All of the names listed below have publicly acknowledged and admitted to their struggles with mental health concerns or a mental illness as a means to help others and themselves. This list is used in many publications to help fight the stigma and discrimination that takes place for those affected by a mental health concern/mental illness and thus keeps them from getting help, treatment and the understanding they need and deserve. I did not compile this list … national advocacy organizations and some government agencies dealing with mental health issues compiled these names to help inspire hope – that others would seek help and to realize that they are not alone in their struggles.
Paula Abdul, Musician. Bulimia.
Lionel Aldridge, Green Bay Packers football player of the 1960’s. Schizophrenia
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Astronaut. Depression.
Alexander the Great, Monarch. Depression.
Hans Christian Anderson, Author. Bipolar.
Louie Anderson, Comedian, actor. Depression.
Beatrice Arthur, Actress (The Golden Girls, Maude). Depression.
Roseanne Barr, Actress, writer, comedienne. Depression, Agoraphobia.
Rona Barrett, Columnist. Depression.
Syd Barrett, Musician, the band Pink Floyd. Schizophrenia and depression
Lionel Barrymore, Actor (Hamlet). Depression, nervous breakdown.
Drew Barrymore, Actress. Depression.
Kim Basinger Actress (Movie Batman). Panic, anxiety disorder.
Samuel Becket Writer. Depression.
Ned Beatty Actor. Bipolar.
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer. Bipolar.
Menachem Begin Former Prime Minister of Israel. Depression.
Irving Berlin Composer. Depression.
Leonard Bernstein Composer. Depression.
Charles “Buddy” Bolden Schizophrenia.
Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of France. Depression.
Daniel Boorstin Former Presidential Advisor. Bipolar.
Clara Bow Actress in silent movies. Depression.
Kenneth Branagh Actor (movie The Wild Wild West). Depression.
Marlon Brando Actor (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now). Depression.
Willy Brandt German Chancellor. Depression.
Art Buchwald Columnist. Depression.
Tim Burton Movie director (Beetlejuice, Batman). Depression.
Barbara Bush Former First Lady. Depression.
Nicholas Cage Actor (Birdy, Peggy Sue Got Married) Anxiety disorder.
Earl Campbell Football player. Panic disorder.
Naomi Campbell Model. Anxiety disorder.
Jose Cansero Baseball player. Depression.
Truman Capote Writer. Depression.
Drew Carey Actor, comedian. Depression.
Jim Carrey Actor (Ace Ventura, The Mask). Depression.
Dick Cavett Broadcaster. Bipolar.
Ray Charles Musician (Hit The Road Jack, Georgia On My Mind). Depression.
Paddy Chayefsky Writer, movie director. Depression.
Winston Churchill Bipolar.
Eric Clapton Musician (Tears in Heaven, Let It Rain). Depression.
Dick Clark Entertainer (American Bandstand). Depression.
John Cleese Actor, comedian (Monty Python). Self-confessed Manic.
Rosemary Clooney Singer. Depression.
Ty Cobb Athlete. Depression.
Natalie Cole Singer. Depression.
Judy Collins Musician (Send in the Clowns). Depression.
Jeff Conaway Actor (TV series Taxi). Depression.
Calvin Coolidge Former U.S. President. Depression.
Francis Ford Coppola Movie director (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now). Bipolar
Noel Coward Playwrite, actor, composer. Depression.
Sheryl Crow Singer (Strong Enough, Soak Up The Sun). Depression.
Rodney Dangerfield Comedian.
Bobby Darin Singer, actor (Mack The Knife, If I Were A Carpenter). Depression
Charles Darwin Explorer. Depression.
Ray Davies Musician (The Kinks). Depression.
King David Israeli King. Depression.
Sandra Dee Actress. Depression.
Ellen DeGeneres Comedienne, actress. Depression.
John Denver Singer/Actor. (Take Me Home Country Roads, Oh God). Depression
Johnny Depp Actor (21 Jump Street, Edward Scissorhands). Anxiety disorder
Charles Dickens One of the greatest authors in the English language (A
Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities). Depression.
Emily Dickinson Poet. Depression.
Tony Dow Actor (Leave It To Beaver). Depression.
Robert Downey Jr. Actor. (Less Than Zero, Chaplin). Bipolar.
Richard Dreyfuss Actor (Jaws, What About Bob). Depression.
Kitty Dukakis Wife of Prominent politician. Bipolar..
Patty Duke Actress. Bipolar.
Thomas Eagleton U.S. Senator. Depression.
Thomas Edison Inventor. Depression.
T.S. Eliot Poet. Depression.
Queen Elizabeth I Monarch. Depression.
Ron Ellis Hockey player. Depression.
William Faulkner Writer. Depression.
James Farmer Civil Rights Leader. Depression.
Jules Feiffer Cartoonist/Satirist. Depression.
Sally Field Actress (The Flying Nun, Norma Rae). Anxiety disorder.
Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York. Depression.
