There are many high profile individuals who experience mental illness. I feel like I'm in good company. Maybe you are too?
So read the list below and let's take stigma out of mental illness.
John Quincy Adams (US President), Lionel Aldridge (football star), Buzz Aldrin (astronaut), Alvin Ailey (choreographer), Adam Ant AKA Stuart Goddard (singer),Ann-Margaret (actor), Louie Anderson (comedian, actor), Gillian Anderson (actor), Isaac Asimov (author), Diane Arbus (photographer), Fiona Apple (musician), Ludwig van Beethoven, (composer), Robert Burns (poet), Drew Barrymore (actor/producer), Daniel Boorstin, (Former US presidential advisor), Zach Braff (actor), Art Buchwald (columnist), Oksana Baiul (skating star), Kim Basinger (actor), Ned Beatty, (actor), Syd Barrett (musician), Ludwig von Beethoven (composer), Carol Burnett (comedian), Maurice Bernard (actor), Irving Berlin (composer), Danny Bonaduce (actor), Halle Berry (actor), Kjell Magne Bondevik (Prime Minister, Norway), Steve Blass (baseball star), David Bowie (singer), Charles “Buddy” Bolden (musician), Charlotte Bronte (author), Marlon Brando (actor), Willie Burton (athlete), Barbara Bush (former First Lady - U.S.), Delta Burke (actor), Robert Borrstin (political advisor), Lord Byron (Poet), Cher (singer/actress), Dick Clark (producer/music magnate), John Candy (comedian), Ray Charles (musician), Deanna Carter (singer), Helen Caldicott (activist/writer), Dean Cain (actor), Drew Carey (comedian), Earl Campbell (football star), Eric Clapton (musician), Jim Carrey (actor/comedian), Melanie Chisholm (singer), Naomi Campbell (model), Jim Carrey (actor/comedian), Rosemary Clooney (singer), Jose Canseco (baseball star), Shawn Colvin (musician), Mary Jo Codey (First lady of New Jersey), Judy Collins (musician), Dick Cavett (TV host/writer), Courtney Cox (actor), Margaret Cho (comedian), Natalie Cole (singer), Michael Crichton (writer), Francis Ford Coppola (director), Sheryl Crow (musician), Winston Churchill (English Prime Minister), Nicolas Cage (actor), Sandra Cisneros (writer), Patricia Cornwell (writer), John Cleese (comedian/actor), Leonard Cohen (musician), Paula Cole (actor), Shayne Corson (hockey star), Judy Collins (musician), Shawn Colvin (musician), Jeff Conaway (actor), Ty Cobb (baseball star), Pat Conroy (writer), Billy Corgan (musician), Calvin Coolidge (US President), Bill Dana (comedian), John Daly (golf star), Rodney Dangerfield (comedian/ actor), Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederate States of America), Gaetano Donizetti (opera), Jonathan Davis (musician), Charles Darwin (scientist), Mike Douglas (TV host), Sandra Dee (actor), Walt Disney (entrepenuer), John Denver (musician), Dame Edna (comedian), Ellen DeGeneres (comedian/actor), Richard Dreyfuss (actor), Johnny Depp (actor), Paolo DiCanio (soccer star), Eric Douglas (actor), Charles Dickens (author), Patty Duke (actress), Scott Donie (Olympic star), Kitty Dukakis (former First Lady of Massachusetts), Albert Einstein (Nobel Prize Physicist), Michael English (singer), Queen Elizabeth, Jim Eisenreich (baseball star), Thomas Edison (inventor), Ralph Waldo Emerson (writer), Robert Evans (film producer), Jules Feiffer, (cartoonist), James Farmer (civil rights leader), Edie Falco (actress), Betty Ford (former US first lady), Carrie Fisher (actress), James Forrestal (undersecretary of US), Eddie Fisher (singer), Aretha Franklin (singer), Harrison Ford (actor), Albert French (writer), Sally Field (actress), Connie Francis (singer), Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York), Sigmund Freud (psychoanalyst), Stephen Fry (actor), Bill Gates (Microsoft Magnate), Shecky Greene (comedian), Barbara Gordon (filmmaker), Phil Graham (Washington Post), James Gandolfini (actor), James Garner (actor), Peter Gabriel (musician), Kendall Gill (basketball star), Ruth Graham (writer), John Gisbon (pianist), Danny Glover (actor), Dwight Gooden (baseball star), Tipper Gore (Former US first lady), Carey Grant (actor), Mariette Hartley (actor/activist), Tim Howard (soccer star), Juliana Hatfield (musician), Ernest Hemingway (writer/ Nobel Laureate), Margaux Hemingway (actor), Audrey Hepburn (actor/activist), Olivia Hussey (actress), Pete Harnisch (baseball star), Linda Hamilton (actor), Stephen Hawking (physicist), Sir Anthony Hopkins (actor), Marty Ingels, (comedian), Janet Jackson (musician), Kay Redfield Jamison (psychologist/author), Richard Jeni (Comedian), Billy Joel (musician), Beverly Johnson (supermodel), Jim Jenson (newscaster), Elton John (musician), Ashley Judd (actor), Daniel Johns (musician), Naomi Judd (singer), Angelina Jolie (actor), Al Kasha (songwriter), Danny Kaye (actor), Leila Kenzle (actress), John Keats (poet), Franz Kafka (writer), Gelsey Kirkland (dancer), Margot Kidder (actress), Nicole Kidman (actress), Joey Kramer (musician), Julie Krone (star athlete), Pat LaFontaine (hockey star), Jessica Lange (actor), Hugh Laurie (actor), Jacob Lawrence (artist), Vivien Leigh, (actress), Peter Nolan Lawrence (writer), Primo Levi(writer), John Lennon (musician), Meriwether Lewis (explorer), Courtney Love (singer) Allie Light (director), Abraham Lincoln (American President), Rick London (cartoonist), Mary Todd Lincoln (Former US first lady), Salvador Luria, (scientist/Nobel Laureate), John Madden (football star), Meat Loaf (musician/actor), Camryn Manheim (actor), Martha Manning (psychologist), Gustav Mahler (composer), Alanis Morisette (singer), Howie Mandel (comic), Bette Midler (singer/actress), Dave Matthews (musician), Gary McDonald (actor), A.J. McLean (musician), Burgess Meredith (actor), Sir Paul McCartney (Musician), Robert McFarlane (security advisor), Sarah McLachlan, (musician), Rod McKuen (writer), Gary McDonald (actor), Les Murray (poet), John Stuart Mill (philosopher), J.P. Morgan (industrialist), Edvard Munch (artist), John Mellencamp (musician), Paul Merton (comedian), Kate Millet (writer/feminist), Carmen Miranda (dancer), Claude Monet (artist), Many Moore (Singer), Michelangelo (artist), V.S. Naipaul (writer/Nobel Laureate), John Nash (Mathematician /Nobel Prize), Ralph Nader (consumer rights advocate), Stevie Nicks (musician), Vaclav Nijinsky (Dancer), Sir Isaac Newton (scientist), Deborah Norville (journalist), Marie Osmond (entertainer), Sir Laurence Olivier (actor), Rosie O’Donnell (comedian/actress), Georgia O’Keefe (artist), Donny Osmond (entertainer), Lani O'Grady (actress), Eugene O'Neill (playwright), Joe Panteliano, (actor), Dolly Parton (musician), Meera Popkin (broadway star), Charley Pell (football coach), George Patton (US general), Jane Pauley, (journalist), Teddy Pendergrass (musician), Edgar Allan Poe (writer), Elvis Presley (entertainer), Ezra Pound (poet), Jason Pollock (artist), Cole Porter (composer), Jimmy Piersall (baseball star), Alma Powell (wife of General Colin Powell), Susan Powter (motivational speaker), Freddie Prinze, Jr. (actor), Roseanne (comedian/actress), Bonnie Raitt (musician), Burt Reynolds (actor), Lou Reed (musician), Norman Rockwell (artist), Theodore Roosevelt ( President of the United States), Joan Rivers (comedian, actress), Mac Rebennack AKA Dr. John (musician), Alex Rodriguez (baseball star), Alys Robi (vocalist), Winona Ryder (actress), Yves Saint Laurent (fashion designer), Sam Shepard (playwright), Tom Snyder (TV host), Monica Seles (tennis star), Linda Sexton (writer), Neil Simon (playwright), William T. Sherman (US general), Marc Summers (TV host), Diana Spencer (Princess of Wales), John Steinbeck (author), Paul Simon (musician), Lauren Slater (writer), Willard Scott (star weatherman), William Shakespeare (writer), Carly Simon (singer), Jose Solano (actor), Rick Springfield (musician/actor), Brooke Shields (actress), Rod Steiger, (actor), George Stephanopoulos (political advisor), Barbra Streisand (singer), William Styron (writer), Charles Schulz (cartoonist), Teresa Stratas (opera singer), Sissy Spacek (actor), Dave Stewart (singer), Darryl Strawberry (baseball star), Lori Schiller (writer), Francis Sherwood (writer), Scott Simmie (journalist), Earl Simmons AKA DMX (musician), Alonzo Spellman (football star), Nikola Tesla (inventor), Spencer Tracy (actor), Hunter Tylo (actor), Leo Tolstoy (author), Ted Turner (entrepreneur), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (artist), Mark Twain (author), Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky (composer), Anne Tyler (author), Tracy Ullman (actor), Dimitrius Underwood (football star), Vivian Vance (actor), Meredith Vieira (journalist), Kurt Vonnegut (writer), Mike Wallace (journalist), Evelyn Waugh (novelist), Damon Wayans (comedian), Tennessee Williams (writer), Dar Williams (musician), Ed Wood (director), Tom Wolfe (writer), Michael Warren (Canada Post), George Washington (US President), Lewis Wolpert (scientist), Hugo Wolf (composer), Luther Wright (basketball star), Virginia Woolf (novelist), Bill Wilson (Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous), Tom Waits (musician), Brian Wilson (musician), Jonathan Winters (comedian), Ann Wilson (singer), Amy Winehouse (singer), Oprah Winfrey (TV host), Robin Williams (comedian), W.B. Yeats (poet), Robert Young (actor), Bert Yancey (golf star), William Zeckendorf (industrialist), Renee Zellweger (actor).
References
Buchwald, A. (1999). Famous, important people who have suffered depression. Psychology Today.
Fonda, J. (2005). My life, so far. New York: Random House.
Jamison, K.R. (1993). Touched with fire. Manic depressive illness and artistic temperment. New York: Free Press.
Shepard, S. (1999). Mrs. gore breaks the ice on mental illness. Wahsington Bureau: The Palm Beach Post.
Shields, B. (2005). Down came the rain: My journey through post partum depression.
New York: Hyperion Books.
______(2005). Health: Celebrities who have admitted suffering from depression. England: Burmingham Post.
People with Mental Illness Enrich Our Lives
http://www.nami.org/helpline/peoplew.htm
Celebrity with Anxiety Disorders
http://www.anxietysecrets.com/celebrities.htm
Famous People Who Have Battled Depression
http://www.funkstop.com/ed/depression
Saturday, August 20, 2005
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34 comments:
wow that's quite a list. I had no idea.
dear duskydawn,
I know, it is large. And there are more people too. I'll add to it as time goes on.
~Deborah
Hopefully, this post will make people feel better about seeking help. Removing the stigma attached to "mental" conditions and there is help readily available.
