Marilyn monroe mental health

'Blonde bombshell' Marilyn Monroe suffered from THIS mental illness

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'Blonde bombshell' Marilyn Monroe suffered from THIS mental illne...

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01/8Marilyn Monroe battled several health issues

Marilyn Monroe remains to be one of the most prolific actors and renowned faces of the 1950s and early 1960s. An enigmatic figure, whose life, death and legacy continues to be of great interest and intrigue to many, she became one of the world’s most popular sex symbols and went on to early millions of fans.

But while Monroe lived a grand life, it was full of challenges, health issues and mental health struggles.

From an early age, the diva suffered from dyslexia and from a stutter. Not only did it affect her school life, but it also went on to haunt during her adulthood and work.

In a book titled 'Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox', author Lois Banner wrote: "Throughout her life, she suffered from terrible nightmares that contributed to her constant insomnia. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was often out of touch with reality. And that's not to mention the fact that she constantly suffered from terrible pain during her period."

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Furthermore, the book highlighted that the actress had a skin rash and hives, and eventually developed chronic colitis, which caused abdominal pain and nausea.

"She was haunted by problems from childhood - a mother in a psychiatric hospital, a father she never knew, wandering between foster families and an orphanage. And then there were various medications that she took to cope with Hollywood pressure: to calm down or gain strength,” the author added.

All of these factors are said to have added to the actor's woes, leading to a tragic end...

(Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

02/8Borderline personality disorder was one of the many health challenges

In her 2016 book, 'Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History's Great Personalities', science journalist Claudia Kalb speculated that Monroe suffered from borderline personality disorder.

"What is clear is that Monroe suffered from severe mental distress," she wrote.

“Her symptoms included a feeling of emptiness, a split or confused identity, extreme emotional volatility, unstable relationships, and an impulsivity that drove her to drug addiction and suicide - all textbook characteristics of a condition called borderline personality disorder," Kalb explains.

03/8What is borderline personality disorder?

The Mayo Clinic defines borderline personality disorder (BPD) as a mental health disorder that impacts the way you think and feel about yourself and others, causing problems functioning in everyday life.

This could include self-image issues, difficulty managing emotions and behavior, and a pattern of unstable relationships, sharing the health body.

04/84

05/8How does borderline personality disorder manifest?

People with borderline personality disorder suffer from an intense fear of abandonment and have trouble regulating their emotions, especially when it comes to anger. They're usually very impatient and impulsive and can show dangerous behaviour.

Mood swings can last from a few hours to a few days, which can include intense happiness, irritability, shame or anxiety, says the Mayo Clinic.

06/8Is there a specific cause as to why one develops this mental illness?

While medical professionals have not yet identified a specific cause for BPD, the UK's National Health Services suggests that it could have an association with genetic and environmental factors.

A study found that if 1 identical twin had BPD, there was a 2-in-3 chance that the other identical twin would also have BPD, reports the healthy body.

Furthermore, people who have been a victim of emotional, physical or sexual abuse, those who have been exposed to long-term fear or distress as a child or have been neglected by 1 or both parents, can have a greater likelihood of developing the mental condition.

07/8Marilyn Monroe's experience with BPD; how did it end?

After confessing that she was struggling with some mental health difficulties, Monroe was admitted in Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic in New York, where reportedly, she was kept in a padded cell, where doctors said that she was a “very sick girl. ”

Monroe, after coming out of the Clinic, wrote in a letter, “I said to them ‘If you are going to treat me like a nut I’ll act like a nut.’

“He told me I was a very, very sick girl and had been a very, very sick girl for many years.

“It had a very bad effect — they asked me after putting me in a ‘cell’ (I mean cement blocks and all) for very disturbed depressed patients except I felt I was in some kind of prison for a crime I hadn’t committed," she adds.

Unfortunately, Monroe struggled with mental health until the end. However, unlike those times, there are various treatments available in today's time.

08/8Treatment options today

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are many existing treatment options available for people suffering from borderline personality disorder.

From psychotherapy, which includes dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), schema-focused therapy, mentalization-based therapy (MBT) and transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) among others, to medications, your doctor may recommend a wide range of treatments, keeping your safety in consideration.

In certain cases, hospitalization may also be recommended to help you keep distance from self-injury and harm.

5 Iconic Women You Didn’t Know Struggled With Mental Health – Lehigh Center

Millions of people worldwide struggle with mental health, but did you know women are twice as likely to be diagnosed in their lifetime than men are? This is especially true of disorders like anxiety and depression.

March is Women’s History Month, so it only feels appropriate to share a little bit of insight about some of the most iconic women in history and delve deeper into their struggles with mental health, many of which are still unknown to the general public.

