Mental Health Association
Mental Health Association
    People with mental illnesses come from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life.  There is no single picture of what a person with a mental illness looks like. Mental illness does not discriminate between social classes, geographic locations, races, gender, or age.  Sometimes we associate those with severe mental illnesses as homeless people or people in inner cities.  While it is true that about one-third of homeless people have serious mental illnesses, it is also true that most of these psychiatric disorders affect people fairly equally across different groups. 

    We know that many of our most famous celebrities and leaders have also suffered with some form of severe mental illnesses. A few of the best known victims of mental illness include:
  • Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President - major depression
  • Vincent Van Gogh, artist - psychotic disorder
  • Patti Duke, actress/author - bipolar depression
  • Eugene O'Neill, playwright - major depression
  • Ludwig von Beethoven, composer - bipolar depression
  • Edgar Allan Poe, author - paranoia and bipolar depression
  • Tennessee Williams, playwright - major depression
  • Ernest Hemingway, author - major depression
  • Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister - bipolar depression
  • Jimmy Piersall, baseball player - bipolar depression
  • Charles Dickens, author - major depression

    Even among people diagnosed with the same disorder and even the same subtype, the illness manifests itself differently based on the severity, personal characteristics, personal resources, and supports.  Many people with mental illnesses can function quite well in the community with the appropriate treatment, and support.
Info & Resources...
Info & Resources...
302 W. Weaver Street     Carrboro, NC 27510     919.942.8083
in Orange County
ABOUT US
PROGRAMS
HOME
Info & Resources
NEWS & EVENTS
CONTACT US
Below are links to helpful information about mental illness and treatment, including medications, therapies, and specialized programs. Information and helpsites on the web are vast and it's impossible to include all information available in this small space. We will update resource links often, so please check back frequently. If you have a website to recommend that will be helpful to our consumers, please email us at info@mhaorangeco.org.
Resource Links