That's a long list. Somebody had an awful lot of time on their hands to make that list! LOL
Dear Nancy,
That was my goal - - - to help debunk the stigma. Love the pictures on your blog, btw!
~Deborah
Hi...Whew, that's some list! I am really enjoying, and appreciating, all you share on your blog. As for the stigma in mental illness, it is so sad that as a society we are still so ignorant. As a psychologist who has bipolar disorder, I understand firsthand the ramifications of the stigma mental illness holds.
Thanks for your insight....
Docmel
Dear Melissa/Docmel,
I am so happy that you commented! As a psychologist you know not only personally but professionally how stigma impacts one's life. Showing how others in high profile careers helps to debunk the ignorance!
~Deb
Hey Dr Serani,
I'll be ok. Just need to get out of my rut, and stop being lazy and get some help. I am going to look into it this week.
Thanks for the list, makes me at least feel a lot more "normal" - whatever that may be :)
Angel Chasse (again)
Hey Angel,
That is my intention with this post.
~ Deborah
Me again.. I also read the post about the stigma of mental illness. I for one, can say that the stigma that others place on the illness spills over to my not wanting to take meds/get help.. my own mom thinks that mental problems can be solved by "taking a walk/exercising" --
On the other note, I do have the phone # of a place here that should be able to hook me up with a therapist and someone for meds management. I just hope it doesnt cost 2 arms and 3 legs :) - Thank you for keeping this site going, I love to look here and see what you have to say. :) Thanks! *hugs*
Angel Chasse (again)
Angel,
People thinking that depression, anxiety, etc. can be "willed away" or if you're not "lazy" can be overcome never ceases to amaze me. You keep moving forward. Don't let stigma or anyone (even your mom) stop you from finding a better quality of life.
Hugs right back 'atcha,
Deborah
I was going to get on here and tell you that I'm getting nosey--that it's time for you to post about your life, more personally. Despite the fact that your blog is framed in professional terms, and you made it that way.
What is it with people and shrinks? (grin)
Put me down as thinking most mental illnesses are either the result of infections (maybe in the womb) or of adaptive polymorphisms (people with one gene get an advantage that outweighs the disadvantage to people with two).
Otherwise they'd die out in the population and couldnt' be so widespread. The fact that so many people had such illnesses and still were very productive (at times) may bear this out.
I really miss hypomania. Don't miss depression, though.
Hi Deborah..I think that you have achieved your goal of "debunking the stigma"! This is such a comfort for me to read, as people that are in the "spotlight" suffer from what I have as well; it just makes me realize that even with panic attacks, I can still achieve my dreams! By the way, I had a wonderful weekend going all over town, and yes even a few stores! Miracles abound! :)
Hugs to you,
Sarah
PS If I am not mistaken, I thought that Renee Zellwegger(sp? , actress) had panic attacks, too...
Dear Inger,
Most shrinks are trained to keep themsleves as a "tabula rasa" so others don't get distracted by the personal history. I don't mind sharing when asked. In fact, I think disclosure can be very meaningful all around. I am married to a good ol' Brooklyn born guy, have one child, a girl, and love all things chocolate. I have a serious case of carpel tunnel going on now, and an miffed as to how to avoid it getting worse. I find humor to be the most wonderful experience, and anyone who can make me laugh gets my devotion! Hope these beginnings help ease your curiosity :)
Dear grumpy old man,
Your theories hold great significance not only to me, but many researchers as well. I have never heard anyone say they miss depression over hypmania. BTW, you're not grumpy or old.
Dear Sarah,
I am so delighted that the post made you feel less stigmatized. I am also delighted to hear that you ventured further outward! I left out Renee Z, you're right. I'll include her now.
~Deborah
Ahhhh. Context.
You're kind to indulge me.
Inger,
kind=me.
Thanks for the info Deb. what do you suppose drives People with Anxiety Disorders to the lime light? It's a stronge chosen profession for someone with panic attacks and the like.
