The Healing Power of Celebrity? SurvivorList.net Offers a New Twist on Therapy for Manic Depression

What do Marilyn Monroe, Ted Turner, Napoleon, and Drew Carey all have in common? They all suffered from manic depression. Yet they all overcame their illness and went on to become hugely successful. When Lars Lohmiller, a San Francisco web designer, was diagnosed with manic depression only a few months after losing his job, he felt a strong sense of hopelessness despite planned medical treatment. While researching his illness, he found that manic depression is a disease that has afflicted many famous people who have not let their depression prevent them from achieving their life goals. Inspired, Lars decided to publish a free website with a list of famous manic depression sufferers so that other people could be similarly inspired.

(PRWEB) June 9, 2004 -- As a newly diagnosed manic depressive, Lars Lohmiller felt a very strong sense of hopelessness. He was unsure if he would be able to live a normal life or be able to realize any of his childhood dreams. To his surprise, as he learned more about his condition, he discovered that manic depression is actually quite common. Here are just a few of the famous individuals who have beaten manic depression:

*Buzz Aldrin (astronaut)

*Ted Turner (media mogul)

*Drew Carey (comedian)

*Art Buchwald (writer)

*Beethoven (composer)

*Winston Churchill (politician)

*Cary Grant (actor)

*Marilyn Monroe (actress)

The complete list can be found at http://www.survivorlist.net/manic-depression/manic-depression-survivors.html

Searching for a way to beat the disease, Lars latched onto the obvious success of so many well-known manic depressives, and was profoundly affected by their efforts. Although scientific and medical treatments for depression are quite effective and should be pursued by individuals experiencing symptoms of depression, there is also an emotional component to the healing and treatment process. In particular, it is extremely important for depressed individuals to retain a sense of hope about the future. One way to give this feeling to sufferers of manic depression is by showing that other people with their condition were able to overcome their illness and achieve success.

Once his own manic depression was under control and being treated effectively, Lars decided to publish a list of famous manic depression sufferers on the Internet, and make the information available for free, so that other manic depressives seeking hope would be able to find it. The "Famous Manic Depression Survivors" list can be found at SurvivorList.net (http://www.survivorlist.net), along with pointers to some additional depression resources.

About SurvivorList.net

SurvivorList.net was founded to provide a comprehensive list of well-known manic depression sufferers as a free public service. SurvivorList.net is intended to provide inspiration and hope to anyone, anywhere who is experiencing pain or suffering as the result of depression. It is not meant as a substitute for medical advice from a trained physician or psychologist.