At Lehigh Center for Clinical Research, one of our biggest priorities is reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness and encouraging people from all walks off life to be more open and honest with themselves and others regarding aspects of mental health and wellness.

Through sharing the stories of these five powerful and influential women, it’s our hope that that possibility becomes just a little bit easier for some.

Kate Moss

Kate Moss is a British supermodel and businesswoman. After initially rising to fame in the mid 1990s in early twenties, Moss went on to develop one of the most lucrative fashion empires on the planet.

However, what many people may not know is that throughout her teenage years, the pressure of the modeling industry caused Moss to experience frequent symptoms of anxiety and panic disorders, including one major event that occured when she was just a teen.

“I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Marky Mark and Herb Ritts,” Moss told Vanity Fair in an October 2012 interview. “It didn’t feel like me at all. I felt really bad about straddling this buff guy. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die.”

Although she experienced insurmountable pressure at a very impressionable age, Moss kept fighting, and now she enjoys a more quiet and private lifestyle and continues to manage her fashion business and talent agency.

Miley Cyrus

Today, Miley Cyrus is one of the most recognizable celebrities on the planet, but growing up in the spotlight is never easy, especially when depression and substance abuse runs in the family.

According to Miley, it was learning more about her father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus, and the hardships he endured following his parents divorce when he was just three years old, that inspired Miley to get sober and focus on mental health.

“I did a lot of family history, which has a lot of addiction and mental health challenges,” she said in the Variety/iHeart podcast “The Big Ticket” back in the summer of 2020.

“[Depression]’s more of an issue than people really want to talk about,” Miley also told Elle in 2014. “Because people don’t know how to talk about being depressed — that it’s totally okay to feel sad. I went through a time where I was really depressed. Like, I locked myself in my room and my dad had to break my door down.”

“So many people look at [my depression] as me being ungrateful, but that is not it — I can’t help it. There’s not much that I’m closed off about, and the universe gave me all that so I could help people feel like they don’t have to be something they’re not or feel like they have to fake happy. There’s nothing worse than being fake happy.”

Nina Simone

Nina Simone was a famous singer and civil rights activist active throughout the 1950s and 1960s who is often credited for her part in paving the way for African American women to stand out in the arts.

The subject of a classic rags to riches story, Simone was born into a poor family and worked tirelessly to eventually enroll at Juilliard and fulfil her dream. However, unknown to many until after her death in 2003, Simone struggled with severe mental health throughout her later years, and likely her entire life.

In the 2015 documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? It was revealed that Simone was first diagnosed with manic depression and bipolar disorder in the 1980s, though her treatment was kept under wraps throughout the remainder of later years.

Despite struggling with these serious disorders, Simone is still considered a civil rights and arts and music icon to this very day.

Diana, Princess of Wales

During her life, Princess Diana was so popular and beloved by residents of the United Kingdom and by people from all over the world that she was eventually known as “The People’s Princess.” Idolized for her extensive grace, fashion sense, and charity work, Princess Diana is still considered one of the kindest and most genuine people to have ever lived.

What many don’t know however, is that throughout her life, Princess Di struggled with bulimia and severe depression that sometimes brought about self-harm.

“When no one listens to you, or you feel no one’s listening to you, all sorts of things start to happen. For instance you have so much pain inside yourself that you try and hurt yourself on the outside because you want help, but it’s the wrong help you’re asking for. People see it as crying wolf or attention-seeking…. but I was actually crying out because I wanted to get better in order to go forward and continue my duty and my role as wife, mother, princess of Wales,” the princess told BBC1 back in 1995.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe is perhaps the most famous American woman in history. A global superstar famous for her many incredible talents, Marilyn was acclaimed for modeling, singing, and acting. Throughout the mid-20th century (and still today) she is heralded as a beauty icon and a heroine and role model for many.

During her life however, Monroe struggled extensively with not only her own mental health, but also the mental health of mother, who is now known to have struggled with depression and schizophrenic tendencies.

Under the glam, glitz, and fame, Monroe eventually developed a drug addiction, one that would eventually launch her into a deep depression of her own and eventually be the cause of her untimely death.

Today, many modern psychologists believe that Marilyn Monroe suffered from what is now known as Borderline Personality Disorder, the symptoms of which include identity issues, addictive behavior, and suicidal ideology. It is thought that this disorder is at least partially caused by childhood feelings of abandonment.

There have been many stories like these throughout history, and for this reason, we at Lehigh Center for Clinical Research believe in the absolute importance of researching mental health and developing effective treatments that can help people from all walks of life live with their disorders.

