Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:127-132
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
Self-portrayal by a depressed poet: a contribution to the clinical biography of William Cowper
JE Meyer and R Meyer
The life of the eighteenth-century English poet William Cowper, who
suffered from recurrent major depression, or bipolar II disorder, is
described. Since no effective treatment was available, Cowper's writings
give an example of the natural history of major depression. They also
illustrate the fate of a mental patient of the upper classes at that time.
The authors discuss the relevance of Cowper's mother's death during his
childhood to his depressive illness and draw attention to the poet's
sensitive description of his own psychopathology and the lifelong course of
his illness.
