List of people affected by bipolar disorder

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This is a list of people accompanied by verifiable source citations associating them with bipolar disorder. This list includes only: a) deceased persons; and b) living persons who have been frank about their condition. It does not include speculation about status of living people who have not publicly stated themselves to have bipolar disorder. In addition to the above criteria, persons are only listed here if they also meet the Wikipedia notability criteria for biographical articles.

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Many of the older cases are speculations, based on their biographies rather than an actual medical diagnosis, and in many cases are not widely accepted by historians, biographers, or physicians.

Many famous people are believed to have been affected by bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression), based on evidence in their own writings and contemporaneous accounts by those who knew them. It is often suggested that genius (or, at least, creative talent) and mental disorder are linked, as discussed by Kay Redfield Jamison in Touched with Fire, though many of the diagnoses in that book are made by Jamison herself.

Note that this list should not contain entries for performers who have an apparently manic or depressive public persona, but do not meet the criteria above, nor should the content of song lyrics or other creative works be regarded as autobiographical without independent external evidence that confirms this.

List

• All entries succeeded by TWF are taken from Touched with Fire (See list)
• All entries succeeded by NAMI are on the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill list of famous persons with Mental Illnesses

Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

• Rigoberto Alpizar, shooting victim. ^[1]
• Sophie Anderton, model [1]
• Adam Ant, musician. He is open about having bipolar disorder: see Adam and the fall, an art.telegraph profile which describes a 2003 Channel 4 television program, "The Madness of Prince Charming."

B

• Charles Baudelaire, author. TWF p.267
• Thomas Lovell Beddoes, poet and dramatist. TWF p.267
• Ludwig van Beethoven, composer. NAMI See this article for a review of Beethoven's mental state. Scientific analysis of Beethoven's hair has given rise to speculation that lead poisoning may have been a cause of his depression.
• Andy Behrman, author of the book Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania [2] [3]
• Max Bemis, frontman of the band Say Anything, spoke about his diagnosis in an interview with Spin magazine in 2006. [4]
• Maurice Benard, actor. He has discussed his diagnosis with Oprah Winfrey, and has since become active in promoting bipolar awareness. [5]
• Ludwig Boltzmann, physicist and mathematician. "suffered from an alternation of depressed moods with elevated, expansive or irritable moods". John J. O'Connor and Edmund F. Robertson. Ludwig Boltzmann at the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive.
• Adrian Borland, British musician [6]
• Russ "Dutch" Boyd, American professional poker player confirmed his diagnosis on his official website.
• Jeremy Brett, actor (See [7])
• Frank Bruno, boxer; was hospitalized for a short period and is currently on lithium. (See [8], [9], [10])
• Jeff Buckley, musician. Allegedly was diagnosed with bipolar disorder shortly before his death. Cited in 'Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley' by David Brown, 2001
• Lord Byron, poet. TWF p.267 (Touched with fire profiles Lord Byron's illness in detail)

C

• Georg Cantor, mathematician. Cantor's recurring bouts of depression from 1884 to the end of his life were once blamed on the hostile attitude of many of his contemporaries,^[2] but these bouts can now be seen as probable manifestations of a bipolar disorder.^[3]
• Dick Cavett, television journalist. Quote from CNN transcript from Larry King Live, broadcast June 12, 2005: "CAVETT: Both in hypomanic, which I have had, and incidentally, one has to admit many patients say I am cured now, I am fine. But I must say I miss those hypomanic states. They are better off where they are."
• Iris Chang, historian and journalist. San Francisco Chronicle [11]
• Winston Churchill, politician and British Prime Minister. NAMI Churchill often referred to depression as his "black dog". He is also recorded to have undergone manic phases of intense productivity. None of Churchill's numerous biographers, however, have claimed that he was actually bipolar. In 2006 a controversial statue of Churchill wearing a straitjacket was unveiled in Norwich in an attempt to highlight the stigma of mental health problems. Three days later it was taken down due to public outcry. [12] The series Altered Statesmen suggests that Churchill had Cyclothymia.
• Kurt Cobain, musician. His cousin, Beverly Cobain, a "registered nurse (…) [with] experience as a mental health professional" and author of a book, When Nothing Matters Anymore: A Survival Guide for Depressed Teens ISBN 1-57542-036-8, stated in an interview: "Kurt was diagnosed at a young age with Attention Deficit Disorder [ADD], then later with bipolar disorder; (…) As Kurt undoubtedly knew, bipolar illness can be very difficult to manage, and the correct diagnosis is crucial. Unfortunately for Kurt, compliance with the appropriate treatment is also a critical factor." [13]
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet. TWF pp.219–224, 267. His condition is more commonly directly attributed to drug use. "Around 1796, Coleridge started using opium as a pain reliever"
• Robert S. Corrington, theologist. In his book Riding the Windhorse: Manic-Depressive Disorder and the Quest for Wholeness ISBN 9780761826194 (Hamilton Books, New York, 2003) he gives a personal account of his own struggles with the condition.