If you’re interested in being a part of our journey to create better lives for those suffering from mental health disorders, click here to check out how you can get involved in one of our many ongoing studies or clinical trials. We look forward to seeing you!

Marilyn Monroe's 8 psychological traumas that broke her life

What life difficulties did the most popular and seductive celebrity of the last century have to face?

She became the idol of millions, but never knew motherly love; the most worthy men of her age dreamed of her, but she preferred to suffer from her tyrant lovers. How Marilyn Monroe fought inner demons and what broke her down in the end?

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Lack of motherly love

Norma Jean Baker's childhood (the name given to her at birth) can hardly be called cloudless. Her father ran away immediately after the birth of baby Norma, her mother suffered from mental disorders, hysteria and was absolutely not ready to raise a child. She gave Norma to her sister, who, in turn, entrusted the care of little Norma to an orphanage. From childhood, the baby was deprived of maternal care, warmth, understanding of what family and love are. The absence of these basic truths in the future broke the girl's life.

Nobody ever told me that I was beautiful when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told that they are beautiful, even if they are not.

Stepfather harassment

Marilyn's father did not have any warm feelings for her, and it is not surprising, because he simply left her with not the best mother in the world and escaped from responsibility. And the stepfather, with whom, according to some sources, little Norma lived for several years, showed far from paternal attention to her and sexually harassed the girl. In addition, there is evidence that Norma was the victim of sexual harassment more than once during her youth. Biographer Donald Spoto suggests that this may have influenced Marilyn and pushed her into prostitution in Hollywood.

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Childhood in a foster family

Biographers estimate that Marilyn Monroe lived with at least three foster families. Some adoptive parents were strict puritans and instilled in the girl the norms of moral purity, family values, respect for all forms of religiosity. In another family, on the contrary, they encouraged vanity and exaggerated concern for their own appearance - these adoptive parents tried to mold the new Jean Harlow out of the baby. Because of such a controversial upbringing, Marilyn was never able to understand what a real family, trust, unconditional love is.

Dependency on destructive relationships

Modern psychologists say that our relationship with the opposite sex in adult life directly depends on the relationship with our parents in childhood. Young Marilyn did not receive maternal love, and she did not even dream of paternal love. The girl entered adulthood with a program established since childhood: I am unworthy, there is nothing to love me for. That is why all her life she was drawn to despotic men who humiliated, betrayed and absolutely did not appreciate the one whom millions dreamed of. Due to untreated childhood trauma, Monroe was simply not capable of psychologically healthy relationships with men.

If you can make a girl laugh, you can do anything with her.

Unsuccessful marriages

Marilyn Monroe was married three times, but each time not too happy. At the age of 16, she first married - Jim Dougherty, a police officer, became her chosen one. The marriage lasted four years, after which Marilyn filed for divorce, as her husband forbade her to build a career as a model and actress. The second husband is baseball star Joe DiMaggio. With him, the young star lived for 263 days, as he also forced her to choose between him and cinema. Marilyn's choice was obvious. Monroe's third husband was playwright Arthur Miller (pictured).

Men think that girls are like books - if the cover is not attractive, then it is not worth reading.

Inability to have a child

As a child, Marilyn Monroe was deprived of a real family, so she wanted to create her own: with a loving husband, children, home evenings and joint weekends - such as is often shown in the movies. Doctors contemporaries of the actress in their notes indicated that the girl suffered from "women's problems", she could not get pregnant for a long time. Once Marilyn discovered that she was pregnant from her third husband, Arthur Miller - her happiness knew no bounds. However, the pregnancy turned out to be ectopic and ended in a miscarriage - this event once again crippled Monroe's mental health.

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Fear of loneliness and painful jealousy

A mental disorder called "Marilyn Monroe Syndrome" is now widespread. According to psychologists, a huge number of women face this problem. The main signs of the disorder are: persistent self-disgust, self-rejection, fear of loneliness, increased sacrifice, low self-esteem, frequent emotional surges. Marilyn herself admitted that she feels as if she "does not exist", and she saw the only opportunity to "be" only next to someone, which is why she became an actress.

I was not used to being happy, and therefore did not consider happiness to be something obligatory for me.

Absolute self-acceptance and low self-esteem

There are very few photos of a serious or sad Marilyn Monroe on the Web. The public wanted to see a sexy platinum blonde, her delicious curves, doll voice and beaming smile, and Marilyn gave it to them. And deep inside she hid pain, misunderstanding, self-loathing. For a long time she went to a psychotherapist - she tried to regain her emotional balance, however, according to biographers, the doctor only "pumped money out of the actress. " Monroe did not meet understanding even from her beloved husband. In his diary, she found an entry: “She behaves like a child, I hate her!”, And this hurt her very painfully. All her life she considered herself worthless and a failure, unworthy of love.

