank Bruno (boxer)

* Michael Jackson; Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

* Patricia Cornwell (American crime writer). The list can simply go on and on.

Obviously, mental health disorders/illnesses know no boundaries. Even Albert Einstein was thought to have a mental disorder in OCD. He was actually known to have Dyslexia.

Others with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) have been:

Martin Luther : A historical figure who was condemned by the Catholic church. He suffered obsessions ( pertaining to OCD ) to a severe degree and he battled depression.

John Bunyan : Bunyan was regarded by many as England’s most influential author behind Shakespeare. His work with “Pilgrim’s Progress” had positive bearings on his popularity. Bunyan lived from 1628- 1688 and he a clear case of moderate to severe OCD .

Charles Darwin : Darwin was noted to have had frequent heart palpitation problems, fainting spells, shortness of breath and he experienced buzzing sounds in his head. Psychosomatic complaints were a problem such as stomach pains. He may well have suffered an anxiety disorder, and this is indicative in that most of his more recent biographers agreed that he had a panic disorder .

Samuel Johnson : He was a poet, playwright and biographer. Johnson was a scholar who was an admirer of John Bunyan and he became the greatest literary figure of his age .

Therese of Lisieux : 1873- 1897, she was a Patron Saint of France who appeared to have suffered quite disabling OCD ( Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ). She was the author of “Story of a Soul” .

Plus also:

* Leonardo DeCaprio

* Michelangelo

* Harrison Ford (also suffered Depression)

* Howard Hughes

* Billy Bob Thornton

* Cameron Diaz

* Howie Mandel

* Penelope Cruz

* Charlie Sheen

* David Beckham

* Justin Timberlake (also suffers BDD)

* Fred Durst (American singer, actor and film director)

* Martin Scorsese (American Academy Award-winning film director, writer, producer and film historian).

Again, there are many more who could be included. Just a very small hand-ful of other who have suffered mood disorders include:

* Boris Yeltsin (also had alcohol issues)

* John Denver (also suffered alcoholism)

* Drew Carey (has also attempted suicide)

* Kurt Cobain

* David Bohm

* Adam Ant

* Britney Spears (unconfirmed).

And here is just a snippet of more people with Schizophrenia:

* Eduard Einstein

* Peter Green (guitarist in Fleetwood Mac)

* Mary Todd Lincoln (wife of Abraham Lincoln)

* Bob Mosley

* Rose Williams

* Meera Popkin.

Henry Winkler, Tom Cruise and Agatha Christie all suffer from Dyslexia.

So, if you happen to be feeling ‘alien’ or perhaps carrying a feeling of guilt, frustration or what-ever, you one of many. I distinctly remember being firstly diagnosed with OCD (and then other disorders to follow) in how the confusion, frustration, uncertainty among so many other thoughts, feelings and issues (such as stereotype beliefs) contributed to personal distress and I acknowledge what others may be going through in their own battles with such issues. In my opinion, we can ‘talk until the cows come home’ (talk very, very much) about problems, but I have found that many people are perhaps more interested in WHAT CAN BE DONE. This is one of my several aims of this site; to discuss what can be done; ideas, strategies, techniques, therapies with good track-records etc. So, in time, much more will be posted about many more issues or topics such as these.

It is not surprising to hear of so many historical figures who have battled with psychiatric problems when that taken into consideration that so much of the population of any society has a mental health problem. Years ago here in Australia (where I am from) it was recognised that one in five people will at some stage in their lives suffer a mental disorder or illness. Now it is recognised as one in every two. Yes, many of these cases will be mild, but of course, it is still a very serious problem confronting us. One of the many aims of this site as mentioned, is to help to promote the truth and the reality of mental health and to make a small contribution to helping to break-down the stigma in society. Having a mental health problem is no disgrace; it is what we do about it that really matters in the end. Some people will remain unwell, that is a fact, but we can still make particular choices at least to some degree. ‘Keep going; there in NOBODY like you’.

More general topics are discussed here.

Finally, here is an e-book which may be of some interest to you and may be worth considering having a look:

Emotional S.O.S. E-book; highly recommended (even by doctors). Price: $27.00 Click Here!

Thank you for visiting this site. All the best,

Paul Inglis.

References:

Osborne, I.M.D. 1998, Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals, First Edition, Pantheon Books, New York.

Ashby Allen Institute, Mental Health, 2003, Brisbane, Australia.

en.wikipedia.org  (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)