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Lincoln, Wilson, Nixon: Presidents and Mental Health

Lincoln, Wilson, Nixon: Presidents and Mental Health

Last updated on: May 23, 2026 at 10:28 am by Olapeju Simoyan, MD, MPH

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Lincoln, Wilson, Nixon: Presidents and Mental Health 2026-05-23T10:28:40-04:00 Olapeju Simoyan, MD, MPH

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Statue of Abraham Lincoln - Lincoln Memorial

A brief review of history shows that several of our past leaders experienced mental illness. |Lincoln Memorial – Photo by author

Mental Health of Presidents – Past and Present

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and given some recent developments here in the US, a discussion related to the mental health of our leaders seems timely. All national leaders are powerful, but the president of the United States holds a unique position on the global stage. Power dynamics aside, presidents are human beings just like the rest of us, and thus subject to physical and mental health challenges. A brief review of history shows that several of our past leaders experienced mental illness.

Editors Note:

This article reflects the author’s analysis and references a public statement issued April 30, 2026, by 36 physicians and mental health professionals and subsequently entered into the Congressional Record (Vol. 172, No. 76). The signatories explicitly state they have not personally examined the president and are not offering a formal diagnosis.

A Historical Perspective

Abraham Lincoln

“I am now the most miserable man living.”

The above quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln, widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. Historians describe Lincoln as deeply melancholic and he reportedly had a nervous breakdown in 1836. Despite several unsuccessful business ventures, numerous election defeats, losing his first love and later his son, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1846 and eventually became president in 1860.

Theodore Roosevelt

Mark Twain reportedly described Theodore Roosevelt as “insane and irresponsible.” Speaking of Theodore Roosevelt and the 1912 campaign, Henry Adams said: “His mind has gone to pieces… his neurosis may end in a nervous collapse, or acute mania.”

Roosevelt was described with words like “exuberant” and “childlike,” and British diplomat Cecil Spring-Rice, when asked about him, famously said: “You must always remember that the President is about six.”

Roosevelt acted unpredictably and impulsively, but he was very productive – he wrote 40 books and is said to have read a book a day.

Theodore Roosevelt fell into despair and temporarily withdrew from public life when his wife and mother tragically died on the same day in 1884. He eventually recovered and returned to politics.

Richard Nixon

Lt. Commander Richard Nixon. 1945 Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Historians believe that Richard Nixon abused sleeping pills, anxiety medications and alcohol while he was president. The Vietnam War and Watergate were obvious stressors, but there may have been other less obvious issues in his life circumstances that contributed to his anxiety and substance use.

Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson is perhaps best remembered for his leadership during World War 1, and his attempt to start the League of Nations. The Treaty of Versailles included many of Wilson’s ideas, but the US did not support it and never joined the League of Nations. In 1920, Wilson received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

He may have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but his actions were not seen as altruistic by everyone.

According to one historian:

Wilson planned to succeed where Christ had “failed” and to create a League of Nations without Congressional approval in March 1919.| Image courtesy of Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Archives from Staunton, VA, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons.

“Wilson had prepared himself to run a Christian world, a League of white nations with many colonies, without the constraint of a Constitution, which was not totally his…. He told the Senate he was, with the League of Nations, on a divine mission. Failing to convince them, he chose to destroy the peace.”

Wilson’s psychological soundness was questioned by Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, and William Bullitt, an American diplomat, in an unpublished manuscript in the Yale archives. According to Bullitt, Wilson suffered from recurring nightmares and insomnia. According to Freud, Wilson needed to identify with higher figures to detach himself from his father, who he had repressed anger towards.

Wilson told French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George that “Jesus Christ so far (had) not succeeded in inducing the world to follow His teaching.” Wilson planned to succeed where Christ had “failed,” and was planning to create a League of Nations without Congressional approval in March 1919. Advisors in Paris convinced him that for the League to function, the Treaty of Versailles would need to be ratified by the Senate. Later that year, Wilson drafted a letter to senators from 38 states – he was ready to challenge them to resign their Senate seats and seek reelection on the issue of the treaty’s ratification. He promised that if a majority were reelected, he and his Vice President would turn over the Presidency to a Republican. This plan was never pursued.

