Frequently asked questions
 
 
 
Notable Historic Figures Who Have Suffered From Schizophrenia
 
 
 
Introduction
 
There are common features of this illness that influence how likely sufferers are to function even at a basic level during their adult lives, not to mention their ability to achieve the excellence that may be required to become famous.
 
There are famous people who currently have, or had, this illness.  However, they are fewer in number than we might expect and fewer than famous people who suffer or suffered from other mental illnesses.
 
The reasons for this have more to do with the illness than the strengths and talents that people possessed before they were afflicted with schizophrenia.  The most significant features are related to the age of onset, the course, the impairments that positive symptoms and cognitive difficulties produce, and changes in socialization.
 
Onset
 
Whether we are considering men or women, schizophrenia typically begins early in life.  It tends to debilitate individuals in the prime of their adult years, or before that time; when they would otherwise be experiencing dramatic changes and realizing progress in the areas of general maturation, social development and the accumulation of basic knowledge.
 
This includes not only knowledge related to formal academic pursuits or to the development of vocational skills; it involves learning how to communicate and effectively interact with other people.  Perhaps the most import changes that occur in our “formative years” are those that involve the development of a sense for who and what we are and the acquisition of unwavering self esteem.  People with schizophrenia are at a distinct disadvantage in this respect.
 
Course
 
The course of schizophrenia can be characterized as stormy and chronic.  Schizophrenia is a life-long illness and may involve frequent exacerbations characterized by increased levels of core symptoms that often necessitate hospitalizations.  Institutionalization removes patients from their familiar environment, their social network, and whatever endeavors they were striving to accomplish at the time.  They may not only be frequent, but prolonged as well.
 
Impairments
 
People with schizophrenia often experience disorganized thinking, delusions or hallucinations and cognitive deficits that may at times be sever.  Additionally, the medications commonly used to treat this illness, or those used to combat side effects, may add to this cognitive impairment.
 
Disorganized thoughts make it difficult to function in any capacity.  Delusions or hallucinations may be distracting.  In the case of paranoid delusions, people with schizophrenia may become so preoccupied with those concerns that attending to anything else is impossible.
 
Socialization
 
Individuals with schizophrenia are often impaired socially.  Their social networks are more likely to be smaller than  the circle of friends or acquaintances that other people maintain.  Relationships within that network may be strained or the network may involve less functional people.  This may deny patients with schizophrenia opportunities to collaborate with others regarding their creative endeavors and the constructive criticism or encouragement that other artists or scholars are afforded.
 
In spite of these relative disadvantages, there have been people who functioned well enough and long enough to become famous.  A partial list of those people can be found in “Famous People & Schizophrenia" at schizophrenia.com and includes:
 
  1. John Forbes Nash (Nobel Laureate in Economics, “A Beautiful Mind”)
 
  1. Tom Harrell (jazz musician)
 
  1. Meera Popkin (broadway starlet)
 
  1. Albert Einstein’s son (Eduard Einstein)
 
  1. Dr. James Watson’s son (Dr. Watson is a Nobel Laureate for the co-discovery of the DNA double-helix)
 
  1. Alan Alda’s mother (Alan Alda starred in the television series “MASH”)
 
  1. Andy Goram (Scottish soccer player)
 
  1. Lionel Aldridge (member of three world championship football teams)
 
  1. Peter Green Fleetwood Mac guitarist)
 
  1. Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett (Pink Floyd guitarist, singer, and songwriter)
 
  1. Alexander “Skip” Spence (Moby Grape and Jefferson Airplane)
 
  1. Bob Mosley (Moby Grape bass and guitar player, singer, and songwriter)
 
  1. Roger Kynard “Roky” Ericson (member of The Thirteenth Floor Elevators)
 
  1. Joe Meek (British record producer)
 
  1. Jim Gorden (drummer)
 
  1. Charles “Buddy” Bolden (jazz musician)
 
  1. Antoin Artaud (dramatist and artist)
 
  1. Mary Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln’s wife)
 
  1. Vaclav Nijinsky (Russian dancer)
  2.  
 
Other famous people who suffered from a variety of mental illnesses can be reviewed at these sites:  
 
  1. People with Mental Illness Enrich Our Lives
 
  1. Stamp Out Stigma/Famous People
 
  1. Famous People Who Have Schizophrenia
 
  1. Famous People Who Have Battled Mental Illness
 
 
(Sources: The author’s knowledge base, unless otherwise noted.)
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Related Articles:
 
The History of Schizophrenia
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