New Hope in Woody Guthrie's Illness, Huntington's Disease

"Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was a well-known singer/songwriter with undiagnosed Huntington's disease (HD), born to a family burdened by undiagnosed HD. Guthrie's mother, Nora, had the diseasse and was institutionalized in the Oklahoma State Insane Asylum as her symptoms advanced. Nora had mood swings, often becoming violent, which were misdiagnosed as a psychiatric illness. Woody grew up traumatized by his mother's institutionalization."

"George Huntington, M.D., was a young doctor who wrote a 1872 paper, "On Chorea," describing the neurodegenerative disorder that eventually came to bea his name. Practicing medicine alongside his father and grandfather in East Hampton, Long Island, he observed generations of families affected by the disorder. Huntington recognized that if one parent had the disorder, there was a 50% chance their offspring would inherit it, and the pattern persisted across generations."

"Misdiagnosis By his early 30s, Woody Guthrie was showing signs of the disease. Friends and colleagues noted erratic mood swings, impulsivity, and heavy drinking. Guthrie, whose songs reflected social justice and the struggles of working people, experienced progressive depression and erratic movements and behavior as well as alcohol misuse in his 30s and 40s. Before modern genetics, neuroimaging, and biomarker testing, individuals with Guthrie-like behaviors were often mislabeled as "insane," "alcoholic," "drug addict," or morally weak, and placed in psychiatric institutions."

Woody Guthrie had undiagnosed Huntington's disease and grew up in a family burdened by the disorder. His mother Nora developed worsening symptoms and was institutionalized in the Oklahoma State Insane Asylum, often showing mood swings and violence that were misdiagnosed as psychiatric illness. George Huntington described the hereditary disorder in 1872 after observing affected families over generations and noting a 50% inheritance risk when one parent is affected. A mutation in the HTT gene was identified in 1993. A recent gene therapy appears to slow disease deterioration. Before modern testing, affected individuals were often mislabeled and institutionalized; substance misuse complicates diagnosis.

Read at Psychology Today