Depression is manifested differently in men and in high achieving and high level professionals than in the general population. It can be hard to recognize and therefore more difficult to diagnose and treat.  Not only family members, but even physicians may not consider the possibility of depression in fellow physicians or in leaders.  Often depressed people with power and influence will exhibit irritability instead of sadness. In very high achievers, in some instances, such behavior is tolerated; in others, it will be labeled.  Physicians who are labeled "disruptive" because their behavior might adversely impact patient care may be suffering from depression.

See Healy, Depressed Men, Atypical Symptoms, LA Times

NIMH publishes an informative booklet on Men and Depression

Dr. Leon Rosenberg is former dean of Yale University School of Medicine.  His little publicized but stirring account of his lifelong battle with bipolar disease and very serious suicide attempt, "Brainsick: A Physician's Journey to the Brink" can be found at Dana Foundation's Cerebrum V4 No 4 Fall 2002.  More of his story can be found at All About Psychotherapy, including the fact that even he did not reveal his diagnosis or seek treatment due to concerns about stigmatization.  Another article about Dr. Rosenberg's suicide survival is here.

Steven Miles is an acclaimed medical ethicist and physician who has successfully faced licensure challenge based on treatment for Bipolar Illness in MN.  His story is here.  More about mental health and licensure challenges here.

Dr. Sherwin Nuland, a gifted medical writer and surgeon suffered severe depression and has written a book, Lost in America about his experience.

Dale Carrisen MD is currently head of Nevada's Homeland Security Commission.  His story can be found here.

Arthur Zankel was not a physician (financier and close friend of Citibank chair Sanford Weill), but his suicide illustrates many of the problems inherent in addressing depression and suicide prevention in high achieving persons.

Mike Wallace, Art Buchwald, and William Styron discuss their experiences with depression in Gray Matters: Depression and the Brain, a 1996 panel discussion by the Dana Alliance in conjunction with Public Radio International.

Mike Wallace admitted on the occasion of his "retirement" from CBS Sixty Minutes in 2006 that he once attempted suicide by overdose during a depressive episode. Wallace's first depression was triggered by litigation stress. 

Abraham Lincoln clearly suffered from depression, a fact which has been obscured by some historians.  An excellent biographical account can be found in Lincoln's Melancholy , a book by Joshua W Schenk which is reviewed in JAMA here.

Philip Burguieres, the youngest ever CEO of a Fortune 500 company has suffered depression and is a champion for mental health parity in Texas.

NAMI maintains a long but by no means inclusive list of famous people who have suffered from mental illness. Dr. Kay Jamison has published many books about extraordinarily gifted persons throughout history who have suffered from mood disoorders. 

See also Inspirational Stories section of this website for more on successful survivors.