Mentally ill writers. Ten famous people who suffered from mental illness

The life of a gifted person is not as wonderful as it seems at first glance. Brilliant people are often crazy. But who knows if they would be great now if not for their madness.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Science fiction, mysticism and horror intertwined in Lovecraft's work into one bizarre whole. The writer suffered from a severe sleep disorder. In the writer's night visions, beings with membranous wings, which he called “night beasts,” lifted him into the air and carried him to the “vile plateau of Lang.” Lovecraft woke up in a completely insane state.

However, the danger for the writer’s fragile psyche lurked not only within. The financial affairs of the writer's family suddenly and rapidly went downhill, the standard of living deteriorated sharply, which became one of the reasons for deep depression; it even almost came to suicide. Later, intestinal cancer and kidney inflammation added torment to Lovecraft’s life, the pain from which accompanied the rest of the writer’s life.

Joanne Rowling

Clinical depression for a long time the creator of the Harry Potter books, JK Rowling, suffered. As the writer herself admitted, writing books about a young wizard became a kind of therapy for her. It was thanks to depressive disorder that the writer came up with dementors, which “suck” all the joy out of a person.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln also suffered from depression; historians claim that the US president often sobbed into his pillow and even attempted suicide.

Ernest Hemingway

The psychological state of this “block” of American literature was also far from prosperous. For a significant part of his life, Hemingway, like many other great artists, suffered from alcohol addiction. But there were other diagnoses, from bipolar psychosis and traumatic brain injury to narcissistic personality disorder.

As a result, the writer was placed in a psychiatric clinic, where, after fifteen sessions of electroconvulsive therapy, he completely lost both his memory and the ability to formulate thoughts. And soon after his discharge, in July 1961, he shot himself with his favorite gun.

Marquis de Sade

The name of the Marquis de Sade is associated with a somewhat... peculiar way of life. He was glorified by the idea of ​​sexual and moral freedom, revolutionary for his time, which the Marquis outlined in detail in numerous literary opuses. And “sadism” began to be called sexual satisfaction obtained by causing pain and humiliation to another person.

In 1803, by order of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Marquis was first taken into custody without trial and then declared insane and placed in the Charenton psychiatric hospital. But even there, de Sade managed to write plays and lead the same dissolute lifestyle until his death in 1814.

Vincent Van Gogh

They say it was bipolar disorder that caused Vincent van Gogh to cut off his ear. The artist’s condition was aggravated by epilepsy and hallucinations associated with the constant use of absinthe. Ludwig Van Beethoven had the same pathology (composers in general have strange quirks). For a composer suffering from bipolar disorder, states of creative elation and a surge of energy are replaced by complete apathy. To switch over at a moment of apathy and force himself to write music again, Beethoven dipped his head in a basin of ice water.

Edgar Allan Poe

The consciousness of the author of the “dark” stories, Edgar Allan Poe, was full of the same demons that inhabited his works. After the death of his wife, the writer admitted: “In terms of my physical properties, I am impressionable - nervous to a very unusual degree. I became insane, with long intervals of terrifying sanity.”

In October 1849, Edgar Poe was found wandering deliriously through the streets of Baltimore. He was unable to explain how he got there or even say anything intelligible. He died the next day at a local hospital.

Alfred Nobel

Not only Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, known to us all, suffered from taphophobia, or the fear of being buried alive. He was terrified that he would be buried alive, the founder Nobel Prize Alfred Nobel. By the way, Nobel’s father was the inventor of the so-called “safe coffin”, as he also suffered from taphophobia. Marina Tsvetaeva, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Wilkie Collins were afraid of being buried alive.

Mikhail Lermontov

Some biographers of Mikhail Lermontov believe that the poet suffered from a form of schizophrenia. The poet most likely inherited a mental disorder on his mother’s side; his grandfather took his own life with poison, and his mother suffered from neuroses and hysteria. Contemporaries noted that Lermontov was a very angry and uncommunicative person; even in his appearance something sinister could be read. According to Pyotr Vyazemsky, Lermontov was extremely nervous, his moods changed sharply and polarly. A cheerful and good-natured poet could become angry and gloomy in a moment. “And at such moments he was unsafe.”

