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Below please find a list of 300 celebrities/famous people (alive and passed) who have or still suffer with mental health problems or illnesses or learning disorders. I have taken great care to compile this list from information which is openly available on the internet so to my knowledge it is a true list, but I do not and cannot take responsibility for any mistakes as I do not know any of the people below personally. This is just a small collection of names of course, since one in four of us suffer with mental health problems at some point in our lives, of course there are many more to add to this list that I don’t know about. The great shame about my research is that I have not found ONE person who has BPD (borderline personality disorder) or any other personality disorder, apart from Marsha Linehan. Considering BPD affects 2% of population, I find it hard to believe that there is not ONE famous person who has BPD or personality disorders. I believe stigma is to blame for no-one ‘coming out’ about having BPD or other personality disorders, but I would love to know about more famous people with BPD or a personality disorder - any ideas anyone??? Please help - it would greatly help us raise knowledge of personality disorders to a wider audience. It is not to say that a celebrity is any more important than any other human being who has mental illness but they have the audience and fan bases to share their stories with…
| celebrities with mental health issues | illness/disorder |
| Abbie Hoffman | bipolar disorder (speculated) |
| Abraham Lincoln | severe clinical depression |
| Adam Ant (Stuart Goddard) | boipolr |
| Adam Rickett | bulimia nervosa |
| Alanis Morissette | clinical depression |
| Alastair Campbell | depression |
| Albert Einstein | dyslexia (speculated) |
| Alexander Graham Bell | dyslexia |
| Alfred Taubman | dyslexia |
| Ally Sheedy | bulimia nervosa; substance abuse |
| Alma Powell | clinical depression |
| Alonzo Spellman | bipolar disorder |
| Alvin Ailey | bipolar disorder (aka “manic depression”) |
| Amy Heckerling | eating disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorder |
| Angelina Jolie | depression and self harm |
| Anne Sexton | clinical depression |
| Ann-Margret | clinical depression; alcoholism |
| Art Buchwald | bipolar disorder |
| Audrey Hepburn | clinical depression; eating disorders |
| Axl Rose | bipolar disorder |
| Barbara Niven | bulimia nervosa |
| Barbra Streisand | social phobia |
| Ben Moody | depression |
| Ben Stiller | bipolar disorder |
| Ben Vereen | clinical depression |
| Benjamin Disraeli | clinical depression |
| Bert Yancey | bipolar disorder |
| Bill Lichtenstein | bipolar disorder |
| Bill Oddie | bipolar |
| Billy Joel | alcohol and depression |
| Billy Joel | clinical depression |
| Boris Yeltsin | clinical depression |
| Brian Wilson | bipolar disorder |
| Britney Spears | bipolar and post natal depression |
| Brooke Shields | postpartum depression |
| Burgess Meredith | bipolar disorder |
| Buzz Aldrin | clinical depression |
| Calvin Coolidge | clinical depression (speculated) |
| Carly Simon | social phobia |
| Carmen Miranda | clinical depression |
| Caroline Aherne | major depressive disorder |
| Carrie Fisher | bipolar disorder, substance abuse; |
| Cary Grant | clinical depression |
| catherine zeta jones | bipolar II |
| Charles “Buddy” Bolden | schizophrenia |
| Charles Darwin | severe panic disorder |
| Charles Dickens | clinical depression; bipolar disorder (suspected) |
| Charles Faust | schizophrenia |
| Charles Schulz | clinical depression |
| Charles Schwab | dyslexia |
| Charley Pell | clinical depression |
| Charley Pride | bipolar disorder; alcoholism |
| Clara Bow | clinical depression |
| Cole Porter | clinical depression; alcoholism; paranoid delusions; obsessive-compulsive disorder (speculated) |
| Connie Francis | clinical depression |
| Courtney Love | drub abuse, clinical depression |
| Craig Ferguson | alcoholic |
| Craig McCaw | dyslexia |
| Dame Kelly Holmes | depression and self harm |
| Damon Wayans | clinical depression |
| Daniel Johns | clinical depression; anxiety disorder;eating disorder |
| Danny Glover | learning disability |
| Darryl Strawberry | clinical depression |
| David Boies | dyslexia |
| David Bowie | crying but not diagnosed but lots of family mental health issues |