Sometimes I think it would be easier to avoid old age, to die young. But then my life would remain unfinished, would it not? I would never fully know myself.

Unfortunately, the girl's prophecy came true: Marilyn Monroe died at the age of 36. On the night of August 4-5, 1962, the actress took a large dose of sleeping pills and never woke up again. Many people knew about her dependence on barbiturates and sedatives: the girl had to resort to drugs to cope with neuroses and insomnia. Some believe that Marilyn committed suicide on purpose. Others suggest that several types of pills that the actress mixed by accident were to blame. They say gentlemen prefer blondes - in fact, they prefer healthy and happy women.

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Marilyn Monroe

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On the verge: 5 celebrities who channeled "dark emotions" into creative channels

Stories

How do great works of art come into being? Is the life of their authors different from what we are accustomed to? Where do the geniuses whose songs are heard in our headphones, whose books we hold in our hands and whose paintings we look at in museums draw inspiration from? And how do artists and entertainers deal with negative emotions?

Photo: Dom Slike / Alamy

What psychologists say their origin is disguised and, as a result of observing the rules of beauty, a seductive share of pleasure is offered to other people.

According to Freud, any human activity, including creative activity, serves primarily to obtain pleasure or to reduce hostility towards something painful.

The reciprocal emotions of the audience, which "finds itself" in the works, is one of the most important components of the influence and development of the popularity of art. The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, a student of Freud, calls this the "collective unconscious", referring to common problems that concern everyone in one way or another: eternal questions about the origin of life or its meaning, as well as such everyday problems as unrequited love, sorrow from the loss of a loved one, the joy of receiving something desired.

At the same time, only one's own experiences give the audience the opportunity to perceive this or that work. The German philosopher, psychologist Theodor Lipps called this phenomenon “empathy”.

However, such perception is selective, emphasizes the American psychologist Rudolf Arnheim: an individual can grasp only separate pieces of emotions expressed in a work of art.

But no matter how perceptively we read books or look at paintings, we should always remember that the creative process, thanks to which we have such a huge choice, is inseparable from the artist and forms a single whole with his life.

Van Gogh: loneliness and mental disorder

The famous artist Vincent van Gogh left behind Starry Night, Sunflowers, several Self-Portraits and more than two thousand other works. But when reading his letters to his brother, it turns out that he reveals himself as a lonely and unhappy person. Unrequited love, love and pity for his wife, who does not understand his work, poverty and misunderstanding of others - this is what the artist lived with. Van Gogh sought to find understanding for his loved ones, to make them notice something. And now we call it genius.

It is no secret that the great post-impressionist was treated in a psychiatric hospital for several years, and there are still disputes about exactly what diseases tormented him.

Based on the artist's life story and information about him in various historical documents, psychologist Richard Wyeth from the National Institute of Mental Health (USA) proved that Van Gogh suffered from manic-depressive psychosis.

Stephen King: Painful Experiences of the Past

Inner experiences may not haunt a person throughout his life, as was the case in the biography of Van Gogh - sometimes a revolution in consciousness can cause severe upheavals, for example from childhood. It was this kind of experience that was one of the reasons why Stephen King's best horror films were born.

One of the first shocks at a young age was the sudden disappearance of his father: when Stephen was two years old, his father Donald left the house one evening for cigarettes and never returned. The fate of the man remained unknown to Stephen for a long time, until he learned that their father started another family and lived nearby with his wife from Brazil with four children, until he died in 1980.

In addition to the loss of his father, at a young age, Stephen had to endure the loss of a friend. Four-year-old King witnessed the death of his peer, who was hit by a freight train - an incident that the writer, in his own words, completely forgot and remembered a few years later, when he was told about it.

But young King was disturbed not only by the loss of his loved ones, but also by the heavy worries about his own well-being. Due to frequent moving and poor health, Stephen had a hard time with measles, acute pharyngitis, which was complicated by an ear infection that could not be treated with any antibiotics. I had to seek medical help from Laura, who pierced the boy’s eardrum three times with a sterile needle so that the infected fluid would flow out of the ear.

According to King's memoirs, stronger than the hellish pain during punctures, he was tormented by the realization that the doctor lied all three times, saying that it would not hurt, and at the same time he did not even bother to remember the name of the patient.

These experiences could not but affect the worldview of Stephen King, which he subsequently transformed into terrible images in his books.