John Nash

The prototype for the main character in the award-winning film A Beautiful Mind, mathematician John Nash suffered from paranoia all his life. The genius often had hallucinations, he constantly heard strange voices and saw non-existent people. The wife of the Nobel laureate tried in every possible way to help her husband hide the symptoms of the disease, because according to American laws of that time he could be forced to undergo treatment. What ultimately happened, however, the mathematician managed to deceive the doctors. He learned to mask the manifestations of the disease with such skill that psychiatrists believed in his healing. It must be said that Nash’s wife Lucia, in her old age, was also diagnosed with paranoid disorder.

Lev Tolstoy

The author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina became famous for his complex plots with lengthy philosophical and historical digressions. By creating his many characters (and there are hundreds of them), Tolstoy tried to distract himself from the melancholy and fear that he experienced in the painful search for answers to the most intimate questions of human existence.

The writer suffered from frequent, deep and prolonged bouts of depression. At the age of 83, Tolstoy decided to become a wandering ascetic. Unfortunately, this last trip was short-lived. Lev Nikolaevich fell ill with pneumonia and was forced to make a stop at the small Astapovo station, where he soon died.

These bright personalities, despite their illnesses, were able to change our world, made others think about high things, and became the authors of great discoveries and brilliant works of art. Dni.Ru talks about famous people who suffered from mental disorders. John Nash When talking about famous people with mental illness, the figure that immediately comes to mind is

John Forbes Nash Jr., whose story the general public learned thanks to

mathematician, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics. Talented scientist

suffered from severe illnesses: paranoid schizophrenia, visual and auditory

hallucinations. The disease made itself known when John was 30 years old and began

progress. Nash's behavior became increasingly inappropriate: he said

about himself in the third person, suffered from constant fears, wrote letters devoid of

no meaning. In 1959 he lost his job, and three years later he left

wife Alicia, but nevertheless continued to support him. The scientist was treated for a long time, but not particularly successfully - the disease constantly returned. Only in 1980

There was a steady improvement, Nash took up mathematics again. In 2001, John and Alicia remarried, and in the spring of 2015, the couple died in a car accident.

disaster, they were 86 and 83 years old, respectively.

Isaac NewtonIllustrious

scientist and inventor, whose name will remain for a long time in centuries, deduced three main

laws of mechanics, the law of universal gravitation, developed a reflecting telescope.

Newton became a legendary figure, shrouded in myths about a bright genius, but at the same time,

he was still a man, with his vices and shortcomings, very

specific. It was difficult to communicate with him, his mood often changed, he suffered from seizures

anxiety. Based on these descriptions, modern experts

express the opinion that the scientist had paroxysmal-progressive

schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Abraham LincolnBy

I was sad. Today his illness might be called “clinical depression.” He was often in a bad mood, stopped leaving the house, and did not wear

weapons, for fear of harming himself. One of his biographers of Lincoln

expressed the opinion that he even thought about suicide.

Vincent Van GoghGenius

the artist, who suffered from mental disorders, is known not only for his

works, but also by cutting off his own ear and later committing suicide. Van Gogh was incredibly productive: he could paint several paintings at once. His attending physician wrote: “In the intervals between attacks, the patient is completely calm and passionately indulges in painting.” Mental

abnormality worsened in last years in his life, strong things began to happen

bouts of insanity. According to surviving data, during seizures Van Gogh saw terrible hallucinations, could rush around the room, freeze in one position and even eat his paints. Van Gogh himself said that at such moments he sees his

future paintings. The doctors argued about the diagnosis, but in the end they gave a conclusion: temporal lobe epilepsy. Another opinion

there was encephalopathy. Modern scientists are inclined towards epileptic psychosis and manic-depressive psychosis. The story of the cut off ear marked the beginning

the new term “Van Gogh syndrome”, which manifests itself in mentally ill people

people: a person causes serious harm to himself or requires doctors to

perform surgery on him. Occurs in schizophrenia

dysmorphophobia, dysmorphomania, due to the presence of delusions, hallucinations,

impulsive drives.