| David Murdock | dyslexia |
| Delta Burke | depression and compulsive hoarding |
| Denise Welch | nervous breakdown |
| Diane Arbus | clinical depression |
| Dick Cavett | depression - found electro shock therapy helpful |
| Dick Clark | clinical depression |
| Dimitrius Underwood | bipolar disorder |
| DMX | bipolar |
| Dolly Parton | clinical depression |
| Donald Trump | possible OCD |
| Donny Osmond | clinical depression; social phobia |
| Dorothy Day | clinical depression |
| Doug Ferrari | borderline personality disorder |
| Doug Flutie, Jr. | autism |
| Drew Barrymore | clinical depression; alcoholism, substance abuse; |
| Drew Carey | clinical depression |
| Dwight Gooden | clinical depression |
| Earl Campbell | panic disorder |
| Edgar Allan Poe | clinical depression (speculated); alcoholism |
| Edward McVaney | dyslexia |
| Elizabeth Hartman | clinical depression (speculated) |
| Elton John | substance abuse and bulimia |
| Emily Carr | various speculations, neurasthenia; hypochondriasis; clinical depression; conversion disorder; schizophrenia: |
| Emma Thompson | clinical depression |
| Eric Clapton | clinical depression |
| Ernest Hemingway | clinical depression |
| Eugene O’Neill | clinical depression |
| F. Scott Fitzgerald | clinical depression |
| Fiona Phillips | depression |
| Frances Lear | bipolar disorder;, substance abuse |
| Francis Ford Coppola | bipolar disorder |
| Frank Bruno | bipolar |
| Frank Lloyd Wright | clinical depression |
| Gaetano Donizetti | bipolar disorder |
| Gail Porter | post natal depression |
| George Eliot (Marian Evans) | clinical depression |
| George Michael | depression and fear |
| George S. Patton | clinical depression; dyslexia |
| George Washington | learning disability |
| Georgia O’Keeffe | clinical depression |
| Graeme Obree | depression |
| Halle Berry | suicide attempt |
| Harrison Ford | clinical depression |
| Harry Andersen | learning disability |
| Hart Crane | clinical depression; alcoholism |
| Heath Ledger | depression, anxiety and sleep depravation |
| Henry Winkler | learning disability |
| Herb McCauley | bulimia nervosa |
| Hermann Hesse | clinical depression |
| Herschel Walker | dissociative identity disorder |
| Howard Hughes | OCD (clinical depression and psychosis both speculated |
| Howard Stern | obsessive-compulsive disorder |
| Howie Mandel | obsessive-compulsive disorder |
| Hugh Laurie | depression |
| Hunter Tylo | clinical depression |
| Irving Berlin | clinical depression |
| Isaac Newton | bipolar disorder (suspected) |
| J.P. Morgan | bipolar disorder |
| Jack Dee | depression |
| Jack Farrell | clinical depression |
| Jack Irons | bipolar disorder |
| Jack Kerouac | clinical depression, substance abuse, severe alcoholism; |
| Jackson Pollock | clinical depression; substance abuse |
| Jaco Pastorius | bipolar disorder; alcoholism; substance abuse |
| James Dean Bradfield | bipolar |
| James Forrestal | clinical depression |
| James Garner | clinical depression |
| James Taylor | clinical depression; bipolar disorder |
| Jane Fonda | bulimia nervosa |
| Jane Pauley | bipolar |
| Janet Jackson | clinical depression |
| Jean-Claude Van Damme | bipolar disorder |
| Jessica Alba | OCD and eating disorder |
| Jessica Lange | clinical depression |
| Jim Carrey | clinical depression |
| Jimmy Piersall | bipolar disorder |
| Joan Rivers | clinical depression; bulimia nervosa |
| Joey Kramer | clinical depression |
| Joey Slinger | clinical depression |
| John Chambers | dyslexia |
| John Daly | bipolar disorder; alcoholism, gambling addiction; |
| John Forbes Nash | schizophrenia (paranoid-type) |
| John Gibson | bipolar disorder |
| John Kenneth Galbraith | clinical depression |
| John Madden | specific phobia (flying) |
| John Mulheren | bipolar disorder |
| John Nash | schizophrenia |
| John Quincy Adams | clinical depression |
| Jose Canseco | clinical depression |
| Joshua Logan | bipolar disorder |
| Judy Garland | clinical depression;,substance abuse |
| Jules Feiffer | clinical depression |
| Julie Krone | post-traumatic stress disorder; clinical depression |
| Justine Bateman | eating disorders |
| Karen Carpenter | anorexia nervosa |
| Karen Kain | clinical depression |
| Kate Millett | bipolar disorder |
| Katie Price/Jordan | post natal depression |
