Numerous notable people have had some form of mood disorder. This is a list of people accompanied by verifiable sources associating them with some form of bipolar disorder (formerly known as "manic depression"), including cyclothymia, based on their own public statements; this discussion is sometimes tied to the larger topic of creativity and mental illness.
In the case of dead people only, individuals with a speculative or retrospective diagnosis should only be listed if they are accompanied by a source reflective of the mainstream, academic view. Individuals should not be added to this list unless the disorder is regularly and commonly mentioned in mainstream, reliable sources.
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A John Adams, President of the United States 1797-1801.Allan B. Schwartz, "Medical Mystery: What made John Adams lose his temper?" The Philadelphia Inquirer Oct. 25, 2019, onlineCurtis Hier, "The Adams Family: Triumphs and Groans" (International Bipolar Foundation, online) Alvin Ailey, American choreographer, diagnosed with bipolar disorder (then called manic depression). Chantal Akerman, Belgian film director, screenwriter, artist, and film professor. Sherman Alexie, Native American poet, writer, and filmmaker. Lily Allen, English musician. Louis Althusser, French Marxist philosopher. August Ames, Canadian pornographic actress. Michael Angelakos, American musician, frontman of Passion Pit. Adam Ant, English musician and actor. Emilie Autumn, American singer and violinist.
B Tyler Baltierra, American reality television personality. Maria Bamford, American comedian, stated in a 2011 interview with The Salt Lake Tribune that she had been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder; she has frequently incorporated jokes about her condition in her stand-up comedy routine and her filmography. Marcel Barbeau, Canadian artist and painter. Maria Bello, producer, actress and writer. Danielle Belton, American journalist who is the editor-in-chief of HuffPost. In 2011 she worked on developing a television show for Black Entertainment Television (BET) called Don't Sleep, hosted by T. J. Holmes; she became its head writer. Although the show was cancelled after 8 months, it was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2013. Max Bemis, frontman of the band Say Anything, spoke about his diagnosis in an interview with Alternative Magazine in 2014. Maurice Benard, actor, discussed his diagnosis on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and has since become active in promoting bipolar awareness. Benga (Adegbenga Adejumo), British dubstep DJ and producer. A. C. Benson, English essayist, poet, author and the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. Davone Bess, American football player. Devika Bhushan, Indian-American pediatrician and public health professional; served as California's Acting Surgeon General (2022) Jayson Blair, American journalist formerly with The New York Times. Heston Blumenthal, British celebrity chef, TV personality and food writer. Kemah Bob, American comedian. Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian mathematician and theoretical physicist. His greatest achievements were the development of statistical mechanics and the statistical explanation of the second law of thermodynamics. His grandfather, who had moved to Vienna from Berlin, was a clock manufacturer. Roscoe Born, American songwriter and actor. Paul Boyd, classical animator. L. Brent Bozell Jr., American conservative activist and writer. He wrote publicly about his experiences with and recovery from bipolar disorder. Russell Brand, British comedian, actor, radio host, author, and activist. Jonathan Brandis, American actor. Ronald Braunstein, American orchestra conductor and cofounder of the ME2/Orchestra for individuals like himself who have mental illness. Jeremy Brett, English Shakespearian actor, known for his definitive portrayal of the iconic Arthur Conan Doyle detective Sherlock Holmes in the 1984–1994 Granada TV series, Sherlock Holmes, was diagnosed with manic depression. Days before he died in 1995, he recorded a frank and uplifting message for the Manic/Depressive Fellowship in London. John H. Brodie, American physicist Bobby Brown, American singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer. Chris Brown, American singer, songwriter, rapper, dancer, and actor, Brown has been diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder. Tiffany Lee Brown, American writer, artist, and musician, has created works that reference her Bipolar I disorder diagnosis including the Noise music composition "Belly" appearing on Women Take Back the Noise. Frank Bruno, British boxer, was hospitalized for a short period, and was on lithium. Barney Bubbles, English graphic artist whose work encompassed graphic design and music video direction. Bubbles took his own life when he was 41. Art Buchwald, humorist and Pulitzer Prize winner. Elbridge Ayer Burbank, artist and painter, Burbank was diagnosed with manic depression and was treated at several different facilities during his life. Amanda Bynes, American actress of Big Fat Liar fame.