Ernest HemingwayWriter Ernest

Hemingway, who received the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes, suffered from acute

depression, mental disorder, and abused alcohol, which ultimately led him to mental confusion and suicide. It is noteworthy that they imposed on themselves

hands also include Hemingway's father, his brother, sister and granddaughter. In 1960

the writer returned from Cuba to the USA. He suffered from frequent depression and fear, work

didn't go well. He began treatment voluntarily and underwent twenty sessions

creative activity. After some time, he tried to die for the first time, but his loved ones prevented him. He again entrusted himself to the doctors, but after

A few days after he was discharged, the writer shot himself.

Princess DianaRich Too

crying. Princess Diana, the idol of millions of people, known for her charitable activities, suffered from bulimia and acute

bouts of depression. Bulimia nervosa -

vomiting or using laxatives in order to adjust your weight, since a person’s self-esteem is very dependent on his figure and body weight. After Diana's death, entries were found in her diaries where she wrote about her problems, unflatteringly

spoke about her parents, who, in her opinion, did not pay enough attention to her, and her husband, who reproached her for excess weight.

Catherine Zeta-JonesThe film star publicly announced her problems. She said she was suffering from mild

form of manic-depressive psychosis, bipolar disorder of the second

type. The actress said: “Millions of people suffer from this disorder and I am alone.

of them. My confession of bipolar disorder II will not be in vain if it inspires at least one person to seek treatment. There is no

the need to suffer in silence, and there is no shame in seeking

Jim Carrey It would seem, what problems could a bright and funny comedian have? Surprisingly, it is true that Kerry suffered from serious depression.

As a child, doctors diagnosed him with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But further life, filled with humor, was actually not so cloudless. In an interview, Kerry said that for many years he grimaced on the set, and when he returned home, he took antidepressants. After

Stars seem to us to be the embodiment of success and prosperity, but sometimes deeply unhappy people are hidden behind the external gloss and glossy smiles. Here are 19 celebrities who have fallen victim to mental illness.

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Katherine is one of the most beautiful and successful film actresses, however, she suffered from manic-depressive psychosis for many years. The disease developed against the backdrop of stress that arose when Catherine was helping her husband Michael Douglas cope with throat cancer. The actress was tormented by a constant feeling of anxiety and depression; she was admitted to the clinic several times. Now Katherine openly talks about her illness, hoping in this way to help those who find themselves in a similar situation.

Winston Churchill

Despite the fact that the British Prime Minister had an extraordinary mind and outstanding leadership qualities, his psyche was pretty shaken. Churchill suffered from clinical depression, which occurred sporadically throughout his life. The politician was at times haunted by obsessive thoughts of suicide, so he preferred to sleep in rooms without balconies and not go close to the railway tracks. Churchill feared that he could have done something irreparable by succumbing to a moment of weakness. He fought the disease until the end of his days and did not make a single suicide attempt.

Halle Berry

Looking at Hallie’s radiant smile, it’s hard to imagine that before she didn’t have the most positive outlook on life - the actress had been suffering from depression for a long time. In an interview, Hallie admitted that she spent years in an intense struggle with the disease. Due to a protracted mental disorder, she earned diabetes, became addicted to alcohol and attempted suicide several times.

Michael Phelps

Michael is one of the greatest swimmers of our time. During his career, the athlete set several world records and received many awards. Phelps' achievements are a direct result of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), which he was diagnosed with when he was just a child. Michael's illness did not go away with age, like most children, and he needed health care. The future athlete was lucky - he got a good doctor who helped redirect his hyperactivity to swimming.

Winona Ryder

Winona is a multiple Oscar nominee and the owner of an impressive fortune, however, in 2002 she found herself in the dock on charges of theft. The fact is that the actress suffers from kleptomania, or otherwise a painful urge to commit thefts. One day, Winona was seen cutting off price tags from clothes right on the sales floor, in front of customers. Video footage of the incident was later shown in court.

Amanda Bynes

Colleagues always guessed that this celebrity was not all right in her head - too often she behaved inappropriately. Ultimately they were right. Amanda was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after dousing her dog Pomeranian with gasoline and attempting to set it on fire. Fortunately, the poor animal's auto-da-fé was interrupted by a passer-by. The actress was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. The star completed a rehabilitation course and was about to return to films.

