Depression Talk

Although it’s usually the voters who wind up feeling blue, there have been many politicians who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or major depression. Until the 1990’s, no politician who actually wanted to stay in office could admit to being depressed. The stigma of metal illness and insanity would doom that politician to a career change. Depression or melancholia was something kept very private.

It seems we insitictively look to the physcially perfect in order to be our leaders - and depression also falls into the “imperfect” category. In some ancient cultures, if a sitting king or chief was discovered to have a physical flaw — even due to age — he was not only removed from power but often executed.

Abraham Lincoln

He didn’t wear black all the time as a fashion statement. We only have his letters, writings and doctor’s notes to go on, but many experts agree that Abraham Lincoln, generally considered America’s greatest President, had major depression. Going through the Civil War and the death of a beloved son intensified his already strong depression. How he managed to get out of bed every day and eventually run the country is nothing short of a miracle.

Winston Churchill

It is thought that England’s most famous Prime Minister suffered from bipolar disorder (called manic depression in England). Churchill wrote a lot about … well, just about everything, and so scholars got more than just a peek into Churchill’s moods and thoughts. He apparantly called his down states “the Black Dog”.

Senator Thomas Eagleton

I hear you saying “Who?” His biggest claim to fame was, in 1972, being the Vice Presidential Canidate to George McGovern — for a mere 18 days. Then, it was discovered that he had clinical depression so severe that in the past he needed shock therapy. What happened to Eagleton happened to any politician discovered to have depression — he was dropped like a hot potato.

Lawton Chiles

Although admitting he had depression and was on Prozac, he was still elected a two-term govenor of Florida. He died while in office in 1998 and is remembered fondly by many Floridians to this day. In many obituaries about him, there is only a passing reference to his depression, if that. He was known for championing health care reform.