List of mentally ill modern era world leaders
This is a partial list of modern era democratically elected or dictatorial leaders of prominent nation states who have been described as having a mental disorder to some degree by historians past or present. A list of mentally ill monarchs from the ancient to modern world supplements this list.
In most cases, the diagnosis of psychological dysfunction or acute mental illness is problematic given the general lack of formal clinical evaluation of the given world leaders. Claims made could be biased due to a historian's political motivations or personal dislikes or flawed due to misinterpretations of physical illness symptoms, eccentric personality traits, or evolving definitions of mental health terminology.
21st century
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey 2003-2014, President of Turkey 2014-; Narcissistic Personality Disorder / Megalomania
Cold War era
- Ronald Reagan, President of the United States 1981-1989; Alzheimer's Disease
World War II era
- John Curtin, 14th Prime Minister of Australia 1941–1945; Bipolar Disorder.
- Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of UK 1940–1945, 1951–1955; Depression.
- Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of Soviet Communist Party 1922–1952; Paranoid Personality Disorder, Manic Depression.
- Hermann Göring, Commander of the Luftwaffe; Morphine Addiction, Depression.
- Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer-SS (second in power to [...]); Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Severe Attachment Disorder.
- Adolf [...], dictator of Germany 1934–1945; Borderline Personality Disorder, compounded by Parkinson's Disease, [...] Addiction.
19th Century
- Abraham Lincoln, President USA 1861–1865; Depression.
- Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French 1804–1814; Narcissistic Personality Disorder / Megalomania