Top Ten Famous People with Schizophrenia

Vincent van Gogh is often thought to have had schizophrenia. This remarkable artist lived in a time when schizophrenia had not been identified as a disorder, but many medical experts believe that he suffered from it. He experienced unstable mood swings and had a very eccentric personality, leading to a posthumous hypothesis by 150 doctors that he had the condition. Van Gogh had recurring psychotic episodes in the last two years of his life and, at the age of 37, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest.

Vincent van Gogh once tried to murder Paul Gauguin, then felt guilty for scaring him away and cut off part of his own ear. He then placed it in an envelope and sent it to a barmaid living nearby. Van Gogh was a very troubled person.

John Nash was a Nobel laureate in Economics and a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician. His life story was portrayed in the book and movie "A Beautiful Mind," which I greatly admire. He suffered from delusions of persecution later in his career, believing that government agents were after him.

Brian Wilson had a tumultuous childhood, which led to years of battling drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness. After his father died in 1973, his addiction and illness worsened, and he spent nearly two years secluded in the chauffeur's quarters of his home, sleeping, abusing alcohol and drugs, overeating, and engaging in self-destructive behavior.

He attempted to drive his vehicle off a cliff and, at another time, demanded to be buried in a grave he had dug in his backyard. His voice deteriorated significantly due to the mass consumption of alcohol, cocaine, and chain-smoking. Wilson also experienced auditory hallucinations and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He revived his career in the 1990s and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. He was honored by the Kennedy Center in 2007 for lifetime achievement.

Syd Barrett left the band in 1968 amid many stories of mental illness and hard drug abuse. He eventually suffered a severe burnout and cut out all social aspects of his life, living in constant isolation. Over time, Barrett stopped contributing to music and avoided discussions about his past with Pink Floyd.

Many consider him one of the greatest drummers of all time during the golden years of rock and roll (1960s - 1970s). James Gordon was an American recording artist, musician, songwriter, and a Grammy Award winner.

In 1983, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia following the murder of his mother. At the trial, the court accepted that he had acute schizophrenia, but he was not allowed to use an insanity defense due to changes in California law resulting from the Insanity Defense Reform Act. He was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison.

Gordon was eligible for parole in 1992, but parole has been denied several times. At a 2005 hearing, he claimed his mother was still alive. In 2014, he declined to attend his hearing and was denied parole until 2018. An L.A. attorney stated at the hearing that Gordon was still "seriously psychologically incapacitated" and "a danger when he was not taking his medication." He is serving his sentence at the California Medical Facility, a medical and psychiatric prison in Vacaville, California.

This famous Hollywood actress of the 1940s, known as Veronica Lake, was famous for her performances in movies, television, and on stage. She is widely remembered for her role in Sullivan's Travels and her roles alongside Alan Ladd during the 1940s. Her career flourished early on but experienced a decline due to alcoholism and mental illness. She had a troubled childhood, and according to her mother, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Eduard Einstein was the son of Albert Einstein and suffered from schizophrenia. He was diagnosed at the age of 25. After the onset of his illness, he told his father that he hated him, and Albert never saw him again for the rest of his life. Prior to his illness, Eduard was a great student and very musically talented. He struggled with his mental illness for the remainder of his life and died of a stroke at age 55.

Peter Green was a guitarist for Fleetwood Mac. He played lead in Barden's band, Peter B's Looners, in 1966. After a three-month stint, he had the opportunity to fill in for Eric Clapton in John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers for three gigs. Upon Clapton's permanent departure shortly after, Green was hired full-time.

Green has been institutionalized in the past for psychological problems and underwent electroconvulsive therapy. In 1977, he was arrested for threatening his accountant, Clifford Davis, with a rifle.

Roger Kynard, also known as Roky Erickson, was an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player, and guitarist from Texas. He was a founding member of the 13th Floor Elevators, pioneers of psychedelic rock.

In 1968, while performing at HemisFair, he began speaking incoherently and was subsequently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital in Houston, where he involuntarily received electroconvulsive therapy.