A First Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness

A First Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness
by Nassir Ghaemi

I have never seen a stronger case against the stigma that mental illness carries than what was written in this book.  What a read.  Ghaemi takes this radical approach in outlining why certain revered historical figures very probably had mental illnesses, including Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, both of whom I learned had attempted suicide at some point in their lives.  He takes it a step further though, by showing how their mental illnesses led them to success rather than failure, the same success that eluded many mentally healthy leaders.  I love this book.  I love the subject matter; I don't think I've ever been more interested in history than when it was intertwined with psychologically in this book.  I love that mental illness isn't just seen as a struggle, but a positive force.  I do wish the spectrum of mental illnesses included was wider, but the book does what it sets out to do, and it does it beautifully.  I want everyone to read this book to re-evaluate what mental health really means.