Great Historical Figures With Mental Disorders

Aristotle's controversial claim that 'No great genius without a strain of madness" raises questions. In the past, brilliant minds grappled with misunderstood mental disorders, enduring strange treatments like exorcism for what we now know as schizophrenia. Outdated remedies included electroshock and bloodletting, while dietary changes and tooth extractions were suggested. Remarkable individuals overcame mental afflictions, achieving greatness. Let's dive into the historical figures who showcased genius amid their mental challenges...

His involvement in brawls and a prison sentence were not uncommon. In 1606, he infamously killed a Roman pimp named Ranuccio Tomassoni, forcing him to flee Rome. Violent incidents persisted, including a disfiguring altercation with Fra Giovanni Rodomonte Roero in 1608. Art critic and historian Andrew Graham-Dixon proposed that Caravaggio likely had bipolar disorder, citing his alternating phases of aggression, exuberance, and depression in "Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane." Caravaggio's turbulent life journey, with its blend of artistic brilliance and personal turmoil, ended tragically in Port'Ercole on July 18, 1610.

Freud fled Austria during WWII to escape the Nazis, settling in the UK. In 1939, he died from jaw cancer, a poignant irony for a psychoanalysis pioneer dealing with his depression. Interestingly, Freud, who endorsed cocaine's stimulating and pain-relieving qualities, grappled with periodic depression, fatigue, apathy, and anxiety attacks. He deemed cocaine a "brilliant success" against his depression, but it couldn't provide a lasting cure, as his death resulted from a different cause.

Even as he pursued a career in law and public service, his melancholic disposition remained a defining trait. In 1860, an observer at the Republican Convention noted his profound diffidence. Lincoln's depression led him to contemplate suicide, as seen in his anonymous poem "Suicide's Soliloquy" published in 1838. His anxiety attacks and bouts of melancholy were hereditary and persisted from his early days as a lawyer in Illinois. Despite these challenges, Lincoln coped by telling jokes and indulging in humorous literature.

Van Gogh wrestled with psychotic episodes, delusions, depression, and anxiety, as expressed in a poignant letter to his brother: "I am so angry with myself because I cannot do what I should like to do... utterly helpless." Notably, in a fit of rage during an argument with Gauguin, he infamously severed his ear. The American Journal of Psychiatry described him as having an "eccentric personality" with "unstable moods" and enduring "recurrent psychotic episodes" in the last two years of his life. His mental health remains a subject of debate among over 150 physicians.

Woolf's nine-year ordeal of sexual abuse by her half-siblings exacerbated her mental health struggles. During her time, treatments for mental health issues were rudimentary and often biased against women. Virginia endured extreme measures, including the removal of multiple teeth in an attempt to cure her 'madness.' When these interventions failed, she was subjected to 'rest cures', which involved force-feeding, isolation, and a ban on reading. These treatments pushed her further into despair, ultimately leading to her tragic suicide. In a farewell note to her husband, she wrote, "I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work... I can’t go on spoiling your life any longer." 

He passed away at the age of 56 on March 26, 1827. Besides his hearing loss, Beethoven grappled with significant mental health challenges. Many scholars believe he likely suffered from bipolar disorder or manic-depression, evident in his compositions. Despite these struggles, Beethoven channeled his intense energy into his music, using it as a source of innovation and creative expression.

Much of Edvard’s struggle with mental illness were documented through his paintings and writings. His famous painting The Scream was a product of one of his episodes. He wrote: "One evening I was walking along a path... the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature." Even before he painted The Scream, he admitted that ‘madness’ was already a part of him. He said, “Illness, insanity, and death were the black angels that kept watch over my cradle and accompanied me all my life.”

Newton lived in an era when mental illness baffled physicians. Historians and psychologists have examined his journals and accounts, yielding inconclusive but insightful findings. His fits of rage, remorse, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts resemble manic depression or bipolar disorder with psychosis. Accounts of self-confidence and fear of criticism support this. His paranoid delusions and isolation suggest schizophrenia, while difficulties in social interactions hint at autism spectrum traits. Regardless, his mental health challenges are overshadowed by his remarkable scientific achievements and personal accomplishments.

Simon Callow, a veteran actor and writer surmised that the writer may have suffered from bipolar disorder. He said, “There was a passion, a rage and real driven quality in Dickens. There was something almost unhinged about him and many would have considered him bipolar today.” Dickens didn’t like to talk about the time he worked in a factory which is a contradiction to how he viewed his writing career. As Callow said, “He found great comfort in his characters and would talk about them as if they were real.” He also exhibited insomnia, one of the key symptoms of depression. He would walk around London until sunrise presumably “to get through the night”.

