# What presidents were mentally unstable while president? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656 "2009-06-22T22:37:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/21 "2009-06-23T15:37:42Z")
I’m surprised nobody has yet said “You gotta be a little off in the head to want that job!”. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/22 "2009-06-23T15:55:25Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > Just finished reading **The Great Influenza** , and the author makes the case that Wilson’s mental capacities were diminished by his recent bout with the Spanish flu, leading him to capitulate to the Brits and French on Armistice terms; the resulting harsh peace set the stage for you-know-who and WWII. Damn you **Rocketeer**! That’s what I wanted to post. It’s an interesting theory, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/23 "2009-06-23T16:10:48Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > political sniping aside. Good one, ShibbOleth! 😃 As for Lyndon, if anyone can recall, long hair was quite fashionable back then. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/24 "2009-06-23T16:11:17Z")
I can’t remember where I read it, but I do remember seeing somewhere fairly recently that Eisenhower was “known” (in the open secret way, like JFK’s women) to be a pretty mean drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/25 "2009-06-23T16:35:52Z")
Regarding Wilson, I thought it was common knowledge that his stroke left him more or less incapacitated in the last months of his presidency, leaving his wife to run things more or less. Or is that still just theory? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/26 "2009-06-23T16:38:20Z")
> [@NicePete](#): > > How dare you impugn the reputation of Saint Ronnie! Why, I’ll have you know that he was such a good and true American that diseases which would attack us lesser humans would never _dream_ of infecting the Greatest. President. EVAR! Right, right - and Obama is a Muslim, and Clinton had all those people killed, and so on. If Jack Chick were a Democrat, he would be a valued resource for the SDMB. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/27 "2009-06-23T17:04:05Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > To be fair, there is no direct evidence\* that Reagan was affected by Alzheimer’s during his presidency. Sometimes it’s a tough distinction between senior moments (mixing up names, misspeaking, etc) and Alzheimer’s. But the formal diagnosis came well after he’d left office. I thought that Alzheimer’s isn’t definitively diagnosed until after death. Thus no one can be said to have it “officially” and certainly no doctor’s diagnosis could be made for **Shodan’s** benefit. In general, I’d think that performing in public as well as Reagan did despite _possible_ Alzheimer’s, if that’s what indeed happened, would be a badge of honor and not a slur on the man. Overcoming adversity and keeping it together is admirable. It’s not like Democrats (in this day and age, anyway) insist that Franklin Delano Roosevelt could walk. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/28 "2009-06-23T18:39:44Z")
> [@De\_La\_Rue](#): > > Come on, that’s Tom-Hanks-Da-Vinci-Code hair. You could get away with that in a formal setting. They had a shot of him during a Dallas Cowboys game sometime in the '60’s, and to my teen eyes, his stringy shoulder-length hair looked a bit creepy and sad, kind of like that caretaker guy in Harry Potter. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/29 "2009-06-23T19:48:33Z")
JFK was a very sick man, there is good evidence that he was addicted to amphetamines (supplied by Dr. Max Jacobson). In addition, Kennedy was a sex addict, and had his offic manager ( Dave Powers) regularly bring prostitutes into the White House\> CITE: “THE DARK SIDE of CAMELOT” Seymour Hersch, 1997. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/30 "2009-06-23T20:14:05Z")
As far as Saint Ronnie goes, he was clearly mentally challenged as early as the 1960s. His gaffes and clueless looks were famous. It just got noticably worse when he was president. Whether it was just generic dementia or Alzheimer’s at that point doesn’t matter. The guy was practically a drooling idiot. The video of his testimony shortly after leaving office is a _must see_ to anyone that has any doubts of his mental incapacity while president. No one goes from sane to can’t remember basic facts in a few months. Saint Ronnie has a horde of spin doctors, but if you ignore their spin and just watch that video you’ll understand. * * * LBJ drank himself to death within 4 years of leaving office. People talked quite a bit about his change in mood once he realized that Vietnam was going to be the blackhole that would destroy his legacy. It got worse after he decided not to run again and especially after the Chicago convention when he saw his party hand the election to Nixon. I think he was just continuing his “usual” heavy drinking at this time and didn’t go on a strongly liquid diet until after leaving office. Compared to Nixon’s break during his last days, LBJ was not as severely depressed but was depressed for a long period. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/31 "2009-06-23T20:31:11Z")