D

• Ray Davies, musician: is openly bipolar; also see his autobiography, X-Ray
• Charles Dickens, author. TWF p.267
• Richard Dreyfuss, actor, BBC Documentary [14]
• Patty Duke, actress. NAMI, also wrote about her own illness in Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness

E

• Ralph Waldo Emerson, author, poet, and philosopher. TWF p. 268

F

• Carrie Fisher, actress and writer. "'I ended up being diagnosed as a bipolar II,' says Fisher." [15] BBC Documentary [16]
• Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, writer. TWF p.269
• William Faulkner, writer. TWF p.269
• Stephen Foster, songwriter. TWF p.269
• Connie Francis, singer. Spoke candidly about her bipolar disorder in her A&E Biography.
• Stephen Fry, actor, comedian and writer. "As a sufferer of the disorder, Stephen Fry is speaking to other sufferers to find out about their experiences and visiting leading experts in the UK and US to examine the current state of understanding and research." [17], also [18]. BBC documentary [19]

G

• Alan Garner, novelist. According to the Guardian, "In The Voice that Thunders (Harvill), a collection of critical and autobiographical essays, Garner casts light on his writing and thinking, and the role that manic depression plays in his creativity" see [20], and also [21]
• Matthew Good, Canadian musician. He first disclosed his illness in a personal blog. It was during the writing and recording of Hospital Music that he suffered one of his worst episodes. [22]
• Philip Graham, publisher and businessman. "It had finally penetrated to me that Phil's diagnosis was manic-depression…" Katherine Graham (1997), Personal History, p.328; Knopf, 1997, ISBN 0-394-58585-2 (book has numerous other references).
• Macy Gray, musician and actor. As documented in her song "Relating to a Psychopath" [23] and in an interview with Saul Williams [24]
• Graham Greene, English novelist. Extract from Graham Greene: A Life in Letters: "Greene was managing the impulses of bipolar illness, involving mood swings from elation, expansiveness or irritability to despair and would quickly be guilty of repeated infidelities."
• Ivor Gurney, English composer and poet. "New Perspectives on Ivor Gurney's Mental Illness", Pamela Blevins, Ivor Gurney Society Journal, Volume 6, 2000.

H

• Alexander Hamilton, politician. "Danger, Hypomanic on Board", could well be the other title of "Washington Crossing the Delaware." John Gartner in The Hypomanic Edge makes a strong case that America owes its greatness to a liberal supply of "manic lite" genes. See Hypomanic Nation.
• Linda Hamilton, actress. Star of the Terminator movies. Was diagnosed at the age of 40[25]
• Mariette Hartley, American actress, has publicly spoken about her bipolar disorder. [26]
• Jonathan Hay, Australian rules footballer ^[4]
• Ernest Hemingway, writer. TWF p.269
• Kristin Hersh, musician, formerly of rock band Throwing Muses, is occasionally mentioned as having bipolar disorder, one example being a Muses biography. She has also mentioned the disorder in several interviews.
• Hermann Hesse, writer. TWF p.269
• Abbie Hoffman, political activist: "Abbie was diagnosed in 1980 as having bipolar disorder, more commonly known as manic depression." Jezer, Marty (1993). Abbie Hoffman. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2017-7.  p. xvii

