Winston Churchill and his „black dog“

Winston Churchill is one of the great 20 th century leaders. Throughout his life, he is believed to have suffered from bounds of crippling depression and manic episodes. He himself casually referred to these depressive periods as “his black dog”.

According to Clementine, his lifelong wife, Winston Churchill exhibited - during these tough periods. – scarcely any energy, suffered from difficulty concentrating, and exhibited significant loss of appetite. However, when these depressive episodes were eventually over, the Great Churchill displayed abnormally high energy levels and deep insights. He was then able to pursue his research and his writings, almost non-stop, from 8 am in the morning and continuing up to 2 or 3 am in the night.

Churchill accepted his mental condition without major complaints. In fact, his recurrent depressive episodes are believed to have enhanced his pragmatism. Likewise, during World War II, Churchill's heightened disbelief and skepticism enabled him to realistically assess the ever-growing German menace.

Churchill's unbelievable accomplishments are proof that, despite being affected by bipolar disorder, individuals in today's society are still able to achieve great things. And they should motivate other individuals suffering from mental conditions: overcoming impairments is truly possible.