> [@Katriona](#): > > I can’t remember where I read it, but I do remember seeing somewhere fairly recently that Eisenhower was “known” (in the open secret way, like JFK’s women) to be a pretty mean drunk. Eisenhower had a temper, but it was Mamie (his wife) who was rumored to be the family drunk. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/32 "2009-06-23T20:37:31Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > As far as Saint Ronnie goes, he was clearly mentally challenged as early as the 1960s. His gaffes and clueless looks were famous. It just got noticably worse when he was president. Whether it was just generic dementia or Alzheimer’s at that point doesn’t matter. The guy was practically a drooling idiot. > > The video of his testimony shortly after leaving office is a _must see_ to anyone that has any doubts of his mental incapacity while president. No one goes from sane to can’t remember basic facts in a few months. Saint Ronnie has a horde of spin doctors, but if you ignore their spin and just watch that video you’ll understand. > > . You mean… the liberals got their butts kicked year in and year out for 20+ years by a senile, drooling idiot? Boy, THAT must make you proud!!! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/33 "2009-06-23T20:46:34Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No, he did not. Of course if you have a cite from some medical doctor who actually examined him and diagnosed this during the last parts of his Presidency, feel free to post it. > > Regards, > Shodan Jesus H. Christ. Did you miss the question mark in the post you quoted? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/34 "2009-06-23T20:51:45Z")
After he left office it was revealed that Reagan was far more seriously injured and that his inner circle was far more concerned for his life initially) than the news accounts let on. IANAD but I would not be surprised if that didn’t hasten any mental infirmities that came afterwards. (Even a 30 year old in the prime of health having that same gunshot wound would take some time to recover.) No idea how true they are, but there are several accounts that JFK was a periodic LSD user (not that there was anything illegal about that at the time). ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/35 "2009-06-24T06:16:52Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Good one, ShibbOleth! > 😃 > > As for Lyndon, if anyone can recall, long hair was quite fashionable back then. Gah. I was in my prime in the '70’s. Now I feel like a senile, babbling idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/36 "2009-06-24T06:26:51Z")
Reagan was pretty much in decline for like the last 6 years of his Presidency. Let’s be honest. I remember those debates with Mondale – the stammering, the long pauses, the desperate mental searching for an answer to the word, “hello.” It was a bumpy ride for Reagan supporters. I was one of them at the time. We were all terrified that his obvious senility would kill him in the election. It didn’t. I was one of the idiots who voted for him, knowing that his brain was gone (and it’s a brain that was never better than average to begin with), but reassuring ourselves that he was surrounded by advisors who wouldn’t let him push any buttons or walk in front of a bus. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/37 "2009-06-24T07:12:16Z")
Would Boris Yeltsin count ? I don’t think he was deranged per se, but in his later years he certainly appeared to spend most of his waking hours rip-roaring drunk. And not the good natured, jolly yet functional, Churchill kind of drunk. More like vomit-on-the-ambassador’s-wife-then-pass-out drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/38 "2009-06-24T13:43:55Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Jesus H. Christ. Did you miss the question mark in the post you quoted? No. Did you miss the first four words of my post? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Kiber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiber/32/317_2.png) [@Kiber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiber)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/39 "2009-06-24T13:57:45Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No, he did not. Of course if you have a cite from some medical doctor who actually examined him and diagnosed this during the last parts of his Presidency, feel free to post it. > > Regards, > Shodan This is fair. Sure - the op called for conjecture, but I suggest that we instead adhere to the criteria established by **Shodan** and limit our discussions to only those leaders with a confirmed, verifiable medical diagnosis. (cue crickets . . . . . . ) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656/40 "2009-06-24T14:09:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No. Did you miss the first four words of my post? > > Regards, > Shodan Oh - I TOTALLY glossed over that. I just went straight to the part where you started frothing at the mouth. Tell me - what was the purpose of that second sentence? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-presidents-were-mentally-unstable-while-president/500656.md?page=3)