1. Martin Luther King
Influential figures such as Martin Luther King also suffered serious problems. In the case of this pastor and political activist, who fought against racial segregation and for equality between whites and blacks, throughout his life he suffered various episodes of depression.
In his youth, some of them led him to have several suicide attempts after the death of his grandmother, but he managed to overcome them. He also suffered them during his period of political activism, something that did not stop him from fighting for civil rights.
Of course, the context of someone who lives constantly under siege by pressure groups and even organized violence gangs greatly favors the appearance of disorders such as depression; We should not understand this phenomenon as something that arises spontaneously in the individual.
2.Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens is another of the great authors who have suffered some type of psychological problem throughout his life.
This author, according to various researchers, suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder and a phobia of dirt.
3. Abraham Lincoln
One of the most admired presidents of the United States is Abraham Lincoln, famous among other achievements for the abolition of slavery and for ending the American Civil War. But although his achievements were many, the 16th president of the United States had a difficult life marked by the death of many of his loved ones.
He was known for his melancholic thoughts, and according to various researchers he suffered from recurring depression for much of his life, manifesting on several occasions the presence of thoughts of death and suicide (although over the years he would achieve some improvement).
4. Salvador Dali
This great artist and one of the great representatives of surrealism suffered from Parkinson's disease towards the end of his life, as well as depression derived not only from this condition but also from the death of his muse, Gala Éluard Dalí. .
5. Robert Schumann
One of the most important German composers of Romanticism, Robert Schumann suffered from what was then called dementia praecox, later known as schizophrenia. He saw visions related to religious figures, both angelic and demonic. He was hospitalized for a time.
Nowadays, however, it is considered more likely that he suffered from bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms: he had periods in which he suffered from depressive episodes, although at other times he dedicated himself exhaustively and passionately to creating compositions of great value (probably in episodes manic or hypomanic).
6. Joseph Stalin
This Russian dictator, although he played an important role in the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, is also responsible for the death of millions of Russians, political dissidents and even allies, during his well-known purges.
And although at present we cannot make a firm diagnosis as there is little data we have regarding his physical and mental health, the existing data seems to reflect the existence of a high level of paranoia, which possibly contributed to the carrying out of these crimes. many of these purges: the dictator ordered the death or imprisonment of a large number of people, including one of his personal guards or different doctors who treated and diagnosed him with different ailments (including atherosclerosis).
In fact, the neurophysiologist and psychiatrist Vladimir Béjterev even diagnosed him with and tried to treat him with severe paranoia. Two days later, said neurologist and psychiatrist was found dead.