J

• Kay Redfield Jamison, clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who profiled her own bipolar disorder in her 1995 memoir An Unquiet Mind and argued for a connection between bipolar disorder and artistic creativity in her 1993 book, Touched with Fire.
• Daniel Johnston, musician: "Johnston's output in his late teens and early 20s proved to be a symptom of his worsening manic depression." The Guardian Unlimited, Saturday August 20, 2005: "Personal demons", review of film, The Devil and Daniel Johnston:[27]
• Andrew Johns, Professional Rugby League Player. — has gone public about his condition: see [28]

K

• Chris Kanyon, wrestler — self-described, diagnosed, see [29]: "I have gone thru (sic) some rough times, which ultimately led to me being diagnosed with clinical Bipolar Depression (also known as Manic Depression). I have spent the last year learning about and understanding my condition and we have finally got my medications balanced to the point where I feel I am in the best mental state of my life."
• Kerry Katona, English television presenter, writer,magazine columnist and former pop singer with girl band Atomic Kitten. BBC [30]
• John Keats, poet - TWF p.268; NAMI
• Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy has been open about mental health issues, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. [31]
• Otto Klemperer, conductor — see Norman Lebrecht's article at [32].
• Margot Kidder, actress — self-described, see [33]: "I have been well and free of the symptoms that are called manic-depression for almost five years, and have been working steadily and leading a happy and productive life since then."
• Patrick Kroupa, writer and hacker, has been very open about his drug use and mental health issues, after his last heroin detox in 1999. He mentions bipolar disorder openly in several interviews. [34], [35], [36]

L

• Vivien Leigh, actress, cited in Holden, Anthony, Laurence Olivier, Sphere Books Limited, 1989, ISBN 0689115369  ; pp 221-222
• Neil Lennon Footballer with Celtic FC open about his battles with depression [37]
• Jenifer Lewis, American actress, spoke about her diagnosis on the Oprah show in September 2007. [38]

M

• Kristy McNichol, actress. The former child star and teen idol left the show Empty Nest due to her battle with the depression. McNichol later returned to the show for a few episodes during the series' last season. ^{[5][6][7][8][9]}
• Kate Millett, author, The Loony-Bin Trip (1990) discusses her diagnosis of bipolar disorder, describing experiences with hospitalization and her decision to discontinue lithium therapy.
• Spike Milligan, comedian and writer. "I had to write a new show every week for six months. If Hitler had done that to someone it would be called torture. I was in such a state of hypertension that I was unapproachable by human beings. I became a manic depressive." See Guardian obituary and Comedy's Fab Five
• Ben Moody, musician. The former guitarist from Evanescence. See MTV News article
• John A. Mulheren, American stock and option trader and philanthropist. Forbes [39]
• Edvard Munch, artist. Rothenberg A. Bipolar illness, creativity, and treatment. Psychiatr Q. 2001 Summer;72(2):131–47.

N

• Isaac Newton, pioneering scientist and mathematician. NAMI
• Florence Nightingale, nurse and health campaigner. BPW "Florence heard voices and experienced a number of severe depressive episodes in her teens and early 20s - symptoms consistent with the onset of bipolar disorder", Dr. Kathy Wisner, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. See this article.

O

• Sinéad O'Connor, musician. She discussed her diagnosis with Oprah Winfrey in October 2007. [40]
• Graeme Obree, Scottish racing cyclist. World hour record 1993. Individual pursuit world champion in 1993 and 1995. Cited in 2003 autobiography, "Flying Scotsman: Cycling to Triumph Through My Darkest Hours" and 2006 film.
• Ozzy Osbourne, singer. Lead singer of Black Sabbath and his self-titled band. Cited in VH1's "Heavy: The History of Metal" in 2006.
• Cheri Oteri, actress. Saturday Night Live Cast Member. Cited in Shales T.& Miller A. (2002) Live From New York, A Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live.

