List of mentally ill modern era world leaders

This is a partial list of modern era democratically elected or dictatorial leaders of prominent nation states who have been described as having a mental disorder to some degree by historians past or present. A list of mentally ill monarchs from the ancient to modern world supplements this list.

In most cases, the diagnosis of psychological dysfunction or acute mental illness is problematic given the general lack of formal clinical evaluation of the given world leaders. Claims made could be biased due to a historian's political motivations or personal dislikes or flawed due to misinterpretations of physical illness symptoms, eccentric personality traits, or evolving definitions of mental health terminology.

Cold War era

• Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator and mass murderer; Megalomania,^[1] Narcissistic Personality Disorder,^[2] Paranoia ^[3] Sociopathy ^[4][5]

World War II era

• John Curtin, 14th Prime Minister of Australia 1941–1945; Bipolar Disorder.^[6]
• Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of UK 1940–1945, 1951–1955; Bipolar disorder.^[7]
• Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of Soviet Communist Party 1922–1952 and Dictator; Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Paranoid Personality Disorder, manic depression,^[8]
• Hermann Göring, Commander of the Luftwaffe; Antisocial Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Morphine Addiction, Depression.^[9]
• Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer-SS (second in power to Hitler); Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Severe Attachment Disorder.^[10][11]
• Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany 1934–1945; Borderline personality disorder, Narcissistic personality disorder and compounded by Methamphetamine Addiction.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

^[17]

19th and early 20th Century

• Paul Deschanel, President of France 1920-21. Schizophrenia
• Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States 1861–1865; Depression.^[18]
• Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French 1804–1814; Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Megalomania^[19]

See also

• List of mentally ill monarchs

Notes

1. The Story of Angkor By Jame DiBiasio, Chapter 10; Au Revior Angkor
2. http://disorderedworld.com/2013/11/14/pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/
3. http://www.edwebproject.org/sideshow/khmeryears/fall.html The Fall Of The Khmer Rouge
4. Conspiracy's Sociopathy by Alfred Lehmberg
5. Overall source Parenti, M. (1999). History as mystery. San Francisco: City Lights Books
6. Williams, Roy (2013). In God They Trust?, p. 100. Bible Society Australia, Canberra. ISBN 9780647518557
7. Ghaemi, Nassir (July 30, 2011). "Depression in Command". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
8. Allen, Rachael. "Stalin and the Great Terror: Can Mental Illness Explain His Violent Behavior?". Retrieved 16 September 2013.
9. Irving, David (1989). Goring: A Biography. William Morrow & Co; 1st edition. ISBN 0688066062.
10. Matousek, Mark (2012). Ethical Wisdom: The Search for a Moral Life. Anchor; Reprint edition. ISBN 0767930681.
11. Longerich, Peter (2013). Heinrich Himmler. United States: Oxford University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0199651744.
12. Victor, George (2007). Hitler: The Pathology of Evil. Potomac Books Inc.
13. Hershman DJ; Lieb J. (1994). A Brotherhood of Tyrants. Prometheus Books.
14. Redlich, Fritz (1998). Hitler: Diagnosis of a Destructive Prophet. Oxford University Press.
15. Waite, Robert G.L. (1993). The Psychopathic God: Adolph Hitler (Reprint ed.). Da Capo Press.
16. Langer, Walter C. "A Psychological Analysis of Adolph Hitler, His Life and Legend". The Nizkor Project. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
17. Ghaei, Nassir. "A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness" Penguin Books. 2011.
18. Shenk, Joshua Wolf (October 1, 2005). "Lincoln's Great Depression". The Atlantic. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
19. Falk, Avner (2007). Napoleon Against Himself: A Psychobiography. Pitchstone Publishing.