I've known a couple people who have gone insane to varying degrees. All were hard workers. One was a grad student with schizophrenic tendencies, who just lost

I've known a couple people who have gone insane to varying degrees. All were hard workers. One was a grad student with schizophrenic tendencies, who just lost it after Phd quals. Another was a coworker who had a nervous breakdown at a client site after too many trips. Another was a grad student who had false views of grandeur after stopping his medicine. Another threatened violence on the entire company after being let go. Other than hoping that I'm not the common link... But - I think it's more than just "Working too hard." Working beyond your capacity isn't good, but there are other things at work too. Many focused geniuses have autistic-like symptoms. The mind has a lot of complex chemistry. "Just work less" doesn't solve it, any more than "Just cheer up" won't help someone that's clinically depressed. My heart is out to the people on this thread who shared painful stories.