| Keisha Buchanan | depression |
| Kendall Gill | clinical depression |
| Kim Basinger | panic disorder |
| Kitty Dukakis | bipolar disorder, alcoholism; substance abuse; |
| Kris Kristopherson | clinical depression; substance abuse |
| Kristy McNichol | bipolar disorder |
| Kurt Cobain | attention deficit disorder and bipolar depression |
| Kurt Vonnegut | clinical depression/bipolar |
| Kylie Minogue | depression |
| Larry Flynt | bipolar disorder |
| Larry King | clinical depression |
| Lawton Chiles | clinical depression |
| Lenny Henry | depression |
| Leo Tolstoy | clinical depression; hypochondriasis; alcoholism; substance abuse |
| Leonard Bernstein | clinical depression |
| Leonard Cohen | clinical depression |
| Lewis Preston | dyslexia |
| Linda Hamilton | bipolar disorder |
| Lionel Aldridge | schizophrenia (paranoid-type) |
| Lord Bragg | depression |
| Ludwig van Beethoven | bipolar disorder |
| Macy Gray | bipolar |
| Marc Summers | obsessive-compulsive disorder |
| Margaret Trudeau Kemper | bipolar disorder |
| Margaux Hemingway | dyslexia; alcoholism; clinical depression (speculated) |
| Margot Kidder | manic depression (Bipolar) and paranoia |
| Marie Osmond | clinical depression, post-partum |
| Marilyn Monroe | clinical depression/suicide |
| Mark Rothko | clinical depression |
| Marsha Linehan | bpd |
| Meg Mathews | depression |
| Megan Fox | ??? She hasn’t been diagnosed |
| Mel C: | depression |
| Mel Gibson | bipolar |
| Melinda Messenger | depression |
| Meriwether Lewis | clinical depression |
| Michael Phelps | attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) |
| Mike Tyson | depression and severe insecurities and anger |
| Mike Wallace | clinical depression |
| Morrissey (S.P.) | clinical depression |
| Murray Pezim | bipolar disorder |
| Natalie Cole | clinical depression |
| Ned Beatty | bipolar disorder |
| Neil Lennon | depression |
| Neil Simon | clinical depression |
| Nelson Rockefeller | dyslexia |
| Nicole Kidman | panic attacks on the red carpet |
| Norman Mailer | clinical depression |
| Ozzy Osbourne | bipolar |
| Pablo Picasso | clinical depression |
| Pat Lafontaine | clinical depression |
| Patricia Cornwell | bipolar disorder, anorexia nervosa, anorexia bulimia;; |
| Patrick Kennedy | clinical depression |
| Patsy Palmer | depression and panic attacks |
| Patty Duke | bipolar disorder |
| Paul Gascoigne | clinical depression |
| Paul Simon | clinical depression |
| Paula Abdul | bullimia nervosa |
| Paula Deen | Agoraphobia and panic attacks |
| Pete Harnisch | clinical depression |
| Peter Gabriel | clinical depression |
| Peter Greene | schizophrenia |
| Phil Spector | clinical depression/bipolar |
| Pierre Péladeau | bipolar disorder |
| Princess Diana | Bulimia nevosa, depression and multiple suicide attempts |
| Queen Victoria | clinical depression |
| Ray Charles | clinical depression |
| Richard Branson | dyslexia |
| Richard Dreyfuss | clinical depression/bipolar |
| Richard Simmons | anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa; |
| Richey James | clinical depression, anorexia nervosa;;alcoholism |
| Rick Springfield | clinical depression |
| Ricky Williams | social phobia |
| Robbie Williams | depression |
| Robert Boorstin | bipolar disorder |
| Robert Campeau | bipolar disorder |
| Robert Lowell | bipolar disorder |
| Robert McFarlane | clinical depression |
| Robert Munsch | bipolar disorder |
| Robert Young | clinical depression; alcoholism |
| Robin Williams | clinical depression, learning disability; |
| Rod Steiger | clinical depression |
| Rodney Dangerfield | clinical depression |
| Roseanne | dissociative identity disorder (aka “multiple personality disorder”); obsessive-compulsive disorder; clinical depression; agoraphobia |
| Rosemary Clooney | bipolar |
| Ruby Wax | depression |
| Russell Grant | depression |
| Sandra Dee | anorexia nervosa |
| Sarah Lancashire | depression |
| Sarah McLachlan | clinical depression |
| Scott Donie | clinical depression |
| Shayne Corson | panic attacks |
| Shecky Greene | bipolar disorder, with severe panic attacks |
| Sheryl Crow | clinical depression |
| Sigmund Freud | clinical depression |
| Sinead O’Connor | bipolar |
| Sir Anthony Hopkins | clinical depression |
| Sir Elton John | bulimia nervosa; substance abuse, alcoholism; |
| Sophie Anderton | drug addiction and depression |