P

• Jane Pauley, TV presenter and journalist. The former Today and Dateline host describes being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her autobiography "Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue", which she wrote in 2004, as well as on her short-lived talk show. [41], [42], [43], [44], [45], [46]
• Jimmy Piersall, baseball player. NAMI
• Jaco Pastorius, musician. "Jaco was diagnosed with this clinical bipolar condition in the fall of 1982. The events which led up to it were considered "uncontrolled and reckless" incidences." Ingrid Pastorius - http://www.jacop.net/mind.html
• Edgar Allan Poe, poet and writer. TWF p.269.
• Emil Post, mathematician. Martin Davis, 1994, "Emil L. Post: His Life and Work" in Davis, M., ed., Solvability, Provability, Definability: The Collected Works of Emil L. Post. Birkhauser

R

• Rene Rivkin, entrepreneur. Sydney Morning Herald 3 May 2005
• Barret Robbins, former NFL Pro Bowler.^[10]
• Axl Rose, singer^[11] "I went to a clinic, thinking it would help my moods. The only thing I did was take one 500-question test - ya know, filling in the little black dots. All of sudden I'm diagnosed manic-depressive."

S

• Britney Spears singer, reported by TMZ.
• Cynthia M. Sabotka, American memoirist, author of "Life Is Like A Line, A Memoir of Moods, Medication, and Mania", Silver Lining Publishing (2008). http://silverliningpublishing.com].
• Robert Schumann, composer. TWF p.269
• Nina Simone, American singer. Interview with her daughter Simone, The Sunday Times June, 24 2007 [47]
• Michael Slater, International Australian cricketer, forced to retire because of related symptoms. [48] [49]
• Tony Slattery, actor and comedian. [50] "I rented a huge warehouse by the river Thames. I just stayed in there on my own, didn't open the mail or answer the phone for months and months and months. I was just in a pool of despair and mania." BBC Documentary [51]
• Michael Spensieri, lawyer and politician. "This special gift (Bipolar I), it enables me to live both ends of the bipolarity, to survive." Michelangelo Spensieri was called to the Bar of Ontario on March 22, 1974 and resigned October 26, 1989 pursuant to The Law Society of Upper Canada guidelines.
• Robert Louis Stevenson, author. TWF p.268
• Sidney Sheldon, producer, writer; wrote about being a victim of bipolar disorder in his autobiography "The Other Side Of Me".

T

• Sara Teasdale, poet. TWF p.268
• Devin Townsend, musician, Strapping Young Lad, The Devin Townsend Band, Took himself off of his medication to write lyrics for Strapping Young Lad's album Alien. [52]
• Nick Traina, singer. Nick Traina Foundation, "in the last year of his life, he began telling people he was manic-depressive."
• Timothy Treadwell, American environmentalist and bear enthusiast, featured in the 2005 documentary film by Werner Herzog titled Grizzly Man. [53] [54]
• Margaret Trudeau, Canadian celebrity and ex-wife of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau (deceased). Ms. Trudeau now travels Canada and other countries speaking out against the stigmas on mental illness [55]
• Mark Twain, author. TWF p.268 (as "Samuel Clemens")

U

V

• Jean-Claude Van Damme, actor — Australian Woman's Day magazine — January 30 2006
• Vincent Van Gogh, artist. See Vincent and Me
• Kurt Vonnegut, author [56]

W

• Scott Weiland, musician. (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver) "I suffer from manic-depressive disorder, and I've chosen not to take medication for it." Quotation from Weiland during an interview. Source: VH1.com
• Brian Wilson, musician. (The Beach Boys) BrianWilson.com
• Virginia Woolf, poet and novelist. TWF p.269; see also Virginia Woolf's psychiatric history and Virginia Woolf and Her Madness

Notes

Sources

• Jamison, Kay Redfield (1993): Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, New York, The Free Press. ISBN 0-02-916030-8