Emory Kent Barton
Professor Doris Pu
Psychology 218
3 December 2018
Abraham Lincoln’s Struggles with Major Depressive Disorder
Abraham Lincoln will be forever remembered for his commitment to furthering human rights in the United States. However, those who have studied him often overlook the fact that Lincoln experienced a multitude of depressive symptoms throughout the course of his lifetime. Specifically, these recurring behaviors and attitudes show strong evidence that Lincoln was suffering from Major Depressive Disorder.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 at the Sinking Spring Farm, located near Hodgenville, Kentucky. In 1817, Lincoln relocated to Perry County, Indiana due to land disputes. Lincoln’s mother died on October 5th, 1818 due to milk sickness. The death of Lincoln’s mother caused his relationship with his father to become strained. It has been reported throughout Lincoln’s teenage years that he often spoke of suicide, to the extent that the people in his town were constantly worried about him. The Lincoln family moved in March, 1830, to Macon County, Illinois. When Lincoln’s father attempted to relocate their family again, Lincoln instead chose to move out and begin work as a manual laborer. Lincoln settled in New Salem, Illinois in 1831, where he established many connections that would later benefit his political career. In 1834, Lincoln began his career in politics when he was elected to the Illinois State legislature as a member of the Whig party. Around 1837, Lincoln began a romantic relationship with Anne Rutledge, however, she died from typhoid fever before they could be engaged. Lincoln married Mary Todd on November 4, 1842. It is believed that Todd also experienced symptoms of various psychiatric disorders. Together, they had four children, but only one of their children survived into adulthood. Lincoln was elected to the United States Congress on March 4th, 1847 Members of the Republican party in Illinois formed a campaign circa 1860 to elect Lincoln as president, due to his moderate views on slavery, amongst other things. Before Lincoln was inaugurated in March, 1861, seven southern states seceded from the Union. One month after Lincoln’s inauguration, on April 12, 1861, Fort Sumter was attacked by the southern states that seceded. The war ended on April 9, 1865 when Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union. Lincoln was assassinated in Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865 while attending a play.
Many of the events in Lincoln’s life played a pivotal role in his mental health. The death of his mother caused the breakdown of Lincoln’s relationship with his father. Specifically, he resented the work that his father made him perform (Shenk). As a result, his social support system was damaged. Additionally, Lincoln spoke of committing suicide during his early life. The death of Anne Rutledge reportedly sent Lincoln into a depressed state. The deaths of three of Lincoln’s children could have further aggravated his existing depressive symptoms (Healthline).
The symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder include a constant depressed mood, slowing down of thought and physical activity, fixation on one’s death and suicidal urges, fatigue, anhedonia, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of hopelessness, an inability to think or concentrate effectively, and significant weight loss. Reportedly, Abraham Lincoln consistently experienced a depressed mood, as his associates often spoke of his extreme melancholy (Shenk). One of Abraham Lincoln’s colleagues on the Illinois state legislature, Robert Wilson, said that “… he as so overcome with mental depression, he never dare carry a knife in his pocket” (Shenk). Similarly, Lincoln friend’s close friend, Joshua Speed stated that, “….(we) had to remove razors from his room-take away all Knives and other dangerous things & it was terrible” (Shenk).Lincoln also reportedly wrote a poem titled “The Suicide’s Soliloquy” which was published in the Samango Journal (Shenk). The poem was prefaced with a remark that indicated that this poem was a suicide note from the narrator’s point of view (Shenk). These cases all show that Lincoln regularly experienced suicidal urges and was fixated on thoughts about his death, which is a symptom of Major Depressive disorder. Most people would be overjoyed to discovered that they were elected to a position that they were running for, Lincoln apparently did not feel this way. After Lincoln was elected to the United States Congress in 1847, he wrote that “Though I am very grateful to our friends, for having done it, [it] did not please me as much as I expected,” (Shenk), This quote appears to indicate that Lincoln experienced anhedonia, or an ability to feel pleasure, which is another symptom of Major Depressive Disorder. Lincoln was also known to use several intoxicating substances, including opiates and cocaine (Shenk). Generally, people who experience depressive disorders may have comorbid substance abuse disorders as well. Additionally, Lincoln could’ve potentially used cocaine to treat fatigue, though there is no direct evidence to support that Lincoln constantly dealt with fatigue (Shenk). Many people who associated with Lincoln also reported that at times he would appear to be “reduced and emaciated in appearance,” (Shenk). This is consistent with another symptom of Major Depressive Disorder, specifically severe weight loss. The death of loved one’s oftentimes aggravate existing symptoms of depressive disorders (Healthline) and in Lincoln’s case, he lost three children, his mother (when he was nine years old), and Ann Rutledge, a woman who he was planning to marry. Despite these symptoms, Lincoln never had any issues with his ability to concentrate on tasks or any issues with thinking. Lincoln went to Manhattan Island on February 26, 1860, and it was stated that he said that “…he feared making a mistake in coming to New York and that he had to hole up and work on his speech, otherwise he was sure he would make a failure” (Shenk) which shows that despite his negative feelings, he could still effectively think and concentrate on tasks. Reportedly, it was stated that “he had learned from his own ‘severe experience,’ could succeed in the ‘great struggle of life’ only by enduring failures and plodding on with a vision of improvement.” (Shenk) There is no direct evidence to support that he experienced a slowing down of thought. Additionally, he lost elections for the U.S Senate twice, yet he chose to continue his career in politics (Shenk). This is inconsistent with the feelings of hopelessness that suffers of Major Depressive Disorder experience, as some sufferers of Major Depressive Disorder would stop trying after failure due to feeling like they cannot change anything. However, he did refer to himself as “a hopeless victim of melancholy.” (Shenk) There is also no evidence to show that Lincoln felt as if he were worthless. Lincoln worked as a manual laborer, therefore, he did not experience a reduction in physical activity.
Abraham Lincoln was a man who accomplished many things throughout his life. He did these things in spite of his symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder. Lincoln struggled with a constant depressed mood, suicidal urges, anhedonia, and he sometimes would “appear emaciated” (Shenk) which refers to the extreme weight loss experienced by sufferers of Major Depressive disorder. It is not entirely clear if Lincoln experienced feelings of hopelessness. However, it is clear that Lincoln did not experience a reduction or slowing of physical activity, reduction or slowing down of thought, feelings of worthlessness, and an inability to think clearly and concentrate.
Works Cited:
“Abraham Lincoln.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 12 Apr. 2018, www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540.
Coping with Depression After the Death of a Loved One. Healthline, www.healthline.com/health/depression/death-loved-one#complicated-grief.
Shenk, Joshua Wolf. “Lincoln's Great Depression.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 Oct. 2005, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2005/10/lincolns-great-depression/304247/.