Sylvia Nasar's novel "A Beautiful Mind" and its film adaptation were based on his life. His battle with paranoid schizophrenia began in the 1950s, becoming apparent during a confusing lecture at Columbia University in 1959. Hospitalized for two decades and treated with psychotropic drugs he was skeptical of, he stopped taking them after 1970, and surprisingly, his schizophrenia vanished.

It was no secret that Churchill battled with a mental disorder which he named his “black dog”. He fell into intense and lengthy periods of depression, some after misfortune and others for unexplained reasons. To keep his depression at bay, he would occupy himself with writing. Otherwise, he would likely succumb to his contemplation of suicide. Although some may find it unfortunate that Churchill suffered from depression, it is actually what made him the perfect wartime leader. His bipolar disorder contributed to his aggression, iron will, and single-mindedness.

Although Kerouac was diagnosed in 1943, he had actually been hearing voices in his head from a young age. He shared that he heard God speak to him at the age of six while he was praying the Rosary. According to him, God told him that he would die painfully, but would ultimately achieve salvation. When he was in the Navy, his superiors noticed his odd behavior when he reported for duty in Rhode Island. He was transferred to the Naval Hospital where doctors checked on him and noted that neuropsychiatric examination disclosed auditory hallucinations, ideas of reference and suicide, and a rambling, grandiose, philosophical manner.”

In 1821, Napoleon’s health began to deteriorate, and died on May 5, 1821. Historians have studied Napoleon’s personality and subjected him to a psychological evaluation. As a toddler, he had a gentle disposition but as his mother paid more attention to his brother, he became more assertive and approval-driven. Many scholars considered that he suffered from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He had ruthless self-determination and a sense of grandeur. He had to win at everything he attempted.

Despite having “a good wife… good children and a large property… [and] could believe my name already famous”, he still suffered from depression. In one of his works titled Confession, he wrote about his mental illness. “I felt that something had broken within me on which my life had always rested, that I had nothing left to hold on to and that morally my life had stopped. An invincible force impelled me to get rid of my existence.”

While fighting through his depression, he debated about giving away all of his possessions, becoming celibate, and questioned the nature of his religious beliefs. There was even a point when he was determined to give up writing altogether, saying, “art is not only useless but even harmful.”

Poe earned the nickname “the man who never smiles” and it was attributed to his depression. He was also said to have bipolar disorder. To his loved ones, he was ever-indulgent whereas he was combative and intolerant to those who criticize his works. He described his desire to earn a living from writing while hating criticism, saying, “I do believe God gave me a spark of genius, but He quenched it in misery.” Nonetheless, his mental disorder helped in giving his works their uniqueness, eventually creating wonderfully macabre pieces of literature.

Tesla was the archetypal eccentric genius whose unusual habits suggest that he had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). His mental health issues may have been hereditary from his strict mother. His odd habits included using exactly 18 napkins every meal. When going to a building for the first time, he would walk around it three times before entering it. He had an obsession with numbers divisible by three and would occupy hotel rooms with such numbers. National Geographic wrote about Tesla’s OCD, saying, “He loathed jewelry and round objects and wouldn't touch the hair. He was obsessed with the number three and polished every dining implement he used to perfection, using 18 napkins.”

Hemingway tried to control his anxiety by turning into alcohol in which he did for decades. Andrew Farah, a forensic psychologist, believes that his injuries in World War I, as well as his accidents, caused him to suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). It was pointed to as the cause of his foul temper, paranoia, and psychotic episodes. He was given electro-shock treatments and medication to help with his condition. Both proved to be ineffective as Hemingway sadly shot himself with a shotgun in 1961.

Like others afflicted with depression, despite his professional success and good family life, James battled with the illness from a young age. After receiving his MD, he spent three years battling ill health and depression. For him, it came from his struggle to reconcile his scientific learning with his religious faith, calling it a “crisis of meaning”. He suffered from hallucinations and panic attacks. He lamented over his loss of purpose in life and doubted the existence of God. As he attempted to methodically reconcile religion and science, his situation worsened but it also led to his most important works.

During the American Civil War, Sherman became known as a ruthless military commander whose approach was known as “total war”.  But when Sherman was given the principal military responsibility for Kentucky, he became exceedingly pessimistic about the outlook for his command. Then in 1861, he requested that he be relieved of his position stating, “it would be better if a more sanguine mind were here.” Journalists described him to be in a manic state of pacing ceaselessly and muttering things to himself. It was through these that he was theorized to have suffered from bipolar disorder. His personality switched between the extremes of hyperactivity and despondency. He later recovered from his affliction and returned to service.

