Famous People With Bipolar
A Few Really Famous People With Bipolar Disorder
The number of famous people with bipolar disorder is large indeed. Given that approximately one in one hundred persons suffers from bipolar disorder, this should not be surprising. Perhaps the surprise comes from thinking that bipolar disorder affects some classes of individuals more than others, and is not a problem among the rich and the famous.
There are many historical figures on the list, people who have been diagnosed with the disease, or have definitely displayed its symptoms. Some names will no doubt surprise you, others will not. The same would hold true with any list of famous people with bipolar disorder who are living today. Some names would surprise you, others would not.
Making a list of contemporary sufferers of the disease public, needs to be done with caution. Some may not actually have been diagnosed as having the disease, while others have it, but don't particularly want the world to know of it. Still others are quite public about it, especially those who have successfully fought the battle.
Rather than a lengthy list, a few of the more famous people with bipolar disorder are mentioned here. With a couple of exceptions, these people are no longer among the living. Here then, are seventeen people who have had the disorder. In a few cases, though not all, things ended badly for them.
Two of our presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, suffered from the disorder. Lincoln had the greatest difficulty of the two, suffering periods of deep melancholy and depression. Between the troubles of the Civil War, and Lincoln's wife, it is a wonder he managed as well as he did. Another statesman, Alexander Hamilton, our first Secretary of the Treasury, supposedly had the disease as well, as did Winston Churchill.
In more recent times, the candidacy of Thomas Eagleton, as George McGovern's running mate, was short lived, when it was disclosed that Senator Eagleton had undergone treatment for the disorder, even though the disease did not appear to hamper his abilities as a civil servant.
It's no surprise that one of the famous people with bipolar disorder was Edgar Allan Poe. Poe's life was not terribly different from many of the characters in his stories, people who were disturbed, fearful, and depressed. Gloom seemed to permeate both Poe's works and his life.
At the other extreme, who would ever have thought that Art Buchwald suffered from the disorder. Whether you read his books, columns, or saw him in person, Buchwald's sense of humor was legendary. He even wrote a book about outlasting his doctors' predictions of an early death, when he was diagnosed with terminal kidney failure. The book is full of typical Buchwald humor. Hard to image from a person with a terminal disease, and at the same time suffering from bipolar disorder.
Artists' experiences with the disease at times surface in their works. Vincent van Gogh's later paintings, including some of his most famous, suggest a slow decline into madness. The Norwegian artist Edvard Munch had the disease. If you're not familiar with Edvard Munch, you will probably recognize his most famous painting, "The Scream".
Ludwig Von Beethoven is believed to have had the disease, though lead poisoning is also suspect. Composer Robert Schumman definitely had the symptoms, throwing his wedding ring into a river during a bout with depression, and spending his last years in an asylum.
And there are many more, ranging from one of the more brilliant scientists of all time, Sir Isaac Newton, to Boston Red Sox outfielder Jimmy Piersall. Comedian Jonathon Winters, authors Ralph Waldo Emerson,William Falkner, and Mark Twain were afflicted as well.
Some undoubtedly struggled more than others, and for some the disorder eventually did them in. But for many, perhaps most, the final outcome was not so bleak. A positive outlook is even more promising today, as medications and courses of treatment for bipolar disorder constantly improve.