Salvador Dali

Throughout his life, the artist created a countless number of brilliant works of art. True, it later turned out that they were nothing more than the fruit of a mental illness. Dali suffered from a severe form of schizophrenia, and he transferred the visions caused by the illness to canvas.

Mary-Kate Olsen

At school, Mary-Kate dreamed of losing weight, so much so that she brought her body to an extreme degree of exhaustion. As a result of refusing food, some of the girl’s organs stopped working. Soon the future actress was diagnosed anorexia nervosa. Mary-Kate completed a course of treatment and now advises everyone to think twice before exhausting themselves with strict diets.

Drew Barrymore

Drew has suffered from bipolar disorder almost his entire life. At the age of 14, she first came to the clinic due to a suicide attempt. Then she told doctors that she wanted to “be like the ocean with huge waves and get everything, not the highs or lows.” What the actress had in mind still remains a mystery.

Verne Troyer

The star of the movie "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" is famous for his short stature; Verne's height is only 81 cm. Due to this feature, he has many chronic ailments, including epilepsy. In 2015, the actor was hospitalized from an exhibition of films, comics and anime in Texas right in front of a stunned public.

Herschel Walker

Former NFL player youth was sick with a split personality. As a child, he suffered from excess weight and speech problems. Then two entities settled in him at once: a “warrior” with outstanding talents in football and a “hero” shining at social celebrations. Herschel tolerated the chaos in his mind for years before he sought professional help.

Brooke Shields

In 2003, Brooke became a victim of postpartum depression, which lasted much longer than most women. For many months, the actress experienced an inexplicable feeling of anxiety and a feeling of worthlessness. In especially difficult moments, she was visited by thoughts of suicide. Fortunately, Brooke turned to specialists in time to help her cope with the disease.

Elton John

In 2002, Elton John told the world about his long battle with bulimia. Previously, the musician regularly indulged in gluttony, then stood on the scales, and if the result did not suit him, he vomited. In the 90s, Elton drove himself to extreme exhaustion. To get rid of a nervous disease, he was forced to seek help from a private clinic.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina (main photo) fell into depression after the death of her mother in 2007. Her condition worsened several years later due to the forced removal of her mammary glands, ovaries and fallopian tubes. The actress completely retreated into herself, and fans soon noticed in her body obvious signs anorexia. It is noteworthy that Jolie herself always denied the fact that she had mental problems.

Joanne Rowling

JK Rowling's books about Harry Potter are among the most widely read in the world, but not all fans of the writer's work know that she wrote them during a severe depression. Then Joan had just divorced journalist Jorge Arantes and was left alone with a small child in her arms, and even in a difficult financial situation. Years later, she admitted that absolutely everything scared her then.

Demi Lovato

As a child, Demi was often teased by her peers for being overweight, which is why the girl developed bulimia. She also regularly cut her hands to suppress her emotions. By the age of 18, Demi began to lose her voice because she constantly vomited. Of course, the actress consulted doctors, but she is still struggling with an eating disorder.

Jim carrey

Surprisingly, famous comedian Jim Carrey also once suffered from serious depression. At a certain stage of his life, he even took antidepressants. The actor gave up Prozac after a visit to a psychotherapist. After talking with the doctor, Jim realized that “problems need to be solved, and not washed down with pills,” and switched to sports and vitamins.

Owen Wilson

This is another actor-comedian who was prone to depression. Owen developed the disease due to drug addiction. In August 2007, he was in a particularly serious condition and attempted to take his own life. This incident became a turning point in his fate - Owen decided to seek help from specialists. Friends and family helped him get through the difficult time of rehabilitation.

Paris Jackson

Michael Jackson's daughter Paris suffered from depression from a young age. As a child she was a very withdrawn child, and at 14 she experienced rape. After the incident, she was tormented by fears for years, and she was not always able to cope with them. Eventually the tension led to a series of suicide attempts. The latter turned out to be so serious that Paris had to undergo treatment. After rehabilitation, the girl feels much better, she even manages to do without medication.

