Abraham Lincoln's Battle Against Clinical Depression

Abraham Lincoln’s Melancholy

What would you say if you learned that the man many consider to be the greatest President in the history of the United States suffered from clinical depression sometimes so severe that he contemplated suicide?

Many historians and modern clinicians, using the accepted diagnostic criteria, believe that Abraham Lincoln was dogged by clinical depression throughout his life, even during the days of the Civil War. That Lincoln was able to conquer the affliction over and over again is a huge testament to his strength and resiliency.

Perhaps the most famous chronicler of Lincoln’s major depression is historian Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of “Lincoln’s Melancholy.” Shenk writes, “He told jokes at odd times - he needed the laughs, he said, for his survival. He often wept in public and recited maudlin poetry. As a young man he talked of suicide, and as he grew older, he said he saw the world as hard and grim, full of misery, made that way by fates and forces of God.

‘No element of Mr. Lincoln’s character, declared his colleague Henry Whitney, ‘was so marked, obvious, and ingrained as his mysterious and profound melancholy.’’

According to author and former presidential candidate George McGovern various factors could have contributed to Lincoln’s depression including “heredity,deaths in the family, business failures, election defeats, and failed romances.

Without doubt, he was deeply affected by the death of Ann Rutledge, a bright and attractive daughter of a prominent Central Illinois community leader, James Rutledge. It is thought that Lincoln intended to propose to Rutledge, but she died of typhoid fever in 1835. Lincoln fell into a depression so severe that friends often stayed with him to ensure that he did not harm himself or commit suicide. Knives and razors were taken away from him. This may have marked Lincoln’s first bout with depression.

Shenk notes that Lincoln “fought clinical depression all his life, and if he were alive today, his condition would be treated as a ‘character issue’—that is, as a political liability.” In other words, Lincoln’s career would have been negatively affected by the stigma that mental illness carries in our society and it is unlikely he could be elected to, even nominated for, the presidency.

If there was more public knowledge of Lincoln’s depression during his life and mental illness stigma was as widespread in the 1800’s as it is today, would he have been elected the 16th President of the United States?

Of course, this begs the question, “how would the United States appear today if Lincoln’s disorder defeated his political career?” Would the South have emerged victorious in the Civil War? Would slavery still exist as an institution in an independent South?

Perhaps most importantly, would one of the greatest statesman in the history of the world have seen his incredible talents and love for humanity thrown on the waste heap by the sword of prejudice simply because there were times in his life when he battled one of the world’s most common illnesses?