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Mental health of the presidents of the United States

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki



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Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States and widely regarded as one of the greatest U.S. presidents, was described by his contemporaries as melancholic, and is speculated to have had clinical depression or bipolar disorder.[1][2]

Links between mental health conditions and U.S. Presidents have been studied by psychologists. A study by Jonathan Davidson of Duke University's Medical Center concluded that half of U.S. Presidents have suffered from mental disorders. Presidents speculated to suffer from mental health conditions include presidents rated highly by historians, such as Abraham Lincoln, whose melancholy moods were well documented by his friends and contemporaries, and Theodore Roosevelt, who is speculated to have had bipolar disorder.[3] It has been speculated that the stress of the presidency may trigger some of these issues in an individual. Most recently, some have speculated the 45th president, Donald Trump has narcissistic personality disorder or that 46th president Joe Biden has dementia.[4][5][6][7]. However, these claims are heavily controversial, often politically charged, and have been written off by most medical professionals. [8][9][10][11]

Mood disorders[edit]

Many U.S. Presidents have shown indications of having mood disorders. John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson have all been speculated to have had bipolar disorder,[12][13][14] with it being claimed that Roosevelt's South American expedition was influenced by manic thinking.[15]. Davidson's study found that 24% of U.S. Presidents met the diagnostic criteria for depression,[16] including James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes[17], Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.[18]. A diagnosis of Lincoln with unipolar depression is more common among psychologists than that of bipolar depression. Lincoln was put on suicide watch in 1841 after breaking off his engagement to Mary Todd.[19] In the cases of Pierce and Coolidge, the depression was said to be brought on by the death of a child.[20] Madison also suffered from hypochondria.[21]

Other mental health issues[edit]

Thomas Jefferson and Ulysses S. Grant were concluded to have suffered from social anxiety disorder.[22] Richard Nixon, Calvin Coolidge, and Woodrow Wilson also showed evidence of having an anxiety disorder. Jefferson is also speculated to have had Asperger syndrome or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).[23] A 2012 Emory University study found presidents such as Andrew Jackson, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Bill Clinton to exhibit psychopathic traits, with Jackson and Johnson rating highest.[24] President Franklin Pierce as well as Grant and Nixon also showed signs of alcoholism[25], and Nixon also abused prescription drugs.[26]

Andrew Jackson and Lyndon B. Johnson rated highest among U.S. Presidents in psychopathic traits

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Shenk, Joshua Wolf (2005-10-01). "Lincoln's Great Depression". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  2. ↑ "Did You Know? | The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation". 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  3. ↑ "Study: Half of All Presidents Suffered From Mental Illness | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  4. ↑ Cillizza, Chris (2021-09-16). "Paul Ryan was convinced Donald Trump had narcissistic personality disorder | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  5. ↑ "Trump has narcissistic personality disorder, says leading psychoanalyst". The Independent. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  6. ↑ "Does Biden have dementia? Putin says no, but Trump's ex-doctor, Rep. Ronny Jackson, wants him tested". Dallas News. 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  7. ↑ Ganske, Greg. "Opinion: Joe Biden isn't the person I knew in Congress. He should get cognitive testing, with the result made public". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  8. ↑ "I helped write the manual for diagnosing mental illness. Donald Trump doesn't meet the criteria". STAT. 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  9. ↑ "The mental rigours of being US president". BBC News. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  10. ↑ Dmitri Oster, contributor (2016-08-05). "We should stop calling Trump a narcissist". The Hill. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  11. ↑ Lawrence, Jill. "The new big lie Republicans want you to believe? That there's a puppeteer at the White House". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  12. ↑ "The mental rigours of being US president". BBC News. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  13. ↑ "Did You Know? | The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation". 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  14. ↑ "Study: Half of All Presidents Suffered From Mental Illness | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  15. ↑ "Study: Half of All Presidents Suffered From Mental Illness | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  16. ↑ "Study: Half of All Presidents Suffered From Mental Illness | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  17. ↑ "The Surprising Link between American Presidents and Mental Illness". bpHope.com. 2016-11-27. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  18. ↑ "Why Mental Health Is A Poor Measure Of A President". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  19. ↑ "Exploring Abraham Lincoln's 'Melancholy'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  20. ↑ "The mental rigours of being US president". BBC News. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  21. ↑ "Mental Illness in the Oval Office | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness". www.nami.org. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  22. ↑ "The mental rigours of being US president". BBC News. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  23. ↑ Berkes, Anna (February 18, 2009). "Diagnosing TJ". The Jefferson Monticello.
  24. ↑ "The mental rigours of being US president". BBC News. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  25. ↑ "Study: Half of All Presidents Suffered From Mental Illness | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  26. ↑ "Mental Illness in the Oval Office | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness". www.nami.org. Retrieved 2022-06-28.


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