Was Charles Darwin Pschotic?

Question

Was Charles Darwin Psychotic? A Study of His Mental Health (#367)
by Jerry Bergman, Ph.D
Download Was Charles Darwin Psychotic? A Study of His Mental Health PDF
Abstract
Darwin was clearly a very troubled man and suffered from severe emotional problems for most of his adult life, especially when he was in the prime of life. The exact cause of his mental and many physical problems has been much debated and may never be known for certain.

http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=112

Read the entire article at the above link.
It's available in PDF as well.

The question should read Was Charles Darwin Psychotic?

Answer 1

He was a man of his times-- followed the thinking of his father and his uncle.... did a bit or research on CORAL that was pretty good.

He would be devastated to find his thinking has turned in to the religion....Darwinism.

Answer 2

Bergman's use of the word "psychotic" is on one level an ad hominem attack upon evolution - discredit the source and it discredits the theory by proxy but that will not hold since his theory has stood up to scrutiny over the past nearly 150 years.

Darwin sufferred health problems throughout his life. Many people have posthumously diagnosed Darwin. None of these are consistent with the idea of him being "psychotic" which is to suggest he was not in his "right mind" and call into question his mental status.

Some other papers to explore from actual peer review scientific journals instead of Bergmans ideologically driven drivel:

Alder, J., R. Colp Jr., G. M. FitzGibbon, A. G. Gordon, T. J. Barloon, and R. Noyes Jr. 1997. The dueling diagnoses of Darwin. Journal of the American Medical Association 277: 1275-1277.
Alder, S. 1959. Darwin's illness. Nature 184: 1102-1103.
Barloon, T. J. and R. Noyes, Jr. 1997. Charles Darwin and panic disorder. Journal of the American Medical Association 277: 138-141.
Campbell, A. K. and S. B. Matthews. 2005. Darwin's illness revealed. Postgraduate Medical Journal 81: 248-251.
Pasnau, Robert O. 1990. Darwin's illness: A biophychosocial perspective. Psychosomatics 31: 121-128.
Smith, F. et al. 1990. Darwin's illness. Lancet 336: 1139-1140.

Answer 3

What would it matter if he was? Does that make his science wrong?
>>>>>>
Many different diagnoses have been proposed for Darwin's illness, generating much controversy (Smith et al. 1990; Alder et al. 1997; Campbell and Matthews 2005). An organic cause for Darwin's illness is entirely possible. Both Chagas' disease (Alder 1959; Pasnau 1990) and systemic lactose intolerance (Campbell and Matthews 2005) explain most or all of his symptoms. Some have taken his symptoms as evidence for panic disorder with agoraphobia (Barloon and Noyes 1997), but the symptoms can also be direct symptoms or other consequences of the above organic illnesses. For example, a relatively secluded lifestyle and occasional depression are normal reactions to a chronic illness. Other symptoms, such as anxiety upon leaving home on the Beagle, may be entirely normal. The timing of his symptoms does not fit all that well with a psychosomatic cause but does fit well with systemic lactose intolerance (Campbell and Matthews 2005).

Even if Darwin's illness was an anxiety disorder, such a disorder has nothing to do with being psychotic. It is a genetic disease which causes synapses in the fight-or-flight region of the brain sometimes to fire more than they should. The disease is typically associated with above-average intelligence.

The theory of evolution is based on evidence, not on the authority of Darwin. Aspects of Darwin's life are of historical interest, but they have no relevance to science.

John Nash suffered schizophrenia but won a Nobel prize in economics for his application of game theory.
Stephen Hawking has done most of his work in physics after becoming wheelchair-bound from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).
Florence Nightingale did much to reform the British public health system while an invalid.
Darwin researched and wrote several major books on diverse subjects (including orchids, barnacles, the expression of emotions, insectivorous plants, and earthworms) while chronically ill.

Answer 4

Oh the sad lengths creationists will go to try to discredit science. Sigh.

"Charles Darwin was a mild, kind, pleasant man, unassuming and sincerely modest. He suffered from an unexplained illness much of his adult life (perhaps picked up during the Beagle voyage). He nevertheless remained driven and ambitious to explore nature and examine it candidly and to remain part of the elite scientific world he respected and admired. Darwin died in 1882 and he is buried in Westminster Abbey."

http://pages.britishlibrary.net/charles.darwin3/darwin_bio.htm

Answer 5

Does it really matter?

Most geniuses are thought of as pschotic.

Einstien, Samuel Clemmings aka Mark Twain. Benjamin Franklin.

They were thought to have ADD, when in fact they were just really creative.

It doesnt matter if Darwin was mentally stable or not. His findings still ring true either way.

People are just jelous of his intelligence and want to find a way to cut him down.

Answer 6

How do you study the psychosis of a patient that you have never met. Easy answer, you can't. Any conclusions made about the man's mental health are questionable at best, unless they are reports from a therapist who treated him. And lets not forget, you can't spell therapist without the rapist.

Answer 7

Don't know about his mental health, but he was an antichrist.

1John 4:2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
1John 4:3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Answer 8

Abraham Lincoln was, for much of his life, clinically depressed and on several occasions contemplated suicide.

Also, based on behavior descibed in the bible, many people agree that John the Baptist must have been menally imbalanced with visions and delusions of grandeur.

I guess that makes their contributions worthless too huh?

Answer 9

And worshiping some thing that you can't see,hear or even know if it's real is not psychotic

Answer 10

With all respect most of us have psychotic or neurotic moments.

Answer 11

hyell yeah he was ...he also did alot of acid lol i seen that on the history channel