Author " Dead souls“suffered from schizophrenia, which was aggravated by periodic attacks of psychosis. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was tormented by audio and visual hallucinations. He was often in a state of apathy, sometimes did not react to external stimuli - while working, he could not notice the mortal danger that threatened him.

States of lethargy alternated with extreme activity and excitement. He was often haunted by claustrophobia. Gogol’s mental disorders became especially aggravated after the death of the sister of the writer’s close friend Ekaterina Khomyakova. He began to refuse food, constantly citing malaise and weakness - doctors discovered that the writer did not have a fatal illness, but only an intestinal disorder.

On a February night in 1852, Gogol burned his manuscripts, later citing the machinations of the devil. The writer's condition began to deteriorate sharply. He stopped eating. On February 21, Gogol died of exhaustion. The causes of his death have not yet been precisely established - some hypotheses speak of mercury poisoning, others - suicide. However, the version with deliberate bringing to fatal outcome quite justified, given the fact that Gogol himself believed that all the organs in his body were displaced, and his stomach was completely upside down. Such a statement against the background of the development of schizophrenia could well lead to tragic consequences.

VRUBEL. WOUNDED SOUL OF A RUSSIAN DEMON

Everyone who sees Vrubel’s Demon cannot remain indifferent: a powerful body with clasped arms, a touching and beautiful face with eyes filled with monstrous melancholy. Despite the fact that this painting was painted long before the tragic events in Vrubel’s life, it conveys all the intensity of emotions and experiences that haunted the artist at the end of his life.

In 1899, Vrubel’s father, to whom the artist was strongly attached, died. Acquaintances began to notice oddities in Mikhail Alexandrovich’s behavior: he stopped listening to the opinions of the friends around him, demonstrating his superiority and considering only his own statements to be truly true. Two years later, Vrubel had a son. The boy was born with a “cleft lip” - this congenital defect made a painful impression on the artist.

At the time when visitors to the exhibition admired “The Defeated Demon,” Vrubel was already in one of the psychiatric hospitals in Moscow. The artist was diagnosed with tabes dorsalis, an incurable disease that threatened to lead to madness. The doctors' predictions soon began to come true. Vrubel's condition is deteriorating so much that even his sister and wife are not allowed to see him. It was during this period that the artist began to think about his own worthlessness; he considered himself good for nothing. Vrubel recovers, but not for long - his son dies.

After this, Vrubel turns into a permanent resident of mental clinics. At the end of his life, the artist went blind and in 1910 died in the hospital from pneumonia, which he deliberately received from standing for a long time at an open window on the frostiest days.

IVAN GROZNYJ. MY REVENGE IS TERRIBLE

The reign of Ivan the Terrible can be divided into two stages: the era of reforms and the era of reprisals. The end of the first stage coincided with the death of the Tsar’s beloved wife Anastasia. After her death in 1560, the king became unsociable and suspicious. There is a version that the king believed that his wife was poisoned by the princes. Four years later, an out-of-the-ordinary event occurred: the tsar left Moscow, renounced the royal crown and settled in Alexandrovskaya Sloboda.

True, the tsar was soon persuaded to “cancel” the decision “to resign.” Ivan the Terrible agreed, but on one condition - he will rule as he pleases. However, Ivan the Terrible did not leave the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda: he set up protective cordons, donned monastic robes, and spent the day reading the Gospel.

Church services alternated in his life with torture and execution of enemies. Foreign guests more than once noticed with what a radiant face the tsar walked from the dungeons to the church and back. The tsar's reprisals were not only merciless, they often had a perversely mocking tone. Of all his former associates, he recognized only the executioner Malyuta Skuratov. Modern science believes that Ivan the Terrible suffered greatly mental disorder, the cause of which may have been a disease that was new in those days in the Old World - syphilis.

This version is supported by the fact that in the autocrat’s room there was always a cast iron pot filled with mercury on the fire - the only known remedy against venereal disease at that time. However, mercury vapor led to paroxysms of consciousness, in other words, to convulsions and seizures.

ESENIN. GO TO YOU, MY DEAR RUSSIA!

The famous American ballerina Isadora Duncan was the first to speak about the madness of Sergei Yesenin to the whole world. She also took the poet to American, French and German psychiatrists. Alas, the treatment did not produce results. According to researchers of Yesenin’s life, Sergei Alexandrovich really suffered from manic-depressive psychoses.

