John Adams

As is oftentimes mentioned in historical literature, John Adams was a very unhappy president. In fact, some believe that he suffered from both depression and several bouts of mania. It is believed that he had recurring attacks of depression back in 1756, when he was a law student.

John Adams had a habit of writing down his thoughts in his diaries when he repeatedly wrote about great anxiety and distress. Later on, he even confessed that he was not one of those people who suffered in silence, as he oftentimes sighed, sobbed, groaned, and sometimes even screamed. He also added that he wasn’t proud of the fact that he also swore.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson followed John Adams as President of the United States, and it is now known that our third president also suffered from clinical depression. Jefferson had a couple of physical ailments, like back problems and headaches, which had a great impact on his melancholy.

Worse than that, it is now believed that all the financial woes and personal losses he suffered only deepened Jefferson’s depression. His wife, Martha, died after giving birth to their last child at only 33 years old. After his wife’s death, sources say that Thomas Jefferson stayed in his room for three weeks, going out only to join his daughter Patsy on horseback rides.