Beethoven Box: Depression and Suicidality

Beethoven was a moody bastard. It's clear from the history that his mood was all over the place, quick tempered and irritable much of the time, but also able to sink into the deepest of despairs at other times . Famously Beethoven, upon learning that is hearing was fading, and that he would likely become deaf became very depressed, and in fact ~ suicidal.

Beethoven’s “suicide note”…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsWKJPIasS0

The Heiligenstadt Testament. After learning about his fading hearing and understanding that he would become a deaf composer Beethoven became severely depressed. It is not possible to make a DSM diagnosis on a historical figure, but is likely that Beethoven met the criterion for what we now called major depressive episode. While in the German countryside he wrote what is now known as the Heiligenstadt Testament. Is roughly a suicide note. He laments the fact that he is becoming deaf and proclaims that he will commit suicide. It is at this point in his life, he reached the lowest of lows that we can possibly understand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcOcKYQX3c&list=RDSrcOcKYQX3c&start_radio=1