He was obsessed with persecution mania, sudden outbursts of rage and inappropriate behavior were replaced by a state of peace and tranquility. Legends were made about Yesenin’s brawls; allegedly, he was even expelled from the United States “for kitchen squabbles and fights.” He destroyed furniture, broke dishes and mirrors, and insulted anyone who came under the hot hand.

His illness developed due to hereditary alcoholism. A few days before his death, Yesenin complained of extreme fatigue and called himself a “finished man.” It was as if he was looking for his death, constantly repeating that he was damn tired of everything. Moreover, such fatigue was revealed in him early age, already at the age of 16 he wrote that he did not know whether to live or not.

According to the official version, the poet hanged himself on a steam heating pipe in the Angleterre Hotel in St. Petersburg. Interesting statistics: in 339 verses, the poet mentions death, the end of life, or rhymes with funeral paraphernalia 400 times.

KHRUSHCHEV. MERRY NIKITA

It was as if there were two people in Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev: one was sincere, kind, even a little naive, the second was aggressive, ignorant, uncultured and extravagant. It was sometimes difficult to follow his speeches, they were so full of puns that only he understood. He spoke a lot, giving lengthy interviews almost every week. He could instantly lose control of himself and become enraged.

Kremlin doctors diagnosed Khrushchev with manic-depressive psychosis; until that moment, only his wife Nina Petrovna observed how melancholy came with her husband’s excessive gaiety and cheerfulness. His manic humor usually didn't amuse anyone. He could go from biting sarcasm to furious anger in an instant. By the 60s he no longer belonged to himself. His thoughts often began to get confused, he began to see everyone as an enemy.

He allowed himself harsh and humiliating statements on issues in which he had absolutely no understanding. He became obsessed with ideas - if he was possessed by some thought, he would bring the implementation of the idea to the point of absurdity. Let's remember his desire to make corn the number one crop. Foreigners who met Khrushchev showered unflattering assessments on his intemperance, and sometimes simply stated that Khrushchev had gone crazy.

In recent years, he practically reduced his social circle to nothing, became isolated, acted without anyone’s advice or help, while always shifting responsibility for his mistakes onto the shoulders of others.

RACHMANINOV. RAIN MAN

The great composer, conductor and pianist Sergei Rachmaninov was a very modest, reserved and detached person from everything worldly. Today, perhaps, medicine would diagnose him with autism. Rachmaninov's vulnerable soul went through enormous shocks and losses. His family went bankrupt, and they were forced to live with relatives in St. Petersburg.

The eldest and beloved sister Elena died of leukemia, the younger Sofia died of defteritis, the father left the family, and the mother, under the weight of the trials that befell her, withdrew and withdrew into herself. In 1900, Rachmaninov became seriously ill; it seemed to him that the music he gave to people was not needed at all. Relatives, observing the composer’s torment, began to fear for his sanity.

Friendly conversations with psychiatrist Nikolai Dahl did their job: Rachmaninov gradually returned to normal life and began writing music again. Another blow for the composer is the death of Chekhov, with whom Rachmaninov was very friendly. It is from this moment that he feels the fullness of his loneliness, and he cannot get rid of this thought until the end of his days. Having emigrated to America in 1917, Rachmaninov stopped composing (he would write several works shortly before his death).

Receiving huge fees, he continues to lead a modest and secluded lifestyle, does not accept invitations to banquets, and refuses honors. He has a hard time with everything that happens in Russia: wars, repressions, famine, devastation. Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov died on March 28, 1943 from cancer in Beverly Hills.

LERMONTOV. AND BORING AND SAD...

Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was born with a whole bunch of hereditary and acquired diseases: scrofula, rickets, increased nervousness. His grandfather committed suicide (poisoned himself), and his mother passed on extraordinary nervousness to her son. The father was a hot-tempered, cruel tyrant, he caroused to the point of stupor, lost at cards and was distinguished by “frivolity in behavior.” Already in early childhood the boy demonstrated the schizophrenic nature of his nature: cruelty was surprisingly combined in him with extreme kindness and a heightened sense of justice.