Carrie Fisher Actress and writer (Star Wars). Bipolar.
Eddie Fisher Actor / Singer. Depression.
F.Scott Fitzgerald Writer. Depression.
Jane Fonda. Actress (Coming Home, On Golden Pond). Bulimia.
Betty Ford Former U.S. First Lady. Depression.
Harrison Ford Actor (Star Wars, Working Girl). Depression.
Steven Foster Writer. Depression
Connie Francis Singer. Bipolar.
Aretha Franklin Singer (Natural Woman, Pink Cadilac). Panic anxiety disorder
Sigmund Freud Psychiatrist. Depression.
Peter Gabriel Musician. (In You Eyes). Depression.
Judy Garland Actress (The Wizard of Oz, A Star Is Born). Depression.
James Garner Actor (The Rockford Files). Depression.
King George III Monarch. Depression.
Mel Gibson Actor/director. (Mad Max, Lethal Weapon). Depression.
Kit Gingrich (Newt’s mother). Depression.
Tracy Gold Actress (Growing Pains). Anorexia.
Tipper Gore Public Figure. Depression
Phil Graham Owner of the Washington Post. Depression.
Cary Grant Actor. Depression.
Peter Green Guitarist for the band Fleetwood Mac. Depression.
Shecky Greene Comedian. Bipolar, Panic Disorder.
Alexander Hamilton Politician. Depression.
Linda Hamilton Actress (The Terminator, TV series Beauty and the Beast). Bipolar
Mariette Hartley Actress (Goodnight Beantown). Bipolar.
Nathanial Hawthorne Writer. Depression.
Ernest Hemingway Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. Bipolar, Anxiety disorder
Margaux Hemingway Actress. Depression.
Audrey Hepburn Actress (My Fair Lady). Depression.
Sir Anthony Hopkins Actor (The Elephant Man). Depression.
Howard Hughes. Movie producer, multi-millionaire. Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder, Paranoia, recluse.
Victor Hugo Author (The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Depression.
Jack Irons Musician from group Pearl Jam. Bipolar.
Andrew Jackson Former U.S. President. Depression.
Thomas Jefferson Former President. Depression.
Jeremiah Biblical leader. Depression.
Job Biblical Leader. Depression.
Billy Joel Musician (Allentown, Uptown Girl). Depression.
Elton John Musician (Crocodile Rock, Sad Songs). Depression.
James Joyce Author (Ulysses). Panic Disorder.
Lyndon Baines Johnson Former President. Depression.
Ashley Judd Actress. Depression.
Naomi Judd Musician (No One Else On Earth). Panic disorder.
Karen Kain Prima Ballerina. Depression.
Danny Kaye Entertainer. Depression.
John Keats Poet. depression.
Margot Kidder Actress (Superman, The Amityville Horror). Bipolar
Larry King Talk show host. Depression.
Joey Kramer Musician from group Aerosmith. Depression.
Kris Kristopherson Actor, singer (Mask, Blade). Depression.
Veronica Lake Actress (The Glass Key). Schizophrenia.
Jessica Lange Actress (Tess, King Kong remake). Depression.
Frances Lear (Ex-wife of All in the Family creator Norman Lear). Bipolar
Robert E. Lee U.S. General. Depression.
Vivien Leigh Actress (Gone with the Wind). Bipolar, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
John Lennon Musician (The Beatles). Depression.
Meriwether Lewis (Explorer of Lewis and Clark fame). Depression.
Abraham Lincoln One-time US President. Depression, nervous breakdown.
Mary Todd Lincoln Wife of Abraham Lincoln. Depression.
Jack London Writer. Depression.
Greg Louganis U.S. diver and Olympic gold medallist. Depression.
Courtney Love Musician. Depression.
John Madden Football coach. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Howie Mandel Actor, comedian (St. Elsewhere). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Martin Luther Protestant leader. Depression.
Robert McFarlane Former United States National Security Adviser. Depression
Sarah McLachlan Singer, Lilith Fair creator. Depression.
Kristy McNichol Actress (TV series Family). Depression.
Burgess Meredith Actor (Rocky, Grumpy Old Men, TV Batman) Bipolar.
Michelangelo One of the world’s greatest artistic geniuses (The Sistine Chapel) Depression
Carmen Miranda Dancer, actress.
Alanis Morissette Musician (Ironic). Depression, anxiety.
Sir John A. MacDonald Britain Prime Minister
Ann Margaret Actress. Depression.
Marilyn Monroe Actress (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). Depression.
J.P. Morgan Industrialist.
Claude Monet Artist. Depression.
Edward Munch Artist (The Scream). Schizophrenia.
John Nash Mathematician, Nobel Prize Winner, “A Beautiful Mind”. Schizophrenia
Isaac Newton Scientist. Manic-Depression.
Stevie Nicks Musician (Fleetwood Mac). Depression.
Friedrich Nietzsche Philosopher. Dementia.
Vaslov Nijinsky Dancer. Schizophrenia.
Florence Nightingale British nurse. Depression.
