Lincoln’s Great Depression

That’s the cover line on the October issue of The Atlantic. The cover story, written by Joshua Wolf Shenk, is described this way: “Abraham Lincoln fought clinical depression all his life, and if he were alive today, his condition would be treated as a ‘character issue’—that is, as a political liability. His condition was indeed a character issue: it gave him the tools to save the nation”

I’m not a historian, and I wouldn’t dream of arguing about whether Lincoln saved the nation. I’m not that keen on politics either, so I have no idea how much of a liability a diagnosis of clinical depression would be – now or then. But I am curious about depression and creativity.

Here are the salient points the author —and I—wish to discuss: “…Lincoln’s melancholy is part of a whole life story; exploring it can help us see that life more clearly, and discern its lessons. In a sense, what needs ‘treatment’ is our own narrow ideas—of depression as an exclusively medical ailment that must be, and will be, squashed; of therapy as a thing dispensed only by professionals and measured only by a reduction of pain; and finally, of mental trials as a flaw in character and a disqualification for leadership.”

Shenk organizes the Lincoln story piece into three sections—three stages of melancholy (a wonderful word): fear, engagement, and transcendence. He says melancholy is defined as “fear and sadness without [apparent] cause,” and he likens it to a “dark heart … often marked by periods of withdrawal and sometimes utter collapse.” In the next stage, engagement, one turns from the question of whether one could live to how one will live. Finally, in the last stage, “the dark soil of melancholy … yields fruit.”

Uh. OK. Maybe. It’s been said that some of our greatest artists were depressed. We all know about Van Gogh. What about you? Are you more creative when you’re down? Is there a breaking point? If you’re too depressed and can’t get out of bed, you obviously aren’t going to be creative. Do you need to get past that stage – to transcendence? And how many people are capable of doing that? Where does that inner strength come from?

What are your feelings on antidepressants? I’ve spoken to many men who feel antidepressants just numb you and don’t let you experience a full range of emotions. That can’t be good. [Full disclosure: I take an antidepressant, but I never feel numb and definitely experience every emotion there is to feel. Sometimes all at once. Kidding. Really.] Surely not everyone who is depressed is also a creative genius, right? Or does depression give you certain insights (the author of the Lincoln story believes this) that fuel creativity? Non-depressed people may not even realize all the insights they’re missing out on.

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Thoughts?