Lana Del Rey: a long search for oneself

If childhood experiences can be overcome, then internal anxieties and depressive moods are more difficult to drown out. But some cope, and again through creativity. This is how the image of the singer and actress Lana Del Rey was formed.

At school it was difficult for her to make friends because she did not get along with her peers. About the people who were her friends, she wrote: “I have very few friends. Only those who, like me, feel connected to the past and the future at the same time. There are few of us."

When Lana first learned about her death, she had a real worldview crisis, and at the age of 15 she became addicted to alcohol. Parents were very worried about their daughter, which is why they decided to send her to a special school, where the girl was helped to get rid of her addiction.

After that, Lana went to university and moved in with her aunt and uncle, who taught her how to play the guitar. At that moment, she realized that she could write hundreds of songs, began performing in nightclubs and finally managed to make new friends. “I had very good friends and devoted fans in the underground scene, but we only sang for each other,” the singer later recalled.

A young girl constantly searched for answers to her questions, tried to find harmony in her feelings, and sometimes the answers turned her mind upside down. At some point, Lana even went to study at the Faculty of Philosophy, which helped her "bridge the gap between science and God. " Lana found herself helping homeless children and participating in programs against alcohol and drug addiction, the first of which she successfully coped with herself. Creativity helped the singer to understand herself, understand emotions and throw them out, and then give people her songs.

Ludwig van Beethoven: dealing with the shock of hearing loss

The great composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who wrote nine symphonies in his lifetime, never heard the last one. Hearing loss began to bother the composer since 1796, when he was 26 years old. For a while, he even refused to admit to himself about the problem that had arisen. A little later, the composer resorted to treatment, but, in the end, he began to realize the severity and obvious incurability of his illness.

For any person, such an illness would have been a terrible blow, but considering that Ludwig had already developed as a professional at that time, such a loss was doubly hard for him.

Beethoven tried to hide his illness from everyone, including loved ones, avoided important public events, fearing the Viennese secular society, which, having learned about the problem, could put an end to his career.

Hearing loss is likely to be the cause of mental disorders. In a letter dated October 6, 1802, called the "Heiligenstadt Testament", left to the brothers Kaspar and Johann, Beethoven talks about the suffering caused by deafness. He asks people to forgive him for not hearing their speech. The letter is thoroughly saturated with pity and emotions of the desperate composer, who at that time may have been on the verge of suicide.

However, despite the physical ailment, the loss of optimism, as well as the feelings of unrequited love for Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, Beethoven hears the music inside, and it gives the composer vitality. Focusing on his soul, Beethoven heroically continues to write music that he will never hear. Thus, in absolute deafness, the greatest Symphony No. 9 is born.

Marilyn Monroe: life in fictional roles

Creativity sometimes serves as a refuge for the creator, but the refuge does not always solve the problem or help. So, if Beethoven surrendered to music inside his soul and created a great work, then the actress and Hollywood sex symbol Marilyn Monroe, surrendering to her roles, only fled from real life and solving problems

Norma Jean Mortenson (this is Marilyn's real name) has been restless and lonely since childhood. Because of the hard work, the mother gave Norma to the Bolender family who lived nearby for temporary guardianship. Sometimes she came to see her daughter for the weekend.

By the summer of 1933, Norma's mother considered herself financially stable enough, so she took her daughter. But a few months later, in January 1934, she began to show signs of a mental disorder, and was soon diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

After several months at the rest home, Monroe's mother was admitted to the Metropolitan Government Hospital. Norma ended up in the care of the state, and she was taken in by her mother's friend, Grace McKee. After Grace got married, Norma found herself superfluous in the family, and she was sent to an orphanage.

The shelter repeatedly wanted to adopt the girl, but the mother, who was in the hospital, refused to sign the relevant documents. A little later, Norma moved in with her great-aunt Olivia. But even there she did not live long, and at the beginning of 19At age 38, Grace sent the girl to her aunt Anna Atchinson Lower. She, according to the memoirs of Marilyn, she lived the most peaceful period of her life.

Monroe's career began by chance when he met photographer David Conover. Success pursued the young actress, and with each role she had more and more fans. She felt that she needed films and scripts, but at the same time she understood that they did not love her, but her image.

“Hollywood is where you get paid a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul. I know this because I declined the first repeatedly and held out my hand for fifty cents,” she later recalled in her memoirs.

Many deified Monroe and considered her ideal, but the girl needed very little: ordinary love. “Honestly, I don’t want someone who only sees the good in me. I need someone who sees the bad in me, but still wants to be with me, ”she wrote in her diary.

Monroe was a very vulnerable girl: she could sob when she saw a dead dog on the side of the road. Perhaps this was the cause of her psychological disorders.

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