Public Spark

Yesterday’s blog described actors and entertainers who have suffered from depression. Today’s list includes artists, athletes and musicians. 42% of artists and 35% of composers are believed to suffer high rates of depression.

ARTISTS

• Claude Monet

  He is a French impressionist painter of “Water Lilies,” “Haystacks,” “Woman with a Parasol.” Monet entered a depressive episode after the death of his wife, Alice Hoschede.

• Georgia O’Keeffe

  She is a prominent American artist, famous for her paintings of flowers, skulls, landscapes, and skyscrapers. She became depressed and was hospitalized after discovering her husband’s affair.

• Jackson Pollock

  He is an abstract expressionist painter, known for his “drip paintings.” He is believed to have suffered from depression and alcoholism.

• Edvard Munch

  He is a Norwegian artist, famous for his painting, “The Scream.” He went into a deep depression after the death of his father, and was later hospitalized for eight months.

ATHLETES

• Terry Bradshaw

  He is a former quarterback for the Pittsburg Steelers. He reported such symptoms as weight loss and panic attacks after games. He was diagnosed with clinical depression and began taking antidepressants such as Paxil. Since then he has worked to remove the stigma of depression by traveling and speaking about his experience, encouraging people to get the help they need.

• Monica Seles

  She is a professional tennis player and winner of nine grand slam single titles. She wrote a biography called, “Monica: from Fear to Victory,” which describes her struggles with depression after she was stabbed in the back during a match in 1993.

• Greg Louganis

  He has won multiple Olympic medals for the diving event. His first experience with depression was when he was 12 and has made multiple suicide attempts.

• Ty Cobb

  He is a professional baseball player and Hall of Fame member. During his first year with the Detroit Tigers, he was hospitalized for depression.

• Ilie Natase

  He was a professional tennis player in the 1970’s. In his autobiography, “Mr. Natase,” he describes falling into depression after his retirement.

MUSICIANS/SINGERS/SONGWRITERS/COMPOSERS

• Billy Joel

  He is famous singer/songwriter, musician known for “Piano Man,” “Just the Way You are,” “My life.” In the 1970s, Joel experienced serious depression and admitted himself into a hospital for treatment after attempting to end his life by drinking furniture polish. He even left a suicide note, which later became the lyrics to “Tomorrow is Today.”

• Sheryl Crow

  She is a singer with hits such as “All I Wanna Do,” “Everyday Is A Winding Road.” She revealed having chronic depression since she was a child and had periods of depression as an adult. Sheryl Crow reported that some of it was biological. Her depression was helped by antidepressants and therapy.

• Ozzy Osbourne

  He is the lead singer of Black Sabbath and has starred in his own reality TV show, “The Osbournes.” He reports periods of depression during youth and later in adulthood, following the death of fellow bandmate and friend, Randy Rhoads.

• Marie Osmond

  She is a country singer, who describes her struggles with postpartum depression in her book, “Behind the Smile.”

References:

• Wikipedia

• Depression Guide

• Stampout Stigma

• About.com

• Depression Help Resource