The Psychological Problems of Ivan the Terrible

Ivan the Terrible was born on August 25, 1530, as Ivan IV Vasilyevich. He was the Grand Duke of Muscovy in his earlier years and later became the first tsar of Russia. Ivan the Terrible performed numerous acts that certainly indicated he had some mental disorders. Possible disorders that he might have suffered from include: bipolar disorder, borderline personality, paranoid personality disorder, anti-social personality disorder, substance use disorder and sadistic behavior.

Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic depression, involves both depressed and manic episodes. People experience manic episodes in different ways, but most usually experience feelings of high energy. It is most likely that Ivan the Terrible had these episodes of high energy when he threw cats and dogs out the Kremlin windows. His bi-polarity is also seen by his ability to go from the depraved orgies to prayers and fasting in a monastery. Such an extreme shift is a strong indicator of his bi-polar disorder.

Borderline personality could also describe Ivan the Terrible because symptoms include difficulty maintaining intimate close connections. Ivan the Terrible had few close friends and intimate relationships because he would kill them off. Most of his friendships were of short durations because he would become annoyed by a trifle thing and kill them. Furthermore, borderline personality includes inappropriate and intense anger or rage with temper tantrums. He certainly had temper tantrums, especially in 1581, when he beat his pregnant daughter-in-law for wearing immodest clothing. He caused a miscarriage and led to an argument with his son, Ivan. The argument led to his son's "accidental" death. Obviously, this shows that Ivan the Terrible had anger management problems and could not control himself, especially if he can kill his own son. Anyone who opposed or annoyed him would end up dead. He seemed to have little tolerance and if he did not like someone, he would kill them.

Paranoid personality disorder causes people to feel persecuted and unjustly treated. Ivan the Terrible certainly felt this way because the boyars from the Shuisky and Belsky families often molester and mistreated him. These traumatic experiences contributed to his hatred of boyars. Furthermore, he might have also suffered from antisocial personality disorder. People with this disorder have little regard for other people's feelings. They view the world as a hostile place where people need to look out for themselves. Ivan the Terrible obviously did not care for the well-being of his subjects; instead he beat them up, robbed them, or raped them for fun. His lack of friends also supports this theory.

Substance use disorder is when someone uses a substance regularly and inflicts negative effects on a person's life. Ivan the Terrible showed signs of addiction to the mercury that he consumed as a treatment for syphilis. He kept a cauldron of mercury in his room and consumed it daily. Exhumation of his body has shown that he died of mercury poisoning, which supports the idea of his dependence on mercury consumption.

Finally, Ivan the Terrible was a sadist, or someone who is aroused by inflicting pain on others. This one is obvious because he threw cats and dogs out the Kremlin windows for his own amusement. He and his gang often beat people up or raped just for fun. The behavior of Ivan the Terrible suggests that he suffered from these psychological disorders.

Sources:
Madariaga, Isabel de. Ivan the Terrible. Yale University Press: 2005.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kvenjb/madmonarchs/ivan4/ivan4_bio.htm
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/russia/ivantheterrible.html
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/bipolar_disorder/article_em.htm