Plath had suffered from depression throughout her life and have attempted to take her life multiple time. While enrolled in Smith College, she slashed her legs to see if she had enough “courage” to commit suicide. This was after she missed a meeting with a Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas. After she was refused entry to the Harvard writing seminar, she was treated with electroconvulsive therapy for her depression. Then in 1953, she attempted suicide by taking her mother’s pills and crawling under the house. In 1962, she drove her car off the side of the road and into the river. Shortly after The Bell Jar, a thinly-veiled account of her depression and breakdown was published, Plath took her own life by placing her head in the oven with the gas turned on.

Over the years, many theories spread as to how King Tut lived. Many scientists believe that through inbreeding of the royal family in Egypt, the King suffered a great many deformities including an overbite, severe hip displacement, and a clubbed foot.  Tut was considered a frail boy, but even still, someone had to rule and so Tut was crowned King at 9 years old, and only reigned for ten years until his untimely death. 

Through science and modern technology, we have come to discover that King Tut may have been plagued with several bad cases of malaria during his time as well as severely disfigured due to his inbred blood line. This may explain the reasons why King Tut was often depicted sitting, even during events such as archery. His frail body couldn’t handle the pressures of life and could be the reason for his untimely death by the hippo as he couldn’t outrun it or dodge it in time. 

Many may have embellished his misdeeds as a way to gain support for their cause, or because time simply turned him into legend. But a few things about him are certain. He was an Olympian and often competed in chariot races during his time. He also played the lyre and sported a chinstrap beard that judging by his reputation was probably a fashion-don't even back then. 

However cruel Nero was, there was no one he despised more than Christians. Although, he did off many of his closest allies and even those who dared to call themselves friends, in the end, it was the revolt of the Roman provinces that got the best of him. Before justice could be done, he killed himself shouting about how great of an artist he was. Can you say narcissistic?

The Queen reigned from 1353 until 1336 B.C. along with her husband. But when her husband passed, she took up the regency and became powerful in her own right. Of course, we never would have found this out had it not been for a bust of her discovered in 1913 by Ludwig Borchardt. The bust captivated scientists and archeologists and only with recent technology were we able to get a clear image of what this beautiful woman looked like, thanks to CT scans of the bust. 

But what do you expect from a woman who ran an empire and carried and cared for six children? Including one particular female who would end up sleeping with Nefertiti’s husband, producing King Tut. Talk about keeping it in the family. No wonder the poor boy had so many health issues.

It is clear, that Robert the Bruce has seen better times, but, what did he really look like? What was the greatest man to stand against the English empire really like?

If it weren’t for this man, Robert the Bruce, standing up and fighting against great odds and dangerous foes, Scotland no doubt would have continued to reign under the English flag. While the image does represent his facial features pretty well, there is no evidence what color eyes he had. Also, further records have shown that Robert the Bruce suffered from leprosy which probably was the cause of his death in 1329. So this image is more of what he may have looked like before the battle for Scotland and following leprosy.

While it is known that Cleopatra reigned as co-regent for nearly 30 years in Egypt, tales of her beauty are well documented. She was highly intelligent -- known to speak several languages, and was keen on military strategies and warfare. Many stories tell of how easy it was for her to win the hearts of two influential men from the Roman Empire. But was she all that stunning? Was she as beautiful as Nefertiti? Chances are, not likely. The bust that was created around 40-30 B.C. shows a woman of modesty.

You’ll notice the larger nose and more masculine jaw line that displays a more accurate image of what Cleopatra actually looked like. While she may not have been as drop dead gorgeous as Nefertiti, there is still something about the regent Queen that captivated the minds of so many artists throughout history.

The bust that was created in the image of Caesar may be one of the more famous depictions of the man. In 2018 Maja d’Hollosy, an anthropologist, decided to scan the bust to give us a better resemblance of Caesar. And while the bust was created during the civil war in Rome, it gave clear evidence of wrinkles and aging that allowed d’Hollosy to create a life-like image to give us today.

But being a general in the Roman Army, and having relations with Cleopatra during the most disruptive time in Roman history, you would think he saw it was coming. After all, his last words were known to be “Et Tu Brute?”.  However,  if you are interested in seeing his newly created bust, you can visit the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities where they have it on display.

She was known as the Virgin Queen due to her reluctance to marry. She reigned as she saw fit and in the end it was as if she married her country instead of a man. Many of the images you’ll see show her in thick heavy makeup and with a high forehead. So, what did the Virgin Queen look like under all that makeup?

Luckily for us, with the use of modern technology, we have the most detailed and interactive face of the Queen thanks to the artist Mat Collishaw. Collishaw created a nearly living image of the Queen using animatronics that not only gives the impression she is contemplating her next move, but also blinks.

But Shakespeare gave us more than great plays and useful phrases, he also established the Globe Theatre. While he also is known for improving the English language, he was the son of a farmer and rose to fame only after his death. You’ll find many engravings and drawings of Shakespeare. The one above is from an artist by the name of James Faed who created this etched image of the famous playwright in 1859.

