What were the causes of Vivian Vance's nervous breakdown?

[Gina_lynn]

And did she ever overcome her mental illness?

[oh4cornssake]

Originally Posted by Gina_lynn

And did she ever overcome her mental illness?

I think she had manic depression, but she had issues from her childhood (unloving, judgmental mother) and early adult life (promiscuity) that she felt tremendous guilt about (she was raised in a strict religious household). Also, she was married at the time to that a**hat Phil Ober who beat her up and put her down constantly.

She did overcome it pretty much after she divorced Ober and remarried to John Dodds. She also campaigned publically on the mental health issue, raising awareness about it, in the 1960s.