Abraham Lincoln (1809- 1865)
President of the United States
Abraham Lincoln
(1809- 1865)
President of the United States
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Scientist, polemic, revolutionary, doctor and analyst.
"According to numerous biographers, Freud
often obsessed about his sex life and money; he wrote 900 love letters to the
woman of his affections; he suffered bouts of depression and despair; he
frequently seethed with resentment at rivals...Freud's demons and quirks sparked
his desire to learn more about human motivation and behavior."
Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)
Actress, model
"(Marilyn) couldn't beat chronic
depression--and ultimately paid for it with her life. At the end of her
short, wild career, Monroe was under the constant care of a psychiatrist, and
was prone to mixing prescription drugs with alcohol."
Greg Louganis (1960-)
Olympic 5-time medalist in diving
"Louganis...first experienced depression at
age 12 when a doctor told him that because of knee damage, he would have to give
up gymnastics and his dream of competing in the Olympics...Louganis attempted
suicide by downing aspirin and Ex-Lax, trying again twice before the age of 18.
While counseling sessions accomplished little, Louganis found that diving -
asport less grueling for the knees- was a satisfying way to express his physical
talents. By 1971 he had qualified for the Junior Olympics. Fire
years later, at the age of 16, Louganis won a silver medal at the Montreal
Olympics in the 10-meter platform diving competition. He went on to win
gold medals in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic games."
Alanis Morissette (1974-)
Musician, songwriter
"While on tour to promote her platinum album,
Jagged Little Pill, Morissette began to feel helpless. 'Schedule-wise, my health
and peace of mind weren't a priority,' she told reporters. 'there had been
this dissonance in the midst of all the external success. Because on the
one hand, I was expected to be overjoyed by it, and at the same time I was
disillusioned by it.' To combat her depression, Morissette traveled to
India and Cuba, read, competed in triathlons and reconnected with friendships
that she had let lapse. Feeling better within a year, she went on to
produce a second hit album."
Georgia O'Keefe (1887-1986)
Artist
"Georgia O'Keefe was so deathly afraid of
being unoriginal that she destroyed all of her paintings shortly before her 30th
birthday. In the 1920's her husband had an affair with a woman 40 years
his junior and O'Keefe was briefly hospitalized for depression, but emerged
feeling reborn."
Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960-)
Actor
"Throughout his vibrant career in film, Van
Damme has used drugs, been diagnosed with cyclic manic depression and accused of
spousal abuse. As a teen-ager, he took refuge in karate, ballet and in
daydreams, which he calls "rosy dreams". Today he takes medication to help
mitigate the effects of his illness."
Tipper Gore (1948-)
Advocate and wife of former Vice President, Al Gore
"Tipper Gore succumbed to depression after her son nearly died in a car accident
in 1989. She was diagnosed around 1991, tried various medications and
sought professional guidance from a social worker friend. She fought to
raise awareness for sufferers by coordinating the first-ever White House
Conference on Mental Illness."
Sting (1951-)
"Sting has spent the past few years wrestling with grand issues: dredging up painful childhood memories for the book; agonizing over global politics; and reuniting, for the first time in more than a decade, with his old band mates from the Police for one feverishly anticipated, ultimately unsatisfying performance. "I was in a depression for a year or two," he says matter-of-factly. So as he directs this session, he seems relieved to be in a situation he can control. And for Sting, qualities like control, focus and structure are essential to his ability to create his distinctive, ever evolving sounds."