When Presidents claim to be on a divine mission

President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

The belief that one is on a divine mission can be the result of sincere conviction, but such beliefs can also be manifestations of mental illness. It is one thing for a person to repeatedly make statements about being “the Chosen One,” or being on a special divine mission, but when the person holds a lot of power and authority and others spread the same message, the results can be concerning.

President Trump received a lot of backlash, and rightfully so, for posting an AI- generated image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure. Some of the criticism came from his most ardent supporters, but others like Franklin Graham excused and defended him.

Shortly afterwards, some evangelical leaders gathered around a golden statue of Trump for a dedication ceremony. Of note, Pastor Mark Burns said, “This is not a golden calf,” which begs the question of why such a statement is necessary in the first place.

Paula White-Cain, Trump’s spiritual advisor, notably said that to say “No” to Trump is saying “No” to God, and she has made direct comparisons between Trump and Jesus Christ. Paula White-Cain isn’t the only one making such claims.

A quick search on Amazon reveals books with the following titles:

“President Donald J. Trump, The Son of Man – The Christ”
“Trump is God: A Guide to Learning the Prophetic Wisdom of Donald J. Trump”
“CHRISTRUMP: Persecution of a Man.”

I must admit that I haven’t read any of these books, but I think the titles are self-explanatory.

Duty to Warn – Is the current President OK?

Below is an excerpt from an April 30, 2026, press release:

….. A group of 36 leading physicians and other doctors with expertise in mental health issued a statement calling for President Donald J. Trump’s immediate, lawful removal from office for medical reasons. His mental instability, coupled with his sole, unchecked authority to launch nuclear weapons, makes him a clear and present danger to the safety of all Americans, they declared.

The statement was signed by a group of neurologists, forensic psychiatrists, general psychiatrists, and other physicians, along with other mental health professionals.

It highlighted what they described as objectively observable signs of serious medical concern:

Marked deterioration in cognitive functioning
Grandiose and delusional beliefs
Severely impaired judgment and impulse control
Significant loss of self-control (disinhibition); perseveration, including seemingly compulsive, manic-like late-night communications

Escalating violence that threatens national and global stability.

The statement includes signatures from members of both political parties and two Nobel Prize winners. The signatories acknowledge that the President isn’t a patient of any of theirs and has not been examined face to face, so they are not rendering a formal diagnosis. Of note, the U.S. Senate offices of Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) entered this statement into the Congressional Record, Vol. 172, No. 76.

The Independent published an article about this on May 14, 2026, which concluded with the following statement: “The question they have is how so many can listen to these sirens for so long and choose to do nothing.”

This is a valid question. The mental health of the man who has the nuclear code is not something to be taken lightly.

Mental Health Awareness Month – an opportunity for open and honest dialogue

The medical experts have spoken, but how will the “spiritual experts” respond? How do you convince people who are committed to the idea of a “divine mission” that their leader is only human, and therefore not immune to the struggles that the rest of humanity experiences, including mental illness?

The presidency creates an enormous amount of stress and mental health challenges in presidents are nothing new. Mental Health Awareness Month gives us the opportunity to discuss these issues and promote treatment and support while reducing the stigma and shame that are often associated with mental illness.

If you need help, please contact the NAMI helpline at 1 800 950 NAMI (6264) or email [email protected] or go to their website https://nami.org/help. Help is available!

Sources

https://ibpf.org/theodore-the-roosevelt-bipolar-inheritance-2/

https://www.hup.harvard.edu/features/woodrow-wilson-troubled-legacy-and-mind

https://www.woodrowwilson.org/president

https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s905

https://www.independent.co.uk/us/trump-health-issues-doctors-hospital-experts-intervention-b2975777.html

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