25 Famous People With Mental Illnesses | The Odyssey Online
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25 Famous People With Mental Illnesses, 1400s To Present

They All Conquered Their Battles With Mental Illness To Be Wildly Successful

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Albert Einstein depicted wearing yellow coat and eyeglasses
Photo by Taton Moïse on Unsplash

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) strives for a society that is stigma free. The Merriam-Webster definition of stigma is “a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something; a mark of shame of discredit.”

To hopefully help reduce some of the stigma that surrounds mental illness, I thought I would compile a list of well-known people over time who have suffered or are still suffering from a mental illness. It's an impressive list that puts anyone battling mental illness in good company.

1. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Portrait of Leonardo DaVincicommons.wikimedia.org

Da Vinci was known to have kept complicated journals where he wrote upside-down and backwards. He also had dyslexia.

2. Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Michelangelocommons.wikimedia.org

Known for his incredible art, Michelangelo also suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

3. Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727)

Sir Isaac Newtonen.m.wikipedia.org

The scientist who explained gravity and had the Laws of Motion named after himself, Isaac Newton was known to have suffered from bipolar disorder and possible depression.

4. Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Ludwig Van Beethovencommons.wikimedia.org

While Beethoven is well-known for being a deaf composer and coming up with masterpieces such as Fur Elise, he also suffered from bipolar disorder and depression.

5. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

Edgar Allan Poecommons.wikimedia.org

Though this is no surprise, the father of the American short-story suffered from depression and alcoholism.

6. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Former US President Abraham Lincolncommons.wikimedia.org

The 16th president of the United States suffered from depression and anxiety attacks.

7. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Charles Darwinen.m.wikipedia.org

The creator of the Theory of Evolution suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

8. Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882)

Mary Todd Lincolnen.m.wikipedia.org

The wife of Abraham Lincoln suffered from schizophrenia.

9. Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

Thomas Edisonen.wikipedia.org

The inventor of the light bulb suffered from dyslexia.

10. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

Self-portrait of Vincent van Goghen.wikipedia.org

The creator of "Starry Night" suffered from bipolar disorder and depression.

11. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Sir Winston Churchillen.wikipedia.org

The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom suffered from bipolar disorder and dyslexia.

12. Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Albert Einsteinwww.flickr.com

The creator of the theory of relativity suffered from dyslexia.

13. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Pablo Picassoen.m.wikipedia.org

This famous artist suffered from depression.

14. Walt Disney (1901-1966)

Walt Disneycommons.wikimedia.org

The man behind Mickey Mouse suffered from dyslexia.

15. Buzz Aldrin (1930- )

Buzz Aldrinwww.veterans-in-blue.af.mil

This astronaut, the second person to walk on the moon, suffers from depression.

16. Elton John (1947- )

Elton Johncommons.wikimedia.org

This musician who wrote the song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight," suffered from bulimia.

17. Ozzy Osbourne (1948- )

Ozzy Osbourneen.wikipedia.org

This musician, known as The Prince of Darkness, suffers from bipolar disorder.

20. Robin Williams (1951-2014)

Robin Williamscommons.wikimedia.org

Loved by many, this actor and comedian lost his battle to depression in 2014.

19. Stephen Fry (1957- )

Stephen Frycommons.wikimedia.org

This actor and comedian suffers from bipolar disorder.

20. Princess Diana of Wales (1961-1997)

Princess Diana of Walesen.m.wikipedia.org

The late princess suffered from bulimia and depression.

21. Jim Carrey (1962- )

Jim Carreyen.m.wikipedia.org

This actor and comedian suffers from depression.

22. Ben Stiller (1965- )

Ben Stilleren.m.wikipedia.org

This actor and comedian suffers from bipolar disorder.

23. Kurt Cobain (1967-1994)

Kurt Cobainwww.flickr.com

Founder and lead singer of the grunge-rock band Nirvana, Cobain suffered from ADD and bipolar disorder.

24. Leonardo DiCaprio (1974- )

Leonardo DiCapriocommons.wikimedia.org

This actor suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

25. Heath Ledger (1979-2008)

Heath Ledgercommons.wikimedia.org

This Australian-born actor known for his amazing performance as The Joker in "Batman: The Dark Knight," suffered from insomnia, anxiety, and depression.

Big picture: Every one in five people have a mental illness of some kind. These 25 people are only a tiny fraction of those who have some kind of mental illness in the "famous" or "well-known" spectrum. There are even more of those who have it in our day-to-day lives.

To learn more about mental health, visit https://www.nami.org/.

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