He had a passion for destruction, was extremely irritable, capricious, and stubborn. The thought of suicide visited him from an early age. His isolation, unsociability, and most importantly his disdain for people repelled those around him. The poet's communication took place within himself; he had a hot imagination, which he realized in his works. Lermontov's schizoid psychopathy was so pronounced that it was noticed not only by specialists.

Another fact that influenced the poet’s isolation was his ugliness, which almost disappeared with age, but left an indelible imprint on his soul. Gifted with brilliant abilities and an extraordinary mind, Lermontov too often used these qualities to ridicule those around him - the number of his enemies increased at a rapid speed.

In addition, Lermontov himself was extremely amorous, but women simply could not like such types - angry and arrogant. This extremely offended the poet’s pride. As a result, he was shot by a kind and warm-hearted man, whom he drove almost to madness with his ridicule and slander.

Who is a normal person? The answer is simple, the indicators of his level of development correspond to the indicators of age. Psychodiagnostics offers a lot of different methods for determining intelligence, using which every person wants to know that his own level exceeds the norm. What does “above normal” mean? This expression already speaks of the “abnormality” of a person.

A deeper deviation from the norm is observed among geniuses. The very idea of ​​the abnormality of geniuses came to the minds of even thinkers ancient Greece. Plato called genius “delirium bestowed by the gods.”

All the great discoveries of the world originate in crazy ideas and theories. On modern stage the opposition of Giordano Bruno or the thought of Leonardo da Vinci seems absurd. We talk enthusiastically about how far-sighted many geniuses were, and are surprised at the fact that their environment did not understand this. If great theories were considered insane, then it is natural that their authors had the same characteristic.

Genius and

The term “schizophrenia” was first introduced by the Austrian psychiatrist E. Beuler in 1908. Schizophrenia meant a splitting of will, emotions and holistic thinking.

The reasons are not fully understood and still require in-depth study. Some of the triggering causes are stress, disease and heredity. These same reasons are also cited as the main mechanisms for the emergence of genius. The famous professor Lombroso pointed out that the reasons for the origin of schizophrenia and genius are the same.

Plato, having defined genius as delirium, pointed out its diverse manifestations. The splitting of thinking and emotions manifests itself in a wide variety of forms and is in no way associated with dementia, as many mistakenly believe. Delirium characterized many poets, artists, musicians, and scientists. Contemporaries of geniuses often observed how they, distancing themselves from those around them, muttered incoherent remarks and phrases under their breath, which later became brilliant poems, sonnets, sketches and scientific works.

There are known facts that the father of rocketry, Tsiolkovsky, saw the inscription “paradise” in the sky, which he repeatedly told his assistants about. Salvador Dali's works are the result of delusional visions. The persecution mania that accompanies genius with delusional visions is demonstrated in the film A Beautiful Mind, based on real facts from the life of Nobel laureate in economics John Forbes Nash.

Geniuses often manifest themselves in one or more areas. For example, Leonardo da Vinci could not master Latin, and most great mathematicians confused the names of colors and cardinal directions. Such features of geniuses were often perceived as eccentricities, including the famous tied shoe of Academician Sakharov, the refusal to cut and shave the father of Western aircraft manufacturing, Howard Hughes.

The genius and peculiarities of sexual desire were not spared. History states the facts that Michelangelo, while remaining single, claimed that art replaced his wife. Leonardo da Vinci was a homosexual and Newton was a virgin. Famous personalities were also bachelors: Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Leibniz, Gogol, Turgenev, etc. And the famous thinker Rousseau, on the contrary, was distinguished by depravity.

Schizophrenia and genius are nearby, getting along with each other, and according to many scientists, they may be a consequence of each other, in any order.

Great geniuses suffering from schizophrenia

The vast majority of brilliant people had character traits schizophrenia. Naturally, they did not have clear psychiatric diagnoses during their lifetime. Historical facts of their lives, observations of contemporaries and their own diaries allowed psychiatrists to establish this diagnosis after many years.

