ARE MENTALLY ILL INFAMOUS OR FAMOUS?
The view that the general public has of the mentally ill is mostly
negative. This attitude has been largely
shaped by the media and movies that portray
persons with mental health problems as infamous, dangerous individuals,
preying on society. In an article
titled, “The Criminalization of the Mentally Ill”, by David Gonzalez, he
states, “Movies such as Maniac
(1934)..., Deranged (1974), Psycho (1960), and The Lunatic (1992), all portray the mentally ill as psychotic
and deranged lunatics capable of snapping at the slightest provocation. Movies such as these add to the
misconceptions of the mentally ill and eventually influence the opinions of the
judges, district attorneys, police officers, parole officers, correction
officers, politicians, and the average citizen ....”.
However, there are some movies such as “Rain man”, “The Aviator”, and “A
Beautiful Mind” that show the struggle of mentally ill persons in a positive
light. In “Rain man” Dustin Hoffman
portrays an autistic man who is a genius with math and who acted as a loving
sibling when his younger brother needed comfort as a child. “The Aviator” shows the struggle of Howard
Hughes who became the richest man in the world, but who suffered from
obsessive-compulsive disorder. A
Beautiful Mind portrays John Forbes Nash who eventually won the Nobel Prize
while battling the schizophrenic voices in his head.
Mentally ill persons who are portrayed as dangerous monsters are not the
norm for persons with psychiatric disabilities.
Most individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia are not dangerous. In fact society preys on the mentally ill
more than the mentally ill prey on society. Psychiatric News reports that,
"More than one-fourth of persons with severe mental illness are victims of
violent crime in the course of a year, a rate 11 times higher than that of the
general population, according to a study by researchers at Northwestern
University. They estimated that nearly 3 million severely mentally ill people
are crime victims each year in the United States. http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/40/17/16.full
Although monsters like Jeffrey Dahmer and Jack the Ripper may have been
mentally ill; there are thousands mentally ill persons thoughout history who
have contributed an enormous amount to society and who have exerted a positive
force in the world. They are people like
Abraham Lincoln, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Patty
Duke, Michelangelo, John Forbes Nash Jr., Buzz Aldrin, and Robin Williams.
FAMOUS MENTALLY ILL PERSONS
Abraham Lincoln
The
famous sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) brought to politics his personal
integrity, intelligence, and humanity.
He was called the “Great Emancipator” because of his stand against
slavery. However, Lincoln suffered
severe and incapacitating depressions that occasionally led to thoughts of
suicide. The Encyclopedia Americana
concludes that, “Although his reputation has fluctuated with changing times, he
was clearly a great man and a great president.
He firmly and fairly guided the nation through its most perilous period
and made a lasting impact in shaping the office of chief executive.” In the many listings of famous mentally ill
persons, Abraham Lincoln is always present at the top.
Virginia Woolf
Even fifty years
after her suicide by drowning, Virginia Woolf’s writing continues tbe a source
of influence. The International Virginia
Woolf Society Web Page comments,
“Woolf has since been recognized as one
of the most important and influential feminist writers of the twentieth century
and as a writer whose works are dynamically engage with the political,
philosophical, historical and materialist issues of her time.”
Scholars
continue to be stimulated by Woolf’s writings,
even though in her private life she
was tortured by bipolar illness.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
(1874-1965) suffered from what he called his “black dog” of depression and it
has been said, “Had he been a stable and equable man, he could never
have inspired the nation. In 1940, when
all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgement might well have
concluded that we were finished.” He
became the voice of Britain during the war and gave emotional speeches
inspiring England to endure hardship and sacrifice in order to prevail over Germany. Along with being a famous politician
Churchill also was an accomplished writer and painter. In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature for his six volume history of World War II. |Also, he wrote the four volume “History of the English-speaking
Peoples”. Churchill achieved fame
despite being bipolar.
