Cultural stigma creates challenge in diagnosis and community support for those suffering from mental illness. Racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and gender biases exacerbate the problem. For example, eating disorders in men are highly-stigmatized and under-reported.

Sir Elton John has willingly talked about his mental illness in an effort to destigmatize mental illness for others. Thank you Elton John !

Abraham Lincoln suffered from major depressive disorder. There were multiple times in his adult life when friends tended to suicide watch in response to deep depressive episodes he experienced. Some believe that what became his greatness was motivated by his depression.

It is hard to assess and diagnose people posthumously (in fact many clinicians ask whether we should do it at all). There is disagreement as to whether Substance Use Disorder is the only mental illness Beethoven would be diagnosed with if he were still alive today (some also believe he could have been Bipolar). Most believe that loss of hearing likely triggered his substance abuse and severe depression.

Beethoven’s brilliance will never be replicated by anyone else, and whether his substance use had any impact on the quality of his work (for better or worse) will never be known, but those that struggle should know they are not alone. There are others around every one of us that are struggling too.

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior suffered from clinical. In his younger years he attempted suicide more than once. In his late adult life, he was encouraged by multiple people close to him to seek treatment. Like many others with mental illness, the necessary co-existence of Dr. King’s depression for his personality, strengths, and humanity to contextually make him successful as a leader is described well by many scholars, medical professionals, and historians in many (sometimes contradictory) ways. Particular to Dr. King, some provide insights into the contextualization of how the world around us impacts mental health, and in turn, has the power to impact the others around us in turn.

According to some people, Darwin would not have so thoroughly explored his theory of evolution had he not suffered such severe anxiety. For most of his life Darwin was a fairly anxious person, but from the age of 28 (after his return from the 5-year trip on the Beagle), until his death in his 70s, he suffered from severe anxiety. Darwin had regular panic attacks, and his anxiety often manifested itself in multiple physical side-effects like heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, and more.

Whoopi Goldberg has talked openly about mental health challenges, substance use, and therapy. Thanks for helping bring light to your struggles and in turn encouraging others to recognize their own challenges.