World-Famous and Depressed. From Sisi to Adenauer

Empress Sisi, Winston Churchill, Konrad Adenauer, or Marilyn Monroe: They are considered icons—admired, revered, and world-famous. And yet they all went through profound crises.

Even Sisi was said to suffer from severe “melancholy.” The empress never weighed more than 50 kilograms, despite being 1.72 meters tall. Toward the end of her life, she wore only black clothing and avoided all contact with the public. This “melancholy,” which was already understood as a mental illness at the time, was not given the name “depression” until the 19th century.

Winston Churchill repeatedly experienced periods of persistent despondency. He referred to these times as “visits from the black dog.” Behind Marilyn Monroe’s glamorous facade, too, lay emotional abysses, particularly traumatic experiences from her childhood. Konrad Adenauer repeatedly suffered from bouts of melancholy, which he shared with only a few. Previously unknown letters and materials offer new insights into his emotional world and state of mind. In them, Adenauer also mentions suicidal thoughts.

While psychotherapy has become more commonplace in Anglo-Saxon countries since the 1950s, Germans have struggled to deal with depression. Following the tragic death of goalkeeper Robert Enke, something seems to be changing in Germany, and the stigma surrounding the illness is clearly diminishing. More and more people, including celebrities, are speaking publicly about their depression. It is an illness that can take many different forms, but one that is treatable if it is not hidden or downplayed. The German Depression Aid organization reports that approximately one in five to six adults is affected by depression at some point in their lives.

Psychologist Leon Windscheid guides viewers through the history of depression using prominent examples and interviews with experts. He speaks with the renowned New York psychoanalyst Erika Freeman, who treated not only Marilyn Monroe but also Woody Allen, Marlon Brando, and many other Hollywood stars. Leon Windscheid travels to Maria Laach Abbey, where Konrad Adenauer sought refuge from the Nazis. There he meets Prof. Hanns-Jürgen Küsters, who quotes from the approximately 200 previously unknown letters written by Germany’s first chancellor. What was known about depression or related mental states during the protagonists’ respective eras, and how did those affected cope with it themselves? How do we view the great figures of world history today, armed with our current knowledge? Leon Windscheid also meets with Teresa Enke, the widow of German national soccer goalkeeper Robert Enke, who died by suicide in 2009. As chairwoman of the Robert Enke Foundation, she is now working to raise awareness about depression. For the first time in this overview, the documentary explains the background of the stories of suffering in the individual biographies.

Click here for the program in the ZDF MEDIA LIBRARY.