| Spencer Tracy | clinical depression; alcoholism |
| Spike Milligan | bipolar disorder |
| Stephen Fry | bipolar depression |
| Steve Blass | social phobia |
| Steve Sax | social phobia |
| Sting (Gordon Sumner) | clinical depression |
| Susan Powter | clinical depression |
| Syd Barrett | schizophrenia |
| Sylvia Plath | clinical depression |
| Tammy Wynette | clinical depression, substance abuse; |
| Ted Turner | bipolar disorder |
| Tennessee Williams | clinical depression |
| Theodore Dreiser | clinical depression |
| Thomas Alva Edison | dyslexia |
| Thomas Eagleton | clinical depression |
| Tiberius | clinical depression (speculated) |
| Tipper Gore | clinical depression |
| Tom Cruise | dyslexia |
| Tony Slattery | bipolar |
| Tracey Gold | anorexia nervosa, attention deficit disorder; |
| Tracy Thompson | clinical depression |
| Trisha Goddard | depression |
| Tulisa’s mum | Tulisa’s mum had scizoaffective disorder |
| Uma Thurman | depression |
| Vaslav Nijinsky | schizophrenia |
| Veronica Lake | schizophrenia; alcoholism |
| Vincent Foster | clinical depression (speculated) |
| Vincent van Gogh | clinical depression; bipolar disorder (speculated) |
| Vivien Leigh | bipolar disorder after miscarriage |
| Walker Percy | clinical depression |
| Walt Disney | dyslexia |
| Whoopi Goldberg | dyslexia |
| William Hewlett | dyslexia |
| William Styron | clinical depression |
| Winona Ryder | clinical depression; anxiety |
| Winston Churchill | bipolar disorder; dyslexia |
| Woodrow Wilson | dyslexia |
| Yves Saint Laurent | clinical depression |
20th August update in memory of Robin William’s death last week. Suicide, drugs, alcohol and depression CLICK HERE FOR THE MEMORY OF ROBIN WILLIAMS
CLICK HERE FOR MY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ON ROBIN WILLIAMS DEATH
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What about Dolores O’Riordan? Very famous, wealthy and notable singer with a beautiful heart.
What about Virginia Woolf? I can’t believe she’s not on this list.
Based on the description Demi Lovato herself gave of her symptoms I suspect she has a borderline diagnoses in addition to the ones she publicly acknowledges .Given how much stigma the diagnoses has, even within the mental health profession, it makes sense that few if any celebrities would want to acknowledge it publicly.In the case of the borderline diagnosis lack of celebrity disclosure might actually be a good thing given how often the diagnoses is misused by mental health providers (some “professionals” consider self harm or multiple suicide attempts alone to be enough to warrant the diagnoses, others apply it when a patient’s condition doesn’t respond well to treatment, or to patients who seem stubborn or who dare to argue or whose mood cycles don’t seem to exactly fit the existing types of bipolar diagnoses).Another factor that may be at play is that professionals are often not open and honest with patients when they apply the diagnosis (you can’t come out in the open with a secret even you don’t even know about).Marsha Lineman and a few others have tried to shed a more positive light on borderlinePD and the DBT she developed has given new hope to some recipients of what had been an even more dismal diagnoses (hats off to them for their efforts) but it remains a fundamentally flawed diagnosis. I beleive it is primarily an inaccurate and over all harmful label that should be eliminated entirely, not just because of the stigma and misleading name but because of the even greater harm it creates by lumping together people who’s actual conditions may be very different and require different treatment (the way the DSM criteria are written 2 people with the diagnoses may not have any criteria in common).This is especially important in this era of the (desperately over due) brain initiative that may shed an entirely new light on all mental illnesses and the methods used to diagnose them. PS sorry for rambling
Everyone who is genius and have above normal IQ level is susceptible to have some form of mental disorder. the reason behind this is their nature of seeing and evaluating the life in just different perspective.Such people are sensitive, intuitive and almost perfectionist with lot of eccentricity to add on the beauty in different shades of life. Thus, if you belong this group. You indeed is genius…. Cheers.