Charles Dickens
Although he was one of the
greatest authors in the English language, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) suffered
from clinical depression. At 17 he
worked as a court
stenographer
and later as a parliamentary reporter. By 1833 his literary sketches of London
life were becoming famous. His classic
novels such as “Oliver Twist”, “Nicholas Nickleby” and “The Old Curiousity shop
became the most popular of his day. Dickens
was supremely successful at portraying the sights, sounds, smells, and customs
of 19th Century London. He
blasted the social inequality and injustices of his day and brought attention
to the plight of the downtrodden. Although some critics feel his work is
disorderly and sentimental none can doubt his genius at revealing real life.
Patty Duke
Born in 1946, Patty Duke also called Anna
Duke suffered the ravages of bipolar illness, anorexia, and substance abuse
until she got diagnosed and put on lithium.
She made many suicide attempts and even though she could always perform
well as an actress her personal life was turbulent. Duke was the youngest actress ever to have
her own show and had a twelve inch doll made like her, along with a Patty Duke
game for teenagers. At the age of twelve
she starred in “The Miracle Worker”, the story of Helen Keller. She became the youngest actress to win an
Oscar award. Many
television awards later, Patty Duke is a spokesperson for the mentally ill and
has written the book, “A Brilliant Madness” to help those suffering
from
bipolar disorder.
Michaelangelo
Michaelangelo Buonarroti was
born near Florence, Italy in 1495 and died at the age of 89. His name is synonomous with his famous
sculpures and paintings done during the Renaissance period. His most famous sculpture is “David” which
stands 16 feet 10 inches tall, and the painting he is best known for is his
rendering of the Sistine Chapel. He is
still known as a giant in the art world even though he suffered the symptoms of
bipolar illness.
John Forbes Nash, Jr.
John Forbes Nash won
the Nobel Prize for pioneering work in game theory on October 11th,
1994. That
was unusual because most of his life he had Suffered
from paranoid schizophrenia. At
www.schizophrenia .com it is noted that, “There are relatively few famous
people with schizophrenia.” Indeed the
preponderance of famous mentally ill
persons are bipolar.
John Nash began his Ph.D. at Princeton in
1948 when he was twenty years old. He
wrote a doctoral thesis on the mathematics of competition which is still used
today. He dazzled the mathematical world
and invented the game called “Hex” put out by Parker Brothers. However, for twenty-five years he was
immersed in schizophrenia. His
mathematical theories did not make sense and he looked for secret messages in numbers. Somehow in the mid 1980’s his illness went
into remission and he is now working on novel uses of the computer at
Princeton.
Buzz Aldrin
On July 20th, 1969 Buzz Aldrin
and Neil Armstrong were the first human beings to set foot on the moon
witnessed by the largest television audience in history. Buzz was born in Monclair, New Jersey, the
son of an aviation pilot. He recieved
his doctorate of astronautics from the Massachuetts Institute of
Technology. The techniques that Buss
developed were used on all of NASAs missions, including the first sapce docking
with the Russian Cosmonauts. In 1993
he recieved a patent for a permanent
space station he designed. Buzz is also the author of two space novels titled
The Return and Encounter with Tiber . He
is also authoring his autobiography.
Despite his fame, Buzz Aldrin is bipolar.
Robin Williams
Robin
Williams was born on July 21, 1952 in Chicago Illinois. He studied political science, then went into
acting at Julliard Acting Academy. His
first break came in 1978 when
he played Mork on Happy Days. The next
step was for Williams was his first TV show Mork and Mindy, in which the
character of Mork became very popular. His first movie was in 1986 and was
called Popeye. It was a failure. However, a year later Good Morning America
was a big success. He has also
gone on to act in Good Will Hunting,
Dead Poet’s Society, Jacob the Liar, Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams,
Awakenings, and in 1997 was voted the
funiest man alive by Entertainment Weekly.
Williams has also won an Oscar.
Behind the scenes, Robin Williams has struggled with attention deficit
disorder and cocaine addiction.
Conclusion
It should be evident by now that
throughout history some of the most influential individuals have suffered from
mental illness. In the field of art,
politics, writing,
and
acting there have been geniuses who were afflicted by inner torments. Yet despite this hinderence and pain they
rose to greatness. It is time that
society realizes the great debt that it owes to the mentally ill, instead of
portraying them all as killers and monsters.
