Beethoven’s fits of mania were well known in his circle of friends, and when he was on a high he could compose numerous works at once. Sadly, much of what he may have suffered from probably could have been managed with today’s medications, including a serious case of bipolar disorder. When the composer died of liver failure in 1827, he had been self-medicating his many health problems with alcohol for decades. Depression caused Lincoln severe pain - so much so that it’s believed he also suffered from Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue and how the body grows and develops.Ģ. “A tendency to melancholy” Lincoln once wrote in a letter to a friend, “.let it be observed, is a misfortune, not a fault.” The most amazing part of his story was the sheer determination with which he willed himself to overcome his serious affliction and still achieve all he was able to achieve for our young and troubled nation at war with itself. Lincoln relied upon several means to cope with his depression, including work, humor, fatalistic resignation, and religious feelings. Lincoln is even assumed to be the author of a poem published in 1838, "The Suicide’s Soliloquy,” which contains the lines: Hell! What is hell to one like me Who pleasures never knew By friends consigned to misery, By hope deserted too?Ībraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, suffered from severe and debilitating depressions that sometimes led to suicidal thoughts, as recorded by Carl Sandburg in his comprehensive six-volume biographical analysis of Lincoln’s life. Both his mother and numerous members of his father’s family exhibited similar symptoms of severe depression, indicating he was probably biologically susceptible to the illness. According to one Lincoln biographer, letters left by the president’s friends referred to him as “the most depressed person they've ever seen.” On at least one occasion, he was so overcome with “melancholy” that he collapsed. The Great Emancipator managed to lead the country through one of its more trying times, despite suffering from severe depression most of his life. ABRAHAM LINCOLN – DEPRESSION and Marfan Syndrome Here's a speculative look at the mental health of 11 of history's big thinkers.ġ. And while it's impossible to be completely sure of a correct diagnosis of a historical figure, that hasn’t stopped researchers from making educated guesses. Studies have shown that there are much higher instances of mental disorder in political leaders and creative geniuses than in the general population.
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