Mary todd lincoln had mental illness

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Mary's grief continued to deepen with the loss of her son, Tad, in 1871.

With the help of two of her closest and only remaining friends, James and Myra Bradwell, of Chicago – and against the strong protests of Robert Lincoln – Mary Lincoln would be released after only four months to the custody of her sister in Springfield, Elizabeth Edwards.

The subject of Mary Lincoln’s mental health has long been the subject of public debate.

She wrote letters to members of Congress and asked others to work on her behalf. They'd give her medication, and she'd be fine today, as long as she took the medication.”

“But back then, they didn't have that,” Emerson said. So it's clear throughout her whole life.”

After her release, Mary Todd Lincoln lived a relatively quiet life, although she remained plagued by both psychiatric and physical ailments.

Her spending could be considered a manic action. This stark departure from accepted behavior painted a picture of an improper woman amidst a time of national sorrow. In the summer of 1869, they visited Paris, London, Scotland, and Belgium.

During the European years Mary followed the efforts of friends in Congress to secure her a pension like those given to Civil War soldiers’ widows.

Witnesses for the prosecution testified that Mary shopped excessively, complained about strange pains, and obsessed about imagined dangers. While she fought against the intolerable loss of her husband and children, her public displays were met with disdain rather than empathy.