great list, good to know you are not the only one. Also, Jim Morison of the Doors had BPD
Thank you 🙂
In the book “Diana: In Search of Herself” By Sally Bedell Smith, Princess Di is said to have Borderline Personality disorder
Society spent more time focusing on Freddie Mercury’s struggle with his sexuality - yet really they should have been focusing on the fact that he was clearly suffering with Borderline Personality Disorder.
If history has taught us anything it is that mental health is a relative term. Those looking back at WW2 Germany remarked that people are crazy and can be lead to do and believe almost anything! Kurt Vonnegut who wrote very insightfully about those times in his books Slaughterhouse 5, and Mother Night is ironically on your list of the mentally ill I myself who suffer from bipolar disorder and/or schizophrenia share the common insight amount mentally ill people that when I have both wheels on the ground that it is the normal people who are unbalanced! Perhaps this is the nature of the unfinished evolutionary experiment that is mental illness. We are better than normal, we are the future, we see things through a clearer lense thought it sometimes goes awry. Often it is we who feel rightfully sorry for you normals.
I have heard Anne sexton had bpd
Steve jobs and John Macenroe both have/ had Boaderline Personality Disorder
I’m not famous, except in my local area as I openly live with DID/MPD.
I do believe that there is a strong connection between Mental Health issues
and creativity, as an artist, sculptor, writer, actor ext.
Every person that I’ve come into contact with who has MH problems also has
a strong creative streak.
On the other hand not all creative people have NH issues.
Great list and good to see more awareness being made of the differences some
of us live with :~)
I agree totally and I am very pleased to hear that you share your experiences with others - it all helps to educate people and stop stigma. I wish you all the best 🙂
You are a superhero 🙂
I’m only just getting full awareness of my DID, a bi-product of Borderline Personality Disorder and know what a confusing chaotic mess it can be.
Bloody good show for posting!
If you are going to bother with a hack like Thomas Edison at all then you simply must mention Tesla. Nikola Tesla was better at his trade than Edison and a whole lot crazier.
Great article. We need more awareness on this.
Hi Amanda,
My son has big problems and has just been given ADHD meds. We’ve also suspected various other things like ODD on top, maybe dyspraxia, maybe Asperger’s etc. My wife thought maybe bi-polar because of his mood-swings, anger, low self-esteem etc.
But yesterday I stumbled across BPD and it sounds like the one, but it also rang bells with me I’m afraid. My son has more issues and maybe more severe BPD than me, but anyway - I was also thinking (being a Beatles aficionado) how much like John Lennon BPD sounds.
A non-leading google search comes up trumps. No wonder Julian (Lennon) says in interviews when he recognises his father’s traits in himself, he tries to cancel them. He says this is why he won’t get married and have kids - he sees the whole cycle repeating (John’s own father ran off, and John was a terrible father to Julian - the rest of John’s character is well-documented).
I know ADHD can be hereditary but I don’t know about BPD… Anyway, John Lennon needs adding to the list!
Cheers,
Kristian
Thanks Kristian, I do hope your son gets a proper diagnosis and the help he needs 🙂
Kim Kardashian is thought to be NPD/BPD, I read an article online by a psychiatrist which seems to be pretty on point.
I shall look out for those videos Jake and I have ‘Goddess’ and should really get round to reading it. When I was twenty (twenty years ago now!) my boyfriend at the time read it and said she reminded him of me…
Oh yes do read my memoirs - I really do think you will enjoy them. I had all nine symptoms of BPD, OCD, anxiety and depression and I am sure it will make interesting reading for you.
Hopefully it will help you with your own issues as well 🙂
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and interesting comment with so much information. Well I cannot bear Vanessa Feltz anyway - just seen the article here: http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/vanessa-feltz/390356/Parents-must-plant-the-work-ethic-seed where she says “TV moguls making fame seem accessible to any exhibitionist with a borderline personality disorder” mmm Vanessa you are very disappointing and you need to get your facts right before spouting off about people with mental illness!
Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) has Bipolar Disorder.
Lena Zavaroni needs to be added. She died of Anorexia Nervosa in 1999 at age 36. It’s also suspected that she had bipolar disorder as well. Her Mother also committed suicide in 1989.
As a person who suffers from multiple forms of mental illness please keep in mind that BPD and Bipolar can exist in one person a well as major depressive disorder. Many people who have mental illness are also diagnosed with secondary illnesses. It is also common for someone who suffers from alcohol or drug addiction to suffer from an undiagnosed mental illness. Russel Brand was a Heroin Addict. The lead from Red Hot Chili Peppers was a heroin addict. Jimmy Hendrix was a drug addict. Leif Garret was a drug addict. Tony Harting was an alcoholic. Gary Busse (sp) was a drug addict. Robert Downey Jr. was a drug addict. Heath Ledger committed suicide with sleeping pills. The list is endless. May by the way is Mental Illness Awareness Month!! 😀 There is far more stigma concerning mental illness so lots of people self medicate in the form of drug and alcohol addiction. Not saying all, but the majority I’ve met were. Hope this info helps! Thank you for the list.
I commend your post.God bless you. Having similar(multi, biologically occurring),diagnosed mental disorders, I believe you’ve hit the nail right on the head,lady.;) The Goliath problem is, society doesn’t consider the daily battle that severely, mentally ill persons are challenged with. Most days, just getting out of bed is a major feat, worthy of encouragement from some one near & dear to us. Unfortunately, many of those suffering don’t have such support. Mental illness of any kind, is a daily struggle/battle. It can be likened to a continual EF1 tornado, constantly tossing our thoughts, hopes, self esteem, energy, concentration, feelings & emotions to and fro. Medication will help some and counseling will help some. Better yet, both will help many more. However, on the whole, many persons suffering through the battle of a mental illness(s), will resort to alcohol &/or drugs/pain killers just to get through a rough day(s). It’s a matter of time til circumstances (be they failures, hopeless thoughts/feelings, lack of family &/or social support, lack of purpose and energy, lack of money and purpose, til some of us may break. PLEASE, society, family & friends, help us by accepting us with an act so simple, as a hug or word of encouragement. Medication & counseling can provide a way&will for us to live for some time. We must seek those resources if not through our family(s), then on our own. The support of our family & friends, who know our daily battle matter, do mean the most. Not to be a “Debbie Downer,” but statistically, numbers speak louder than words. Please don’t let those you love become just another number in the mental illness death statistic. PLEASE, just love and accept us, even if you don’t understand us.:) Let’s those of us who can, ban together on this site to support one another, by declaring August, as “Mental Health Awareness,” month. Thank you all. May God help and bless all your lives with hope and prosperity. 🙂
Wishing you all the best Anastacie and I hope that you can keep spreading the word about how mental illness feels and how stigma hurts - you have a talent for writing it down 🙂
Brian wilson baseball pitcher definitly bpd or bipolar Ray Lewis? Roger clemons? Threw bat at mike pizzia lol barry bonds also very narcisstic miley cyrus kristian stewart?
Reassuring to know that I am not ‘alone’ .
you forgot yeardley smith she had bulimia
Bella Thorne she has dyslexia
Helga I wanted to chime in on your comment not all people who committ suicide have a mental health diagnoosis.
Hello Cynthia! Yes it’s true, very many reasons for suicide, but many reasons unknown. A lot to do with life situations I’m sure, like financial difficulties etc. I do know that I read from a survivor of jumping off a bridge once that his last thought was ‘no, I’ve changed my mind!’ What a thought! x
Also footballers Gary Speed who committed suicide, and Stan Collymore who has had depression.
Tony Scott, not sure if he had a diagnosed mental illness but he did commit suicide. Goldie Hawn has had anxiety and depression, and is doing some good work to educate young people on mental health. JK Rowling has suffered depression. All highly successful people. Hard to know if some people make it so big despite of or because of certain traits which are labeled as illness. No secret that creative people are more prone to depression - double edged sword!
Mary Kay Bergman was a renowned voice actress who suffered bipolar disorder before she commit suicide.
Hoffman sorry I meant to say
Unfortunately you have to add the late Phillip-Seymour Phillips to this list.
