Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>During the decade from the late 1950s to the late 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. was hospitalized approximately once a year for medical reasons that were unclear at the time. The most common explanation was “exhaustion,” but a review of available medical records indicates that no physical cause was ever found for King’s exhaustion. Instead, some of the records indicated “nervous” causes for his physical exhaustion and other somatic symptoms. These periods usually lasted weeks. By current definitions, these symptoms would meet the standard of clinical depressive episodes. His suffering later in life is often discussed in the context of constant threats to his life and persecution by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These factors had a significant impact on his mental health and overall well-being.</jats:p>