The image shows what he looked like on April 23, 1564 when he was laid to rest. Shakespeare gave the world more than just tragic love affairs and whimsical stories, he gave us art and creativity that will continue to span over the centuries.

The image of George Washington is one of the most famous paintings you’ll find of the man. However, it wouldn’t have been so if First Lady Dolley Madison hadn’t saved it from the fire that consumed the President’s house in 1814, started by the British. It is with this image that artists have used to recreate the First President of the United States.

With steel-blue eyes, and a dynamic pose, you can just picture him standing on the steps of the White House looking over the grounds. And while he was a former British soldier and a great leader, it was by his courage that he brought America out of its infancy and paved the way for what it is today.

It is true that Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth I were cousins. The girls started out as great friends. It wasn’t until later in life that the two Queens began their feud.  If it wasn’t for Mary’s involvement in a plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I she wouldn’t have ended up spending 19 years in prison. Although her cousin Elizabeth loved her, Mary’s involvement in a second coup caused her to lose her head. But what did Mary Queen of Scots really look like? All of her paintings show her as a lovely woman and are very stylized.

Here, Prof. Wilkinson of Dundee found biographical traits of the Queen and pushed aside the stylized versions often found in artwork to produce a realistic image of the Queen. What is most stunning about this image is that it shows a younger Queen somewhere around 19 to 26 years old. However, there are no known images of the Queen during these years due to her living situation and being stuck in prison during this time.

Richard III was the last of the Plantagenet dynasty that lasted for 330 years. He died as a hero and as an idiot for charging the Tutor army in 1485. But at least he went down fighting before witnessing the end of his army, when Henry killed him at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

The researchers from Dundee University didn’t have very much information to go on to recreate his face. With no paintings of him during life, all they had were images of those created after his death. Using the paintings, historical records, and the skull that they had found, they recreated this lost King. 

According to scientists, Meritamun’s remains may very well be 3,000 years old and come from the 3rd century B.C. From what they gathered, this woman was only around 18 to 25 years old when she died, but the results are inconclusive to how she died. So what do we know about her?

It took a combined 140 hours for researchers to piece together what they believe Meritamun would have looked like. With CT scans and a 3D printer, the image came to life and revealed that this woman may have dealt with anemia, which ultimately lead her to become weak and possibly lethargic before her untimely demise.

Soon after the King and Queen’s execution, Max established the Committee for Public Safety and quickly became the chief member. It appears his sole purpose in life was to indoctrinate France into The Cult of the Supreme Being.

The image above was created in 2013 by Philippe Charlier who teamed up with Philippe Froesch, a facial reconstruction specialist who used Max’s actual death mask. Although, Max would have liked to see his religious beliefs spread throughout the land, it just goes to show that a no man, royalty or not, was safe from the guillotine during the extreme religious war that spread across France during that time.

The man that was discovered in Peru was said to have been between 35 and 45 years old. But besides this remarkable treasure, there were two soldiers buried along with him. Some suggest that they were placed there to guard their king in life and in death.  According to the research, these two soldiers had their feet amputated to ensure they couldn’t leave the tomb. But who was this man that needed such protection?

The Lord of Sipan, which is what people have nicknamed him, was of great importance due to the ornate head piece and jewelry that was found along with him in the tomb. He was also surrounded by other precious jewels and metals to showcase his importance. Even so, no one knows for sure what his real name was or even if he was a great ruler after all.

Those who studied his remains also found that he had lost some teeth and that he was probably anemic. This man, who died when he was about 25-35 years old, was buried with a ceramic beaker in a crouching position.

The image above is but one of thousands of different depictions of what Christ might have looked like while he was here on earth. Nearly all images show a man in his late twenties to early thirties with a halo or some form of light coming off of his head. Most works of art were created after his death which some say happened around 30 to 33 A.D. The picture above was in fact created during the Middle Ages and shows a man with light brown hair that is semi straight. But those who lived in the Persian part of the Roman Empire did not have this style of hair. So, what did Jesus possibly look like?

So what could Jesus have looked like? In 2001 Richard Neave, a forensic anthropologist, created the above image to depict what a man of Persia would have looked like during that time. While this may not be an exact image of Jesus Christ, it does show a man of the same age, and heritage that Christ was. Of course, this image has sparked controversy, and many debates, the fact of the matter is, there is of course no way to know what Jesus really looked like as there were no pictures, drawings, or paintings of him created during his lifetime.

She was so beautiful and powerful that 13 men committed suicide after being rejected by her. She had four children by a husband whom she later divorced, and she worked as an activist, writer, artist and above all, a feminist intellectual.