ARE MENTALLY ILL INFAMOUS OR FAMOUS?
The view that the general public has of the mentally ill is mostly
negative. This attitude has been largely
shaped by the media and movies that portray
persons with mental health problems as infamous, dangerous individuals,
preying on society. In an article
titled, “The Criminalization of the Mentally Ill”, by David Gonzalez, he
states, “Movies such as Maniac
(1934)..., Deranged (1974), Psycho (1960), and The Lunatic (1992), all portray the mentally ill as psychotic
and deranged lunatics capable of snapping at the slightest provocation. Movies such as these add to the
misconceptions of the mentally ill and eventually influence the opinions of the
judges, district attorneys, police officers, parole officers, correction
officers, politicians, and the average citizen ....”.
However, there are some movies such as “Rain man”, “The Aviator”, and “A
Beautiful Mind” that show the struggle of mentally ill persons in a positive
light. In “Rain man” Dustin Hoffman
portrays an autistic man who is a genius with math and who acted as a loving
sibling when his younger brother needed comfort as a child. “The Aviator” shows the struggle of Howard
Hughes who became the richest man in the world, but who suffered from
obsessive-compulsive disorder. A
Beautiful Mind portrays John Forbes Nash who eventually won the Nobel Prize
while battling the schizophrenic voices in his head.
Mentally ill persons who are portrayed as dangerous monsters are not the
norm for persons with psychiatric disabilities.
Most individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia are not dangerous. In fact society preys on the mentally ill
more than the mentally ill prey on society. Psychiatric News reports that,
"More than one-fourth of persons with severe mental illness are victims of
violent crime in the course of a year, a rate 11 times higher than that of the
general population, according to a study by researchers at Northwestern
University. They estimated that nearly 3 million severely mentally ill people
are crime victims each year in the United States. http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/40/17/16.full
Although monsters like Jeffrey Dahmer and Jack the Ripper may have been
mentally ill; there are thousands mentally ill persons thoughout history who
have contributed an enormous amount to society and who have exerted a positive
force in the world. They are people like
Abraham Lincoln, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Patty
Duke, Michelangelo, John Forbes Nash Jr., Buzz Aldrin, and Robin Williams.
FAMOUS MENTALLY ILL PERSONS
Abraham Lincoln
The
famous sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) brought to politics his personal
integrity, intelligence, and humanity.
He was called the “Great Emancipator” because of his stand against
slavery. However, Lincoln suffered
severe and incapacitating depressions that occasionally led to thoughts of
suicide. The Encyclopedia Americana
concludes that, “Although his reputation has fluctuated with changing times, he
was clearly a great man and a great president.
He firmly and fairly guided the nation through its most perilous period
and made a lasting impact in shaping the office of chief executive.” In the many listings of famous mentally ill
persons, Abraham Lincoln is always present at the top.
Virginia Woolf
Even fifty years
after her suicide by drowning, Virginia Woolf’s writing continues tbe a source
of influence. The International Virginia
Woolf Society Web Page comments,
“Woolf has since been recognized as one
of the most important and influential feminist writers of the twentieth century
and as a writer whose works are dynamically engage with the political,
philosophical, historical and materialist issues of her time.”
Scholars
continue to be stimulated by Woolf’s writings,
even though in her private life she
was tortured by bipolar illness.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
(1874-1965) suffered from what he called his “black dog” of depression and it
has been said, “Had he been a stable and equable man, he could
never
have inspired the nation. In 1940, when
all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgement might well have
concluded that we were finished.” He
became the voice of Britain during the war and gave emotional speeches
inspiring England to endure hardship and sacrifice in order to prevail over Germany. Along with being a famous politician
Churchill also was an accomplished writer and painter. In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature for his six volume history of World War II. |Also, he wrote the four volume “History of the English-speaking
Peoples”. Churchill achieved fame
despite being bipolar.
