Ever admired the mentally ill?

[HereSince1628]

Or maybe prefer admiring people like Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, or Charles Darwin or Nobel Prize Winners.

hmmm, it seems those groups aren't mutually exclusive.

It's Friday of Mental Illness Awareness Week.

Here's a link to a youtube video on famous people who are mentally ill.

It's in 3 parts, each part ending with a link to the next. Total run time for all three is about 30 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Xw1LCKACE&feature=related

[JuniperLea]

1. There is a thin line between genius and insanity...

I've heard it said many times, and I believe this to be true.

[Bloke 32]

2. I'm mentally ill: OCD

Now where's my reality show??? :rofl:

[ret5hd]

4. You're already in it. (your nielson rating is currently "1", "2" when you are talking to someone)

[Taverner]

3. John Nash, Townes Van Zandt, Beethoven and Emerson were all mentally ill

And all geniuses

[bighart]

5. Reminds me of a joke I heard years ago

Guy has a flat tire in front of a mental institution. He gets out, jacks up the car, removes the flat and places the lug nuts in the a disposable cup. As he is rolling the spare to the location of the flat he accidentally kicks the cup with the nuts into a storm drain. Now he is freaking out and not sure what to do. A patient has been standing by the fence watching the whole episode and a few minutes says "Hey I can tell you what to do to get you on your way." The guy with the flat asks him what to do. The patient says "Take one lug nut off each of the other 3 wheels and that will get you to a tire shop where you can get replacements." Flat tire man says "Great idea, how did you think of that?". Patient responds
"They put me in here because I'm crazy, not because I'm stupid"

[Kalidurga]

8. I am a bit OCD myself...

you can't really tell from looking at me. But, I get a bit nuts when things aren't organized correctly or when procedures of efficiency aren't followed. My bosses when they notice this put me in charge of organizing things (not events, I have no interest), also I get a little sick when sticky stuff gets on my hands and I hate dirty counters. There are probably a lot more quirks that I don't even think about, but those are the ones people have told me drive them a little bonkers.

[bighart]

9. I have a son that is OCD.

He has had spells when he was on the verge of needing to be medicated for it but has learned how to control and compensate to some degree.
People who don't have or have never been close to someone that has this condition don't understand how drastically it can impact someone.

[Kurovski]

6. Not a lot of people knew him

but my deceased father was an inspiration and created many examples of how to live a life with loyalty, toughness, resilience, humor and a very practical, reliable and assured form of love.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. Thank you from Jack Rabbit

. . . who has major depression.