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October 26, 2006

Lincoln's State of Mind Inspires:
Author, to speak at mental health event, says president made depression a strength. By Kate Gurnett
Albany Times Union, October 26, 2006

ALBANY -- In his day, Abraham Lincoln was described as gloomy. Today, he'd be diagnosed with depression, according to author Joshua Wolf Shenk.

A condition that affects about 20 million Americans, it is still misunderstood. Even now, admitting to depression might hurt a presidential candidate's chances, for example.

But for Lincoln, Shenk argues, it was transformative.

"The key lesson of Lincoln's story is that suffering, when plainly acknowledged, cannot only be survived, but can even be a source of surprising complexity and depth," said Shenk, the author of "Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness."

He will give the keynote address Friday at the Mental Health Association in New York State's annual conference at the Albany Marriott.

After two "major depressive episodes," one of which prompted a suicide watch among his friends, Lincoln went on to lead the nation with a clear eye and persistence that he honed while coping with depression, Shenk said. Once he realized he was "temperamentally inclined to melancholy," he created a strategy for living with it day to day and ultimately transcended his illness.

Working "in a new light," he issued the Emancipation Proclamation and led the nation through the Civil War. He is considered by many the nation's greatest president.

During the Civil War, Lincoln's psychological gestalt gave him the depth, clarity and compassion that defined his purpose, Shenk said.

Still, by the time he was the 16th president, "in a single day he could move from being devastated and nearly paralyzed to going through massive amounts of mundane work to saying or doing something that would be recognized through the ages as brilliant," said Shenk, who directs the Rose O'Neill Literary House at Washington College in Chestertown, Md.

For people coping with depression, Lincoln's experience dispels myths about mental illness, said Glenn Liebman, chief executive officer of the state Mental Health Association. "Mental illness should not be a (barrier) to accomplishing great things."

In the 20th century, Winston Churchill, also depressed, led England through World War II, Liebman said. As more celebrities like Brooke Shields and Carrie Fisher open up about their experiences with depression or bipolar disorder, "it makes it easier for the next generation to talk about this more openly."

Treatments have improved dramatically in the past decade, Liebman added. "The problem is getting folks to avail themselves of those services," he said.

One reason people don't come forward is the shame still associated with the illness, he said. "Lincoln's Melancholy" shows that for many "it's just being able to deal with the challenges and the struggles," Liebman said.

Shenk's book, which took seven years to research, has created a shift in understanding of Lincoln. Forty years ago, scholars noted his suffering. But the depth of his condition "was hard for them to realize, in part because of a cultural bias," he said.

Today, comedian Jay Leno jokes about Lincoln's "depression" in his monologue. "It's out there," Shenk said.

"In other traditions, there's language to describe that coming together of pain and power," he said. "That's one of the reasons psychiatry can't be the only lens through which we see the human experience. It turns out that having trouble living is often an accompaniment to a life that we later consider to be great. Or elegant. Or beautiful."

Gurnett can be reached at 454-5490 or by e-mail at kgurnett@timesunion.com.

Mental health conference

What: The Mental Health Association in New York State annual conference When: Today and Friday

Where: Albany Marriott, 189 Wolf Road, Colonie

Events: Awards dinner, 6 p.m. today, followed by a talk by former stand-up comedian Paul Jones, now a motivational speaker about bipolar disorder. On Friday, author Joshua Wolf Shenk will give the keynote address, discussing his book, "Lincoln's Melancholy."

Info: Ticket prices and registration information, Linda Kaczmarek at 434-0439 or http://www.mhanys.org