Famous People With Mental Illness
(and how they dealt with it)
Stonewall Jackson
Asperger's Syndrome
William T. Anderson
Sociopath
Abraham Lincoln
Depression
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson
Thomas Jackson is a well known Confederate General in the times of the Civil War. Today he is believed to have met the criteria for having Asperger's Syndrome. From the words people spoke about him, he never met any social calls, kept to himself, and called an 'oddity' by many who knew him. Jackson was unable to speak with his students outside of class at the Virginia Military Institute, and his students described him as being aloof. Jackson kept to himself however, and as often put off as being eccentric. During his time as a general, he devoted much of his time to military tactics.
William T. Anderson
William T. Anderson was a famous Confederate Guerilla in the American Civil War. Many today describe him as being the most brutal and deadliest man in Missouri, as well as a sociopath. His father and two of his sisters were killed by the Union soldiers. This is what many believed shaped the antisocial personality, causing him to snap. To deal with his pain, he would purposely go after any Federal soldier to kill them on the spot. Because of this the title "Bloody Bill" was added to his name.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln during his presidency was often depicted as melancholy, showing signs of what modern doctors would list as clinical depression. Abe was normally very quiet and a bit reserved in some cases. He sought out to make jokes-often at awkward times- to keep the spirit light. One report says that he needed laughs for his survival. Of course the heavy burden of being the president of the United States of America at the time of the Civil War greatly forced stress onto him and his wife, even the loss of two of his sons.
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, most commonly known for her role in Gone With The Wind as Scarlett O'Hara, played many parts for a wide variety of movies. However, many of the roles she played often added to her mental breakdown. The actress was always stressed on the set for Gone With The Wind, so to cope with the stress she went through four packs of cigarettes a day. On another set, Vivien was pregnant, and she fell causing a miscarriage, which led her deeper into her depression.