Emily Dickinson suffered from severe clinical depression.
Mitch Hedberg suffered from alcoholism, drug addiction, and reportedly agoraphobia.
Van Morrison has also been speculated to have agoraphobia as well as a form of personality disorder.
interesting
Angelina Jolie and the comedian Doug Ferrari both have been diagnosed with BPD.
thats true…great people have some mental disorder…they are unique
Also don’t forget Amanda Bynes’ new diagnosis of schizophrenia
Rapper Eminem was said to have a form of bipolar disorder (and substance abuse) according to his mother. It is also evident in many of his songs. Also many people speculate that Angelina Jolie might have BPD.
Interesting! Anna Nicole Smith was also diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.
Thank you very much Topaz! 🙂
Louis Wain should be added to the list. He was an artist who made really sweet drawings of cats in an anthropomorphic fashion. Later in his life he made cats in a much more patterned/abstract manner, said to be influenced by his schizophrenia. Please consider adding him to this list. He deserves more recongition. 🙂
Thanks Alicia! 🙂
Macaulay culkin suffered alcoholism after the death of a family member and still suffers today
Amy winehouse self harm drugs abuse and alcoholism
Thank you Kerry 🙂
Adam duritz lead singer of popular alternative band Counting Crows has stated he has Depersonalization disorder. Also german writer Franz Kafka was suspected of having Schizoid personality disorder. Great list! 🙂
Thank you very much for your two contributions Dreamscape! 🙂
Just wanted to say that the latest information out there is that Dyslexia, though very serious, is not a mental illness. According to the the DSM (a “dictionary” of mental illness published by the American Psychiatric Association) it is actually considered “physical” disability. Its a problem with physical function rather than a chemical imbalance which most research is showing mental illness (and substance abuse) to be. Kind of a thin line of distinction but hopefully helpful. Awesome list!
Interesting and thank you for clarifying that - although I have never called it a mental illness, I just listed it under the umbrella of ‘issue’ as in the list name (mental illness or issues), which is different to ‘mental illness’ (I know it is not a mental illness classification) but if it is only physical, then I admit I am incorrect that it is a mental issue 🙂
I am led to believe Marilyn Monroe had borderline personality disorder, it’s the closest diagnosis for her symptoms, and in general the way she was. I have been studying her for a good while now, the majority of info online suggests bipolar, although, most people with borderline personality disorder are diagnosed with bipolar first, (I wasn’t but from what i’ve heard, most are) because it’s quite a difficult illness to diagnose and BPD didn’t ‘exist’ (Have it’s name all of those years ago). She constantly craved love, attention, hated being alone, had several unstable interpersonal relationships, a poor self image, feeling disassociated. She was an amazing woman, with amazing strength, I wish I had her strength, although the media changed her, as she was formally known as Norma Jeane Mortenson, becoming a role model & icon, she felt wanted and loved, that’s how she partly filled that ‘void’.
Long live Marilyn Monroe <3
Thank you Cassandra-Jayne, I too have read a lot about Marilyn Monroe possibly having BPD due to her personality and behaviours. It reminds me, I have a book about her that I must read soon! 🙂
Great list - Clara Bow was also diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Thank you for your addition! 🙂
I read that Marilyn Monroe possibly suffered from histrionic personality disorder, characterised by her tendencies to need attention, to be flirtatious and seductive, suffer from extreme fear of abandonment and a creation of a separate persona. Also, Steve Jobs may have suffered from Narcissistic personality disorder - strange eating habits, strange office and personal habits, ability to hurt others without empathy, ability to create unique world views and generate followers, extreme sensitivity to criticism.
Princess Diana actually is known to have had BPD (just like me).
Demi Lovato has Bipolar Disorder.
Star wide receiver on the Chicago Bears, Brandon Marshall has and advocates for Borderline Personality Disorder.
well celebrities go through alot of stress most of the time
We are all the same at heart whether famous or not goes to show we are all human.
Absolutely, we are all humans, can get the same issues, but we are also all unique 🙂
Kerry Katona - English pop start formally of the Girl group Atomic Kitten suffered Bipolar disorder and Drug addiction.
Robbie Williams also has Social Anxiety Disorder like myself.
Stan Collymore. - English soccer player allegedly has BPD, although he never refers to it on his Twitter feeds, he always bangs on about ‘depression’