Artists Who Had Mental Illness

Bruce Springsteen (Depression)

Many people talk about there being an association between mental illness and creative genius. When you look at the list of those with both, you kind of think there is something too it. On the other hand, it could be that everyone has some mental illness, but those who become famous are more willing to talk about it. That or they’re more likely to publicly succumb to their situations. Hard to tell, but it’s probably a case-by-case situation. Here are other artists who have claimed to have mental health issues, which either fuel or are curbed by their art:

Zelda Fitzgerald- Author (Bipolar)

Yayoi Kusama- Artist who lives in a mental institution (Hallucinations, OCD, anxiety, and depression)

Syd Barrett- Musician (Schizophrenia and/or Drug Use)

Ntozake Shange- Playwright/Poet (Depression and Bipolar)

Leo Tolstoy- Author (Depression)

Ernest Hemingway- Writer (Depression & Bipolar)
F. Scott Fitzgerald- Writer (Alcoholism, depression, and anxiety)

Francisco Goya- Painter (Depression, Hallucinations, and Paranoia)

DMX- Singer and Actor (Bipolar)

Camille Claudel- Sculptor (Paranoid Schizophrenia)

About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.

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