Lincoln’s Depression | Joshua Wolf Shenk | Madness Radio

Celebrated US President Abraham Lincoln also suffered from life-threatening depression. Did he view his "melancholy" as a treatable illness, as a punishment from God -- or as a source of his gifts? How did Lincoln's extraordinary leadership abilities arise from his struggle with extreme pain? Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness, explores the famous President's battle with despair, suicide, and intense sorrow, and disc...