Richard Nixon Former U.S. president. Depression.
Deborah Norville Television journalist. Depression.
Ralph Nader Advocate. Depression.
Nebuchadnezzar Biblical figure. Depression.
Eugene O’Neill Playwright. Clinical Depression.
Sinead O’Connor Musician (Nothing Compares To You). Depression.
Rosie O’ Donnell Comedian, actress, talk show host. Depression.
Laurence Olivier Actor. Depression.
Tony Orlando Singer (Knock Three Times, Tie A Yellow Ribbon). Manic, depression
Donny Osmond Musician. Panic-anxiety disorder.
Marie Osmond Musician. Depression.
Ozzy Osbourne Musician. Depression.
Dolly Parton Singer. Depression
General George Patton Military leader. Depression.
Jackson Pollock Artist. Depression.
Charlie Pride Singer. Depression.
Jimmy Piersall Baseball player for the Boston Red Sox. Bipolar.
Charles Parker Musician. Depression.
Dolly Parton Singer (Here You Come Again). Depression.
Teddy Pendergrass Musician. Depression.
Edgar Allen Poe Author (The Raven). Depression.
Cole Porter Composer. Depression.
Theodore Roosevelt President of the United States. Bipolar.
Bonnie Raitt Musician (Something To Talk About, Thing Called Love). Depression
Lou Reed Singer (Take A Walk On The Wild Side). Depression
Joan Rivers Comedian. Depression.
Norman Rockwell Artist. Depression.
Axel Rose Musician. Bipolar.
Winona Ryder Actress (Mermaids, Beetlejuice). Depression.
Axel Rose Musician (Guns and Roses). Depression.
Charles Schultz Cartoonist (Peanuts). Anxiety.
Willard Scott. Newscaster. Panic disorder.
Monica Seles Tennis player. Depression.
Ally Sheedy Actress (The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire). Bulimia.
Robert Louis Stevenson Writer (Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) Depression
Howard Stern Talk show host. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Donna Summer Singer (Last Dance, Heaven Knows). Depression.
Gordon Sumner (Sting) Musician (The Police). Depression.
Rod Steiger Actor (Movie In The Heat of the Night). Depression.
Mary Shelley Author (Frankenstein). Depression.
Richard Simmons Exercise guru. Anorexia, Bulimia.
Carley Simon Musician (Anticipation, You’re So Vain). Social phobia, panic disorder
Neil Simon Playwrite (The Odd Couple, The Sunshine Boys). Depression.
Paul Simon Musician (Sounds of Silence, Mother and Child Reunion). Depression
Diane Spencer One-time Princess of Whales. Depression.
Rick Springfield Musician and actor (General Hospital). Depression.
Darryl Strawberry Baseball player. Depression.
George Stephanopoulos Political analyst. Depression.
Ben Stiller Comedian and actor (Analyze This). Bipolar.
Barbara Streisand Singer, actress (A Star Is Born, Evergreen). Social phobia, anxiety
Leo Tolstoy Author (War and Peace). Depression.
James Taylor Musician (Fire And Rain, Your Smiling Face). Depression.
Livingston Taylor Musician (Brother of James). Depression.
Mike Tyson Boxer. Depression.
Jean Claude Van Damme Actor. Bipolar.
Dylan Thomas Poet. Depression.
Spencer Tracy Actor (The Bells of Saint Mary). Depression.
Ted Turner Businessman. Bipolar.
Mark Twain Author (Huckleberry Finn). Bipolar.
Tracy Ullman Actress, comedian, singer). Bipolar.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Actor. Bipolar.
Vincent Van Gogh Artist. Bipolar.
Vivian Vance Actress (I Love Lucy). Depression.
Ben Vereen Actor, dancer. (Roots). Depression.
Queen Victoria Monarch. Depression.
Sol Wachtler Judge. Depression.
Tom Waits Musician. Depression.
Mike Wallace Television Journalist. Depression.
George Washington First U.S. President. Depression.
Damon Wayans Comedian, actor, writer, director, producer. (In Living Color, Scary Movie). Depression
Walt Whitman Poet. Depression.
Frank Lloyd Wright Architect. Depression.
Robin Williams Actor (Mork and Mindy, Moscow on the Hudson). Bipolar,
Attention deficit, hyperactivity.
Tennessee Williams Playwright. Depression
Brian Wilson Musician (The Beach Boys). Depression.
Oprah Winfrey Actress, talk show host. Anxiety.
Jonathan Winters Comedian. Depression.
Thomas Wolfe Writer. Depression.
Ed Wood Movie director (Plan 9 From Outer Space). Depression.
Natalie Wood Actress (Miracle On 34th Street, West Side Story). Depression
Virginia Woolf Novelist. Bipolar.
Tammy Wynette Singer. Depression
Boris Yeltsin Former President of Russia. Depression.
Robert Young Actor (Marcus Welby). Depression.
[…] Famous People With A Mental Health Concern / Illness […]