I am in the midst of reading “Lincoln’s Melancholy”, by Joshua Wolf Shenk, which is secondarily titled, “How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness”. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up, but in addition to Lincoln's life story, many of the ideas given in the book are truly interesting.

Lincoln was a severely depressed individual, which  is well-documented by his writings and those of his friends and family. He was often described as somber, but also as a person with a wry sense of humor. Like many of us who struggle with Bipolar Disorder, his depression was probably genetic and was also exacerbated by personal hardships.

At one point in his life, Lincoln considered himself to be, “the most miserable man living”.  Having been seriously depressed before, I can definitely relate to misery. The biography not only shows Lincoln’s melancholy, it demonstrates his imperfections and flaws, including self-esteem issues. As an example, in a letter Lincoln wrote to a close friend about to get married, he worried that he would be “lonelier” after the wedding because he would feel left out.

There was no medication available for him to aid him through his struggles and he struggled through depression throughout his life.

Instead, people tried to help themselves through dietary changes and lots of water and other methods. One unusual method witnessed by Lincoln was “mesmerism” or the ability of mesmerist to help others actions and behavior from a distance or by placing their hands over the body. The biographer speculates that this worked in some cases because of the placebo effect of the belief in the idea that you could positively affect another’s mind in this manner. He attributes early hypnotism to “mesmerism”.

From the biographer Shenk’s perspective, Lincoln’s struggles enabled him to be more successful. One way he was able to help his depression was through his public service. In studies of depressed individuals, it has been found that those who act to benefit others from an intrinsic motivation are much better off than those who truthfully act from an extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivations are those that come from from the inside and extrinsic motivations such as looking good in the eyes of the community come from outside.

It is amazing for me to comprehend that one of the most venerated presidents in the history of the United States was that depressed. Lincoln was not the only famous politician known to be depressed, but he is among the few.