Many myths and beliefs are associated with mental illness. One common misconception is that people suffering from mental illnesses are poor and/or less intelligent, or stupid.  The reality is that many studies have shown that most people with mental illness have average or above-average intelligence.

Studies have also found that higher IQ is associated with mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. I have a list of almost 300 names of well known people who have received a psychiatric diagnosis of mental illness. I have shortened this list of names significantly. This blog will focus on some famous people who have suffered from bipolar disorder (manic depression), and unipolar disorder (depression). Some of these people are deceased.

A lot of these people are/were artists, such as writers, musicians, painters, actors, actresses, and comedians. Creative geniuses. People with bipolar disorder are often considered as being “genius”. Most of these individuals have publicly stated that they have experienced these mental illnesses in their lives.

All of this information is public knowledge. If you have bipolar disorder and/or depression yourself, (like I do), think about the good company you’re in !

Famous People With Bipolar Disorder (formerly known as manic -depression)

1. Buzz Aldrin (astronaut) 2. Ludwig van Beethoven 3. Danny Bonaduce 4. Dick Cavett 5. Winston Churchill 6. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), writer 7. Kurt Cobain 8. Francis Ford Coppola (director) 9. John Daly (professional golfer) 10. Johnny Depp 11. Charles Dickens (writer) 12. Emily Dickinson (poet) 13. Robert Downey Jr. 14. Richard Dreyfuss 15. Patty Duke (Anna Duke Pearce) 16. Faye Dunaway 17. Ralph Waldo Emerson (writer) 18. David Feherty (the golf channel) 19. Carrie Fisher 20. Scott Fitzgerald (writer) 21. Connie Francis 22. Mel Gibson 23. Vincent Van Gogh 24. Linda Hamilton (actress) 25. Ernest Hemingway (writer) 26. Kay Redfield Jamison (psychologist, writer) 27. Patrick J. Kennedy 28. Margot Kidder 29. Michelangelo (artist) 30. Tony Orlando 31. Jaco Pastorius (musician) 32. Jane Pauley 33. Edgar Allan Poe (poet) 34. Jackson Pollock (artist) 35. Charley Pride 36. Axl Rose (musician) 37. Charlie Sheen 38. Frank Sinatra 39. Britney Spears 40. Ben Stiller 41, Darryl Strawberry ( Major League Baseball Player) 42. Gordon Summer (Sting),musician 43. Margaret Trudeau (Canadian celebrity) 44. Mike Tyson 45. Jean -Claude Van Damme 46. Sol Wachtler (judge, writer) 47. Kanye West 48. Walt Whitman (poet) 49. Robin Williams 50. Tennessee Williams (writer) 51. Brian Wilson (musician, Beach Boys) 52. Jonathan Winters (comedian) 53. Virginia Woolf (writer)

 

Famous People With Unipolar Disorder (Depression)

1. Marvin Lee Aday (Meat Loaf ), musician 2. Louie Anderson (comedian) 3. Halle Berry (actress) 4. Terry Bradshaw 5. Marlon Brando 6. Barbara Bush (former First Lady -U.S.)  7. Drew Carey 8. Jim Carrey 9. Ray Charles 10. Eric Clapton 11. Dick Clark 12. Leonard Cohen 13. Sheryl Crow  14. Rodney Dangerfield 15. Ellen DeGeneres 16. Queen Elizabeth 17. Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) 18. Harrison Ford 19. Sigmund Freud 20. Lady Gaga 21. Tipper Gore (former vice president) 22. Stephen Hawking (physicist) 23. Anthony Hopkins 24. Janet Jackson 25. Billy Joel 26. Elton John 27. Naomi Judd 28. Abraham Lincoln 29. Greg Louganis (Olympic athlete), diving 30. Courtney Love 31. Dave Matthews (musician) 32. Sarah McLachlan (musician) 33. Alanis Morissette (musician) 34. Stevie Nicks 35. Marie Osmond 36. Gwyneth Paltrow 37. Dolly Parton 38. Katy Perry 39. Michael Phelps (Olympic athlete), swimmer 40. Bonnie Raitt 41. Joan Rivers 42. Roseanne (comedian) 43. Paul Simon 44. Rick Springfield 45. Bruce Springsteen 46. Mike Wallace (journalist), TV news