David Wu's Mental Illness May Cause Dethroning

Rep. David Wu (Democrat for Oregon) is the latest in a string of high profile politicians whose constituents have called for him to resign due to mental health issues. Wu has been in the position since 1999 and is best known for his erratic behavior on the job. David Wu's troubles began years ago, before he ingested the oxycodone pills in October of 2010 or those campaign woes.

In 2003, according to the Oregon Live website, Wu went into an "almost catatonic" state while on the house floor while voting on a bill. In 2007, he warned about Klingons in the White House. His personal life was also a mess; he and his wife were legally separated in 2009. After his successful bid in the 2010 election, most of his senior staff quit working for him citing reasons of erratic behavior.

In another Oregon Live report, he did say that he is receiving medication and counseling for his illness. That Oregon live report cited the "Good Morning America" show, where Wu gave an interview in February 2011. The Oregon Live link above has a video clip so interested parties can hear Wu's admissions firsthand.

Several high level politicians have experienced mental illness while in office; it's just none of them have been allowed to remain in office for this long. Today, with modern medications, a person with a mental illness can hold a job and be effective in it. However, it is up to the patient to take the medication on a daily basis and diligently keep track of his own actions. Working closely with an active doctor who will monitor the levels of medication and adjust them if necessary is extremely important.

There is an interesting report on the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease that reveals that 18 United States presidents suffered some form of psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, bipolar and alcohol abuse. The study centered on those presidents in office from 1776 to 1974, so it included 37 of them. Almost half of the presidents during that time had some form of mental illness, so Wu's case is not a singular event on the political arena.

The Free Republic website, which contained information on that Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease article mentioned in the preceding paragraph, revealed which presidents were affected. Teddy Roosevelt and Lyndon B Johnson had bipolar disorder while Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge and Woodrow Wilson had a major depression disorder. Some of these men are considered the best presidents we had; some were the worst.