BATYUSHKOV K.N. (1787 - 1855)- Russian poet, known for such works as “The Merry Hour”, “The Bacchante”, “My Penates”, etc. He experienced a deep spiritual crisis and radically changed the direction of poetry, proclaiming deep tragedy: “The Dying Tass”, “The Saying of Melchizedek”.

BULGAKOV M.A. (1891 - 1940)- Russian prose writer, who is a closed and “dark” personality for his contemporaries. He is a morphine addict, as a result of which the original images of his works were obtained.

VAN GOGH Vincent (1853 — 1890) - Dutch post-impressionist painter. His creative path is divided into 2 parts: the first is a gloomy range of works; the second part is characterized by a manner of painful tension, which is based on color contrasts: “Night Cafe”, “Landscape in Auvers after the Rain”, etc. The artist spent his last years in a hospital for the mentally ill.

VRUBEL M.A. (1856 - 1910)- Russian painter. Vrubel’s work is dominated by philosophical themes of good and evil, accompanied by tension: “Demon”, “Lilac”. The artist suffered from severe forms of mental illness.

GARSHIN V.M. (1855 - 1888)- Russian writer with a keen sense of perception of social injustice. Works: “Coward”, “Red Flower”, etc. Committed suicide.

GAUDI Antonio (1852 - 1926)– Spanish architect (Barcelona). He was obsessed with the idea of ​​fantastical sculpted forms, which he achieved in his works to the point of fanaticism.

GOGOL N.V. (1809 - 1852)- Russian writer. Visual and auditory are the basis for the plots of his works. He suffered from apathy, depression, hypochondria (fear of death).

DOSTOEVSKY F.M. (1821 - 1881)- Russian writer. His works - “Crime and Punishment”, “The Double”, “Notes of a Dead House”, etc. - are permeated with the search for meaning, great psychologism and tragedy, which in extreme forms were inherent in the author himself.

KAFKA Franz (1883 - 1924)- Austrian writer. His parable novels combine nightmarish fantasy and depictions of the powerlessness and tragedy of the ordinary person.

MANDELSHTAM O.E. (1891 - 1938)- Russian poet. His poetry is saturated with a special perception of the world, called concrete material. He managed to penetrate into the depths of everyday life and everyday life, endowing familiar situations with special meaning.

MAUPASSANT Guy de (1850 - 1893)- French writer. Author of short stories, where the Master of the Short Story. In numerous stories there is a predilection for scenes of sensual predilections. The writer died in a mental hospital.

NIETZSCHE (1844 - 1900)- German philosopher. In the works of the philosopher one can feel an idealistic attitude towards oneself, in comparison with the general world.

ROUSSEAU Jean Jacques (1712-1778)- French writer and thinker suffering from persecution mania. The thinker created the image of a new hero - a romantic savage, subordinate only to his feelings and desires.

TOULOUSE-LAUTREC Henri de (1864 - 1901)- French painter. Master of the “acute” perception of the bohemians of France at that time.

KHLEBNIKOV Velimir (1885 - 1922), Russian poet and writer. The creator of the futuristic movement in literature. He was distinguished by his utopian views.

EINSTEIN Albert – (1879 -1855)- German theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner. He suffered, in attacks of which he drove his loved ones to extremes.

A few facts about schizophrenia and genius for thought

Data:

• Schizophrenia affects 1% of the adult population. This means that in every hundred people there is one person with schizophrenia.
• 9% of modern leaders in politics, science and art have.
• 5% famous people had attempted suicide.
• 25 % famous poets and 30% of outstanding artists have hallucinations.
• 30% of great composers have auditory hallucinations.

A person is pleased to realize that he is a genius, or to consider himself a genius.

Anyone who wants to be convinced of their own genius must answer several questions:

1. Can you hear voices?
2. Can you read the thoughts of others?
3. Do you have a fix idea?
4. Do you get overwhelmed from time to time?
5. Do you hate the people around you and the whole world?
6. Don't you see the meaning of life?
7. Do you suffer from depression?
8. Are you very lonely?
9. Do you hallucinate?
10. Are you absorbed in your own experiences?

If you agree with most of these statements, then you need to think not about genius, but about seeing a doctor. Of course, simple questions do not provide a basis for determining schizophrenia, but they can help ensure that the disease does not take you by surprise.