I have to do a report in Health class about Poe. The main question is what mental disorder did he have?? I've looked everywhere, and there are alot of assumptions. I'm not sure what I should say. Can anyone help me please?? :-)

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2003

Answers

I've never heard of Poe actually having a mental disorder.

If I were you, I would look at all the assumptions that you found and try to either prove them right or wrong. Say, someone said he suffered from depression - how can that be considered right or wrong?

Sorry it wasn't much help.

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2003

Even without personal life problems it seems Poe had some depressive tendencies, an aloneness, an inner emotional swing, an inability to pursue very long endeavors, as with Charles Baudelaire who was much more incapable of completing long works and whose procrastination was legendary(and who could dose himself up ten times more than Poe and did)

Yet Poe had more problems as a physical nature some have documented as more related to alcohol abuse, notably a seeming hypoglycemic condition and irregular heart beat. It all is a matter of conjecture, even his cause of death which some make out as a case of rabies.

In any case Poe was more "normal" than people obsessed with his legend can imagine. Supreme rationalist, convivial, jokester, lesssupernatural or brutal elements in his Gothic stories than his contemporaries, well mannered, likes cats and kids. In other words, despite what he lets out in his writngs for fun or otherwise and except for time spent under the influence he was no more afflicted than the rest of us except with talent.

-- Anonymous, November 01, 2003

I have heard Poe did have a mental disorder and if you read the Tell Tale Heart it say This Deciece has strenghtened my scences. I think he meant his mental deciese. By the way he writes I hope he did have a deciece and if he were sued for killing he could plead guilty for reason of insanity. Even if he was insane it made him the best writter.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2004

The only disease I have ever heard of him having was a weak heart, which I'm not sure could be considered an actual disease. Depression seems like a likely disorder for him to have considering all of the crisis in his life I.E. death of parents as a boy, death of wife after only two years of marriage(of the same disease as parents mind you)

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2004

Edgar allan poe didn't really have a mental disease other than depression but he was a heavy drinker which could have made him more depressed.

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2005