Wow...very interesting info.
Looking forward to your Sept Blog..And thankyou for the compliment. :)
Dear Rue,
Many in the field of psychology say that we are drawn to the very things we fear, so to answer your question, "mastery" would be a reason for high profile individuals. Us low and medium profile people look to master what makes us anxious too. We just read about the high profile ones more because they are, as you say, in the lime light.
Heidi,
The Body Image post I am working on is coming along and should be up on or before September 1st. Such a great idea of yours!
~Deb
Thank you for posting this. I have been feeling quite alone and overwhelmed lately. This was a perfect reminder for me that I'm not the only one.
Take care today,
Sublime
What Tom Cruise isn't on the list? LOL. Very neat to see people stepping forward to help rid the world of stigmas about mental illnesses. Depression is awful. Renee
Dear Sublime,
I'm glad this post helps you feel less alone. We are more alike than we know. Hope you are feeling better soon.
Dear Renee,
Tom Cruise is on the list, but since he doesn't believe in mental illness as a real thing, I took him off it. He clearly experiences bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
~Deb
I certainly agree with you- about Tom Cruise being Bipolar. He has been forward in the past about his ADHD and "ritalin" problem- but, frankly, if you ask me his BIGGEST problem right now is his untreated MANIC episode which will surely spiral down into a depression within a matter of time....he should can his vitamins and his Scientology cult for a good dose of Lithium!!!
Melissa,
Couldn't agree more.
~Deb
Any news on when you'll be writing about the "anniversary effect"?
Dear Precision Girl,
"The Anniversary Effect" will be posted in a week or so.
~Deborah
two-and-a-half years after you posted this :)
I knew quite a few influential people had various illnesses. Alex (AJ) McLean is my favourite singer, and knowing of his struggles got me through my last partial hospital treatment.
Ive had a hard time with my depression because even though Ive been diagnosed for 10 years, we never realised the severity until I had a mental collapse and became essentially non-functionable in April of 2005.
I wish I'd seen this when you first blogged it. Maybe I wouldn't have had such a hard time with denial...
Wow ! Incredible and so reassuring.
Dr. Deb
I have two more weeks to finish this semester in school, and I have been diagnosed clinically depressed with anxiety disorder. I have been in such a rut that I dont want to do or go anywhere. I feel hopeless, unloved, and alone. I dont know how to make things better.
Cherry
You're not alone, Cherry. I feel like taking my life every single day.
It's reassuring to read the list but part of me can't help but wonder for these people who have achieved or become famous, that they are somehow more likely to have their mental illness accepted. Joe average on the other hand is not and is viewed with suspicion, trouble or as second class humans.
Dear Stranger than fiction,
Timing *can* mean so much, but I am glad that you came across this anyway. Hopefully, you will become more empowered by knowing you are not alone, and that such illnesses and disorders are neurobiologically based.
Dear Jackal,
Yup, that's the point!
Dear CHerry,
I am getting to this way after your initial comment. I hope you have found a way to move through the rough time.
Dear SHannon,
It is so hard to move through depression and anxiety. Getting treatment medically and psychologically is so crucial. And so is having a support network of family and friends.
Dear JAckal,
That is often true. BUT, I hope that seeing how other more high status individuals break stigma will allow for us regular joes to feel empowered and knock sense into those "who don't get it". THAT would be the best!
~Deb
Dr. Deb,
I work at a MHMR center and have been looking for a great list like the one you have here. I'd like to put the list on the back of a staff t-shirt because I think it would be so encouraging for patients to see - and help break down stigma. How an I do this without getting in trouble with the celebrities? If there names are here, can I put them on a shirt? Help! I want to have their blessing on this!
Thank you!
Katie
Abraham Lincoln & Barbara Streisand, those my favourite people...haha..they're in the list.. I wonder why I didn't see Britney's name there, do I miss it out or does she really not in the list? haha...quite a number!
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