Charles Dickens
Although he was one of the
greatest authors in the English language, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) suffered
from clinical depression. At 17 he
worked as a court
stenographer
and later as a parliamentary reporter. By 1833 his literary sketches of London
life were becoming famous. His classic
novels such as “Oliver Twist”, “Nicholas Nickleby” and “The Old Curiousity shop
became the most popular of his day. Dickens
was supremely successful at portraying the sights, sounds, smells, and customs
of 19th Century London. He
blasted the social inequality and injustices of his day and brought attention
to the plight of the downtrodden. Although some critics feel his work is
disorderly and sentimental none can doubt his genius at revealing real life.
Patty Duke
Born in 1946, Patty Duke also called Anna
Duke suffered the ravages of bipolar illness, anorexia, and substance abuse
until she got diagnosed and put on lithium.
She made many suicide attempts and even though she could always perform
well as an actress her personal life was turbulent. Duke was the youngest actress ever to have
her own show and had a twelve inch doll made like her, along with a Patty Duke
game for teenagers. At the age of twelve
she starred in “The Miracle Worker”, the story of Helen Keller. She became the youngest actress to win an
Oscar award.
Many
television awards later, Patty Duke is a spokesperson for the mentally ill and
has written the book, “A Brilliant Madness” to help those suffering
from
bipolar disorder.
Michaelangelo
Michaelangelo Buonarroti was
born near Florence, Italy in 1495 and died at the age of 89. His name is synonomous with his famous
sculpures and paintings done during the Renaissance period. His most famous sculpture is “David” which
stands 16 feet 10 inches tall, and the painting he is best known for is his
rendering of the Sistine Chapel. He is
still known as a giant in the art world even though he suffered the symptoms of
bipolar illness.
John Forbes Nash, Jr.
John Forbes Nash won
the Nobel Prize for pioneering work in game theory on October 11th,
1994.
That
was unusual because most of his life he had
Suffered
from paranoid schizophrenia. At
www.schizophrenia .com it is noted that, “There are relatively few famous
people with schizophrenia.” Indeed the
preponderance of famous mentally ill
persons are bipolar.
John Nash began his Ph.D. at Princeton in
1948 when he was twenty years old. He
wrote a doctoral thesis on the mathematics of competition which is still used
today. He dazzled the mathematical world
and invented the game called “Hex” put out by Parker Brothers. However, for twenty-five years he was
immersed in schizophrenia. His
mathematical theories did not make sense and he looked for secret messages in numbers. Somehow in the mid 1980’s his illness went
into remission and he is now working on novel uses of the computer at
Princeton.
Buzz Aldrin
On July 20th, 1969 Buzz Aldrin
and Neil Armstrong were the first human beings to set foot on the moon
witnessed by the largest television audience in history. Buzz was born in Monclair, New Jersey, the
son of an aviation pilot. He recieved
his doctorate of astronautics from the Massachuetts Institute of
Technology. The techniques that Buss
developed were used on all of NASAs missions, including the first sapce docking
with the Russian Cosmonauts. In 1993
he recieved a patent for a permanent
space station he designed. Buzz is also the author of two space novels titled
The Return and Encounter with Tiber . He
is also authoring his autobiography.
Despite his fame, Buzz Aldrin is bipolar.
Robin Williams
Robin
Williams was born on July 21, 1952 in Chicago Illinois. He studied political science, then went into
acting at Julliard Acting Academy. His
first break came in 1978
when
he played Mork on Happy Days. The next
step was for Williams was his first TV show Mork and Mindy, in which the
character of Mork became very popular. His first movie was in 1986 and was
called Popeye. It was a failure. However, a year later Good Morning America
was a big success. He has
also
gone on to act in Good Will Hunting,
Dead Poet’s Society, Jacob the Liar, Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams,
Awakenings, and in 1997 was voted the
funiest man alive by Entertainment Weekly.
Williams has also won an Oscar.
Behind the scenes, Robin Williams has struggled with attention deficit
disorder and cocaine addiction.
Conclusion
It should be evident by now that
throughout history some of the most influential individuals have suffered from
mental illness. In the field of art,
politics, writing,
and
acting there have been geniuses who were afflicted by inner torments. Yet despite this hinderence and pain they
rose to greatness. It is time that
society realizes the great debt that it owes to the mentally ill, instead of
portraying them all as killers and monsters.
