Mental Illness in Us Presidents Between 1776 and 1974 a Review of Biographical Sources
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Subsequently reading a variety of articles about whether Donald Trump has egotistic personality disorder (e.g., in Vanity Off-white as well every bit Psychology Today), I became curious about whether having a mental disease would put the kibosh on a candidate's chances of getting elected. So I did some research and the answer is quite clear—not so much.
According to a study by Jonathan Davidson of the Duke University Medical Center and colleagues, who reviewed biographical sources for the commencement 37 presidents (1776-1974), half of those men had been afflicted by mental illness—and 27% met those criteria while in office, something that could take clearly affected their power to perform their jobs.
The authors of the written report ended that 24% pct of presidents met the diagnostic criteria for depression, including James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln, and Calvin Coolidge. (Depression seemed to ease for the group about a century ago, coincidently, effectually the time electricity and indoor plumbing swept the nation. I'm non saying the two are connected but I have my suspicions.)
Davidson and his team also found prove of anxiety disorders, ranging from social phobia to generalized anxiety disorder, among 8% of the presidents, including Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses South. Grant, Coolidge, and Woodrow Wilson.
More seriously, the team concluded that 8% of presidents had signs of bipolar disorder, Lyndon Johnson and Theodore Roosevelt amidst them. Indeed, Theodore Roosevelt's decision to go on a two-year trek of unexplored areas of the Amazon smacks of manic thinking. (Only 16 of the 19 expedition members survived the ordeal.)
Finally, viii% of the presidents studied exhibited show of alcohol corruption or dependence. Pierce died of cirrhosis of the liver; Grant was one time allegedly so drunk he fell off his horse during a military parade in New Orleans, and Nixon was once unable to take a rather important phone phone call from the British Prime Minister because he was "loaded."
Numerous other presidents had physical atmospheric condition that can have a severe bear on on psychological functioning. Taft, for example, had sleep apnea, which is associated with declines in cerebral performance across the board, and virtually famously, some scholars now believe that Ronald Reagan showed early on signs of Alzheimer's while nevertheless in office.
These assessments bandage the question of whether Donald Trump may have narcissistic personality disorder in a different lite. Showtime, let's acknowledge that believing ane is qualified to be the leader of the free world requires a certain dollop of narcissism to begin with. Second, the event is not just whether these traits cross into pathological territory merely whether a person'southward mental health and potentially pathological personality characteristics necessarily hateful they are unfit for role.
Reviewing the listing higher up, we consider many of the presidents on it amongst the finest in our history. Indeed, Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, who runs the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, argues in his book, A Starting time Charge per unit Madness: Uncovering the Links between Leadership and Mental Affliction, that leaders with some mental illnesses tin can actually perform well in times of crisis as they may be more prepared to deal with upheaval and uncertainty.
Even if i were to accept Ghaemi's assertion, nosotros've too witnessed what can happen when a leader's mental wellness is compromised. Consider Nero'southward beliefs during the burning of Rome or that of any number of 20th-century despots.
Alas, while nosotros ask candidates for the presidency to disclose their medical histories, we have no mechanism to evaluate their past and nowadays mental health. Should we?
Do you think the mental wellness of potential presidential candidates is important? Counterbalance in by commenting on this mail service.
For tips on overcoming regular psychological problems of the sort we (and every presidential candidate) experience, check out Emotional Showtime Assistance: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts.
Copyright 2016 Guy Winch
Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201602/study-half-all-presidents-suffered-mental-illness
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