WINSTON CHURCHILL - FAMOUS BIPOLAR LEADER
Winston Churchill was a famous British Prime Minister. He was noted for his leadership of the British Army during the Second World War. Churchill was born Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill on 30th November, 1874. Churchill gained respect and fame working as a law correspondent during the Indian, Sudanese and Second Boer Wars, events which he recorded in his books. He served as an army commander during the First World War. He also held many political positions for almost fifty years. Churchill was admired for his speeches which inspired many people in Britain and the world at large. He also wrote many books.
Churchill initially had a speech impairment which did not allow him to speak well but he worked hard to overcome that. He earned much of his living through writing books. His books were always a hit. He continued to write even when he became prime minister and also wrote articles for the newspapers. He was a great political observer as well, warning of the rise of Adolph Hitler. Churchill was also well established in History and biography writing, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Churchill was rebellious and independent by nature. This accounted for his poor performance in school to which he was punished. He began his military career by joining the Harrow Rifle Corps when he was enrolled in Harrow School at age 17. There he did well in English and History and later became the school’s fencing champion.
Winston Churchill was believed to have developed bipolar disorder, which was attributed to lack of parental contact. His father hardly spoke to him and his mother was almost always not around. He wrote to beg his mother to let him come home or visit him, and was always seeking attention from his mother. This is typical of people with bipolar disorder as they seek attention to themselves. While in the army, he opted to get into the frontline of the battle because he wanted alcohol and not the tea and condensed milk served the Grenadier Guards. He wanted the alcohol as a way of escape from his ailment. While in Cuba during the Cuban war, he got introduced to Havana which he smoked until his death.
Churchill had undergone a stroke while on a holiday in France, and then a more serious one later. He was neither able to walk or speak well. After recovery, he suffered another stroke, which was not so serious. These series of stroke could be attributed to the effects of the bipolar disorder.
He always worked for extra income to help him survive his spending habits. He lived an extravagant lifestyle, always trying to be like the best in society. In the army, he worked as dispatcher for the newspapers at the time to get extra income to enable him to dress and live like the army officers. This is clearly a sign of the bipolar disorder. Patients live expensive lifestyles to cover up poor self image and other deficiencies.