Running Head: MENTAL HEALTHS IMPACT ON AMERICAN LITERATURE 1

Mental Healths Impact on American Literature

Bernard J. Karlowicz
Lake-Lehman Jr./Sr. High School

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Abstract
After doing extensive research on the topic of the history of mental health in America, the
conclusion can be made that mental illness was and continues to be an issue in modern society.
This paper explores the effect of mental illness on literature and provides several examples of
successful writers afflicted with such conditions. Many authors plagued with mental illness fell
victim to their illnesses by falling into drug addiction and abuse, which eventually led to many of
their deaths. In fact, many of Americas most prominent writers were plagued with unstable
mental conditions. Authors with these mental issues often attributed their many great works to
their often unstable mental status, giving them a different world view compared to the average
human. New styles and methods of writing emerged from these select authors because of their
eccentric personalities that were indifferent to the precedent set by many before them. These
authors in turn forever changed the face of American literature be revealing entire new categories
of writing that influence some of todays prominent authors.

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Mental Healths Impact on American Literature
With the widespread history of mental health globally, it is no surprise that some who are
afflicted by mental illness have found their way into the literary world. Something one may not
suspect though is the massive impact that it has had on the history of American literature. With
many prominent American writers being afflicted with mental illness, such as Ernest Hemingway
and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Johnson, n.d), it is less than a rare occurrence for mentally ill individuals
to become successful writers. In fact, many of historys greatest writers suffered from illnesses
such as manic-depression which is now known more commonly bi-polar disorders. Often going
untreated, many authors and everyday people who suffered from mental illness turned to drugs
such as alcohol or cocaine to aid their mental states. As authors and writers alike fell into
addiction because of their mental states, the correlation between drug abuse and literature
became very prominent.
Correlation Between Mental Illness and Drug Abuse
Compiling research from a variety of sources, the theme of the correlation between mental
disorder and drug use is clear. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that Mental illnesses
can lead to drug abuse; individuals with overt, mild, or even subclinical mental disorders may
abuse drugs as a form of self-medication (Volker 2010). Self-medicating drugs have a very ride
range including prescription medication to everyday purchasable items, even outright illegal
ones. Upon further study from the NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research), it was
revealed that around 69% of alcohol intake comes from people who have been diagnosed with at
least one mental illness in their lives (DualDiagnosis.org, n.d). These two citations from
respected resources demonstrate the clear correlation between mental illness and drug use. This

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directly influences American literature due to the high amount of writers who suffer from mental
illness.
American Authors with Mental Disorders
With hundreds of writers who have made an impact on the history of American literature, it is of
no surprise that many of them were at some point afflicted by some types of mental illnesses.
What may be surprising to some is that many of the most prominent and well respected
American authors were conflicted with such issues that, in some cases, inspired them to create
what are now considered literary masterpieces. Such literary greats include Jack Kerouac, Ernest
Hemingway, and Edgar Allen Poe, all of whom died due to their issues with mental health and
drug abuse. Kerouac died at only 47 due to his awful health which is attributed to his alcoholism
and drug use (Asher 1994). In an interview with Ted Barrigan who worked for The Paris Review,
Kerouac insists on being offered a pill the Mr. Barrigan has called Obetrol. On top of Kerouac
not knowing what the pill was at first and taking it regardless showing his reckless nature, he
later learns it was Obetrol and calls it by its slang name of obies. Obetrol was a
methamphetamine-based diet pill that was widely abused in the early 50s into the late 60s
(Adderall was, 2002). His afore mentioned recklessness was also noted by the U.S. Navy when
he enlisted for the Naval Reserve and was sent to sick bay where he had a psychiatric evaluation
and was declared unfit for service. This determination came from medical experts that told of his
independent, creative, impulsive, sensual, and reckless nature. These are the exact traits that
many critics say his award winning writing contains, showing a direct link between his mental
state and his literary style which is now known today as legendary.
Ernest Hemingway is another notable author who is seen as an influential character in
American literature. There was much significant evidence to support the diagnoses of bipolar

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disorder, alcohol dependence, traumatic brain injury, and borderline and narcissistic personality
traits that influenced Hemingway through most of his life (Martin 2006). Hemingways struggles
started after sustained substantial injuries in World War I during his duties as a war front
ambulance driver. He continued his life with many dissatisfying relationships with both lovers
and friends, losing almost each at some point in his life. His mental state appeared to first waver
when it was discovered that his father had committed suicide, an act that Hemingway would
have premonitions of himself committing at only the age of 30. After more failed relationship but
many successful writings, Hemingway feel into a deeper depression fuel by his alcoholism and
severe depression. At the age of 61 he took his own life just as he had said he world 30 years
earlier, showing his long-standing mental illness. Many of his novels that earned him both
Pulitzer and Nobel prizes were inspired by the twist and turns of his life, including his failed
relationships and love tales. This correlation again reveals the influence that ones mental state
can have on their writing style and impact.
Finally and perhaps most notably, the American author Edgar Allen Poe is often
addressed as a master of hair raising drama and beautifully haunting poetry. Having a very tragic
life filled with loss beyond compare, Poe managed to capture his manic-depression within the
pages of his notes that were turned into poems and stories that are still read vigorously in schools
nationally. Both of his parents died early on in his life, along with one of his guardians after and
his young wife after a lengthy battle with tuberculosis (Fultz, Wright, Castle, n.d). Due to his
immense amount of loss all throughout his life, Poe was said to be a very depressed man who fell
into alcoholism later in his life. Being constantly let down at seemingly every turn, Poes
condition worsened as time progressed, and the author eventually died in an equally
disappointing way. Found in the streets of Baltimore, the cause of Poes death is as much a

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mystery now as it was when it happened, although the cause was rumored to be rabies (Edgar
Allen n.d). Despite his deplorable lifestyle, Poe is now regarded as a leader in the American
Romanticism Movement in the early to mid-1800s and is undoubtedly one of the finest
examples of mental health influencing American literature.
In conclusion, the link between some of Americas most prominent authors writing styles
and their mental health is undeniable. Mental illness can not only cripple some of the brightest
and most brilliant mind to acts of suicide and ever worsening conditions, but also drive them and
similar minds to drug abuse and attempts at self-medication. Many of these authors lived lives
using their writing as an outlet for their emotions, maybe even a form of therapy. Using this
viewpoint, it is not entirely unreasonable to say that these illnesses contributed to some of the
greatest American works ever created. The trend of mental illness and literature correlating to
create legendary writers and literary works that are considered masterpieces is undeniable and is
a pattern that is almost guaranteed to continue.

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References
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http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020609/msgs/110014.html
Asher, L. (1994, July 23). Jack Kerouac. Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
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Barrigan, T. (n.d.). The Paris Review. Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
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Brainz. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://brainz.org/10-writers-who-were-mentallydisturbed/
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Fultz, L., Wright, J., & Castle, K. (n.d.). Edgar Allan Poe. Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
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http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2011/fall/kerouac.html

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Martin, C. (2006, November 23). Ernest Hemingway: A psychological autopsy of a suicide.
Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17326729
The Connection Between Mental Illness and Substance Abuse | Dual Diagnosis. (n.d.). Retrieved
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Volker, N. (2010, September 1). Comorbidity: Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses. Retrieved
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