C Eoin Cameron, former member of the Australian House of Representatives and radio personality in Perth, Western Australia. Robert Campeau, Canadian financier and real estate developer. Cosmo Campoli, American sculptor and teacher.Elizabeth Burke-Dain, "Cosmo Campoli" (obituary), New Art Examiner, Volume 24, no. 6, March 1997, p. 11 Mariah Carey, American singer-songwriter. Diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder in 2001. Robert Carradine, American actor Lisa Nicole Carson, American actress. Aaron Carter, American singer. Quincy Carter, American football quarterback. Keisha Castle-Hughes, New Zealand actress. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, French explorer who explored the Great Lakes region and claimed the Mississippi River basin for France. Dick Cavett, comedian and television journalist. Eason Chan, Hong Kong singer and actor. Akio Chiba, Japanese manga artist, committed suicide due to issues related to bipolar disorder. Nicky Chinn, English-American songwriter. Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Angus Crichton, Australian representative rugby league player Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress. Kurt Cobain, American rock musician. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, severe depression and attention deficit disorder at a young age according to several family members. Neil Cole, former Australian Labor party politician. "Associate Professor Cole was the first politician in Australia or overseas to admit to having a mental illness, namely bipolar mood disorder."Colonel Surry's insanity , VOICE (University of Melbourne), October 2010. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English Romantic poet.Jamison, Kay Redfield. Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. Free Press (1994), 219–224. Mary Ellen Copeland, PhD, author, educator and mental health advocate.Copeland, Mary Ellen. The WRAP Story: First Person Accounts of Personal and System Recovery and Transformation. West Dummerston, VT, Peach Press: 2008. p. 4. Francis Ford Coppola, American film director, producer, and screenwriter, was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as having bipolar disorder. Patricia Cornwell, American crime writer. Robert S. Corrington, American philosopher and professor of Philosophical Theology. In his book Riding the Windhorse: Manic-Depressive Disorder and the Quest for Wholeness,Robert S. Corrington. Riding the Windhorse: Manic-Depressive Disorder and the Quest for Wholeness (Hamilton Books, New York, 2003) he gives a personal account of his own experience with the condition. Michael Costa, former Australian Labor party politician and Treasurer of NSW. "Mr Costa said a number of state parliamentary colleagues approached him about their mental health problems after he publicly revealed his battle with bipolar disorder in 2001." Sean Costello, American blues musician. Vincent Crane, keyboard player of Atomic Rooster. Tim Crooks, British rower who won a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He later wrote about his life, career, and struggle with bipolar disorder in his autobiography, Driven by Demons.
D Paul Dalio, American writer, director, and composer. He made his feature directorial debut with Touched with Fire (2016), a film which drew upon his own experience with bipolar disorder. Penina Davidson, Former college basketball player at University of California-Berkeley. Current professional basketball player for the Melbourne Boomers of the Women's National Basketball League in Australia. She also represents New Zealand on their national team, the Tall Ferns. While in college, she was self-harming. Her teammate suggested that she get admitted to a hospital where she got diagnosed with bipolar disorder Pete Davidson, Comedian and actor. Pete Davidson was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. Gareth Davies, British politician who stated he contemplated suicide before his diagnosis in 2020 which changed his life. Ray Davies, English composer. Davies was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and he attempted suicide. Adam Deacon, English film actor, rapper, writer and director. Deacon discussed his diagnosis in a 2016 interview with Stephen Fry. Swadesh Deepak, Indian playwright, novelist and short-story writer. Nicolas Demorand, French journalist. In 2025, he wrote a book about his experience with bipolar disorder. Johnny Depp, American actor and musician was suffering from bipolar disorder, ADHD, insomnia, substance abuse disorder and depression. Disco D, record producer and composer. DMX, American rapper and actor. Gaetano Donizetti, Italian composer, Donizetti was exhibiting symptoms of syphilis and probable bipolar disorder.Allitt, John Stewart (1991), Donizetti – in the light of romanticism and the teaching of Johann Simon Mayr, Shaftesbury, Dorset, UK: Element Books, p. 43 Mike Doughty, singer from alternative rock band Soul Coughing. Robert Downey Jr. American actor and film producer. DPR Ian Australian singer, rapper, and director. Richard Dreyfuss, actor, appeared in a BBC documentary to talk about his experience with the disorder. Patty Duke, actress, author, and mental health advocate. Faye Dunaway, American actress. Andy Dunn, co-founder and former CEO of Bonobos (apparel).
E Thomas Eagleton (1929–2007), United States Senator from Missouri (1968–1987). He received a diagnosis of bipolar II from Dr. Frederick K. Goodwin. Harlan Ellison (1934–2018), American author. Los Angeles Magazine. March 29, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2023. "At Straczynski’s urging, Ellison finally went to a doctor and found out he was bipolar and suffering from clinical depression." Paul M. English, Entrepreneur and Founder of Kayak (company). Cameron Esposito, American actress, comedian, and podcaster known for her show Take My Wife.
F David Feherty, former professional golfer on the European Tour and PGA Tour. Carrie Fisher, actress and writer. Starred in the Star Wars films as Princess Leia. Zelda Fitzgerald, American socialite and novelist, and the wife of American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, diagnosed at the time as schizophrenia, but now thought likelier to be bipolar disorder. Caroline Flack, English actress and television and radio presenter. Helen Flanagan, English model, Actress. Tom Fletcher, English singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist of McFly, discussed his bipolar disorder in the book Unsaid Things... Our Story. Larry Flynt, publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP) and Hustler Magazine. Ellen Forney, graphic artist and cartoonist and creator of Marbles: Madness, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me. FouseyTube, American YouTube personality. Connie Francis, singer. Ryan Freel, American baseball player. Jennifer Frey, journalist.